Holiday Gift Guide: Wellness Gifts We Love (Part 1) - Ask a Nutritionist

Transcript:

BRITNI: Hey everyone, welcome to “Ask a Nutritionist”. I am Britni Vincent, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, and I am with Brandy Buro, also a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. Today we are diving into something really fun and useful for the holiday season; something we have never done a podcast about. So yeah.

BRANDY: Yeah, this is going to be fun.

BRITNI: We are going to be talking about wellness gift ideas handpicked by the dietitians and nutritionists here at Nutritional Weight & Wellness.

BRANDY: Yeah, so we are giving you a little holiday shopping inspiration. It can be tough to find something that's meaningful and practical and finding something that's healthy is even trickier. So we all kind of collaborated and put together a list to help you find some gifts for the people that you care about, things that they'll actually use and love without that sort of last minute gift card vibe.

BRITNI: I love it. And we have so much content that we're excited to share with you that we decided to make this topic into two parts. So be sure to listen next week to hear even more wellness gift ideas. I think let's jump in and get to the good stuff. I'm personally looking forward to this list for my own inspiration, because like you said, it is hard to get gifts sometimes.

Healthy kitchen essentials

The first category that we're going to be talking about are healthy kitchen essentials and some of them aren't essentials. Some of them are just nice to have.

BRANDY: Yeah, some are a little extra. But this is what the holiday is about. Do something a little special.

Stainless steel pots & pans

BRITNI: Yeah. I mean, the first thing that comes to my mind are stainless steel pots and pants. They last a really long time. They're nontoxic. You can basically use them to cook anything. You can put them, use them, like if I make a steak and I sear it on the stove top, then you can pop it in the oven to finish cooking. So that's super nice. Because not all pots and pans you can do that with.

BRANDY: Right.

BRITNI: And the nontoxic part, that is something to really keep in mind with your cookware. And it's a bit of an investment. So again, maybe something you're not going to splurge on yourself, but I bet you know somebody that could benefit.

BRANDY: Well, and speaking of longevity, my parents bought me a really great set when I got my first apartment in college. So what this is 20 years ago, and I still use the same set of pots and pans.

BRITNI: That's amazing.

BRANDY: So, and they're not, you know, given out anytime soon. So it's a really good investment to make.

BRITNI: Yeah, awesome.

Quality chef’s knife

BRANDY: So, another essential that I would put on your holiday gift list would be a really good chef's knife. This is absolutely something that's going to stand the test of time and it's going to make vegetable prep, all of your meal prep, so much more enjoyable when you have a good quality, sharp chef's knife.

BRITNI: It is so true.

BRANDY: This is, you need this.

BRITNI: Yeah, you really do. I got my first really good one in college and it was a total game changer.

BRANDY: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there's nothing like using a sharp knife. It's actually much safer to use a sharp knife. You're less likely to cut yourself.

BRITNI: Yeah.

BRANDY: So every, every cook needs that chef's knife. What's next on your list, Britni?

Dutch oven

BRITNI: Well, I really love a Dutch oven. I actually have a couple of them of different sizes. I have Le Creuset. They're enameled cast iron. Again, they're not full of toxic chemicals. They're also going to last a very long time. Last year I asked for a larger one. So that was one of my Christmas gifts and I was super excited about it.

I use them on a weekly basis. So soups, casseroles, roast, same thing as I talked about with the stainless steel, you can have it on the stovetop, pop it in the oven to finish off, so really versatile.

I think they're pretty easy to clean, and again, they're a little bit of an investment, so would be a really great gift to give somebody. I know another high quality brand out there is Staub.

BRANDY: Oh yeah.

BRITNI: And they come in fun colors, which just makes it even more exciting I feel like.

BRANDY: Yeah, and if you have fun, exciting cookware, you're going to be excited to cook.

BRITNI: It's true.

Slow cooker

BRANDY: Well, that's a really good pick. I like the versatility of that. Maybe along similar meal ideas anyway, that you could do with a Dutch oven, is a slow cooker.

BRITNI: Yes.

BRANDY: But I like a slow cooker because it's a very passive way to cook, you know, it's very hands off, set it and forget it, but it's the low and slow cooking method. So you end up with really flavorful meals. So I like to do soups and stews in here, roasts. I'll even make my bone broth in the slow cooker and just, it's also really good for meal prep.

You know, just assemble ingredients the night before. Turn it on in the morning and you are welcomed home by a beautiful meal in the evening. So I love this idea for busy families or even college students who may not have like a ton of kitchen space. You know, if they're in a dorm setting or a community living setting, you can do a lot with a slow cooker. Yeah, and it's great for summer cooking too, because it doesn't generate a lot of heat in the kitchen.

BRITNI: Good point. Great idea. I have one with a timer. I would recommend that feature. So after, whatever timer you set it for, after that it just turns to warm, which is kind of nice if you put something in while you're at work, but everybody can use a good slow cooker.

Vitamix

BRITNI: Another thing that comes to mind, a Vitamix.

BRANDY: Yeah.

BRITNI: Yeah. So maybe again, something a lot of people wouldn't splurge for themselves, but you can use it for many different reasons. I've used mine so much, I had just have it on my kitchen counter, smoothies. You can make soups with it. They have a really good warranty.

And so if it does break, I believe it's a 10 year warranty. You mail it in, they fix it, they send it back to you. And it's basically like a super duper blender. So it really blends everything up.

BRANDY: Yeah, super smooth. Anybody that I ask, like, is it really worth it to get that Vitamix? Everyone says yes. So it's like, yeah, it makes a big difference.

BRITNI: I agree. The people that have them really do love them.

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Air fryer

BRANDY: One other really useful tool that I use all the time is the air fryer. Yeah, there's a lot you can do with this.

BRITNI: Yeah, there is.

BRANDY: And, you know what I like it for is reheating actually like leftovers instead of like a microwave or firing the oven up. It reheats super quickly, and I don't know, it just tastes so much better.

BRITNI: Yeah, the texture is so much better.

BRANDY: Exactly. And it is a really great for a fast meal. Like I'll throw in salmon fillets or mahi mahi. I have perfectly cooked fish in like six, seven minutes. I'll even put sweet potatoes in there or Brussels sprouts and get like a really good crisp on those. I mean, there's so much, so much that you can do with an air fryer.

There's a lot of different brands that are doing something like this. You want to look for one that is not using Teflon, you know, that nonstick material. You want to look for one that has the stainless steel basket and all stainless steel parts, if you can find that.

BRITNI: Yeah. Yeah, a little harder to find, but definitely worth it.

BRANDY: Yeah, there are a couple of brands out there. I saw that Cuisinart has the stainless steel air fryer. So that would be one place to start.

Nourishing food & snack gift ideas

BRITNI: Yeah. Good. I love all these ideas. Well, let's get into our next category which are nourishing food and snack gifts.

BRANDY: I love this topic. I think during the holiday season, everybody wants to give food and they want to give, usually it's treats. Like the baked goods really come out of the woodwork this time of year. So we have a list of some more nourishing snacks that you don't have to feel guilty about giving or receiving.

BRITNI: I think a lot of people equate giving food with showing love.

BRANDY: Yeah.

BRITNI: And appreciation. What's the first thing that comes to your mind, Brandy?

BRANDY: Well, I actually, worked on this this weekend. I put together a little basket for a friend and one of the things that I put in there was some spiced nuts.

So I made, I have a recipe that I love. It's kind of a mix of spice, some cayenne, but also ginger, cinnamon, some of those warm spices, a little bit of salt. And I just kind of toast all of those pecans with those spices, and I put through that in a gift basket. So that's definitely a go to for me during the holiday season. There's a recipe on the website, actually, that you can follow along. It's called the crispy nuts recipe. So that's a good starting point if you've never made your own toasted nuts.

BRITNI: Yeah, they are so delicious and you can switch up all the different spices. I love that sweet, sweet spicy combo as well.

BRANDY: Definitely. Yeah, what would you put in a nourishing snack gift box?

Flavored olive oils & balsamics

BRITNI: I love the flavored olive oils. And not everybody makes a point to go to one of those stores and purchase them for themselves. A lot of the stores will have small bottles so you could get a little variety pack and try different things and see what they like.

It's a great way to make a salad more exciting or top vegetables. Lots of different ideas there. And then the balsamics, too. A lot of those stores sell the balsamics. So there's no added sugar in there. It's just the natural sweetness of the balsamic vinegar itself. So that is a great gift idea.

Bulk meat gift option

BRANDY: I love that pairing, too. My next idea, this is a little extravagant, but it would be, you know, something like a half a cow or last year my mom gave me a lamb for Christmas, which I thought was so brilliant.

BRITNI: Yes.

BRANDY: But you know, if you're able to connect with a local farmer and get some high quality meat, this is kind of the gift that keeps on giving all year round.

BRITNI: They will think of you every time they eat that meat.

BRANDY: Exactly. So if you're sort of wondering, like, how do I get started to gift this gift? Well, you can search for local farmers to connect with. There's a couple of websites we can suggest. If you're local in Minnesota, check out the Minnesota Grown website, minnesotagrown.com. And Britni, you were telling me about another website that you like to use.

BRITNI: Yeah. Eatwild.com. And then you just click on the state. It tells you how they raise their animals and it's a great resource to find high quality local meat.

BRANDY: Awesome.

Charcuterie box

BRITNI: Well, I think of a charcuterie box. I've done that for gifts and, you know, buy some yummy, unique, different cheeses, some meat to go along with that. Ideally, if you can find nitrate free. You could add some different unique olives to that mix.

The roasted nuts would be delicious, but it's fun to just try different things. And again, a lot of people aren't going to splurge on really nice cheese for themselves. So they'd be super excited to just pull that out for an evening or a gathering that they're hosting.

BRANDY: Yeah, I think that's brilliant because you're kind of putting, some of the work in for them and then they can entertain effortlessly and try some things they never would have thought of before.

BRITNI: Yeah, good. Well, I think for today, that is a wrap on our holiday gift ideas. Remember these gifts are thoughtful ways to show you care about someone's health and happiness. And just be sure to listen next week for part two, where we will be talking about gift ideas for those who are interested in high quality supplements. We have a self care category and a fitness and movement category that we'll be talking about.

BRANDY: Wonderful. I'm looking forward to talking more with you about some fun gifts that are healthy and practical. So see you next week. And we have so many more ideas that you can read about in an article that is on our website, weightandwellness.com. So be sure to check that out for even more ideas in all of these categories.

BRITNI: Thanks for listening.