Holiday Wellness Gift Ideas from Our Nutrition Team

Transcript:

BRITNI: Hey everyone! 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.

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. 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 pans. They last a really long time. They're non-toxic. 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.

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, giving 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 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: 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 yeah, it makes a big difference.

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

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 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 new 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 it is time for us to take our break. You are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition and we will be right back.

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BRANDY: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. So our next category of gifts is quality supplements. And I love this idea because I think it's a really unique gift idea, but very well received; sends the message I care about you and your health.

BRITNI: For sure. You know, this is what my mom gave my brother last year for a Christmas gift and it's just a three-month supply of foundational supplements. And he loved it. It was great. So if you know somebody is, is interested and they're willing to take supplements, Brandy and I are going to be talking about just foundational supplements that anybody could benefit from.

1^st foundational supplement to benefit anyone: omega-3s

And, you know, I will start off with omega-3s. You know, this is one I, I recommend to all of my clients, because it is an essential fatty acid. So our bodies don't make it. We have to get it from food or supplements. The best sources are fatty fish and realistically people are just not eating enough fatty fish to get enough omega-threes.

And they help with just overall inflammation, brain health, eye health. They help make our cells more insulin sensitive, lots of benefits. And Brandy, you actually did an “Ask a Nutritionist” on this topic, right?

BRANDY: Yeah, go in the archives and check out that episode just to learn more about the functions of omega-3 and how essential it is to our health. You can't go wrong with this one.

BRITNI: No, you can't.

Foundational supplement #2: vitamin D

BRANDY: Well, similarly, You just can't get enough of it from food or the environment. It's vitamin D. I think most people need to supplement with vitamin D, especially if you live in the Midwest. Because this is a nutrient that we get from sun exposure and we're just, we can't be outside during the optimal times.

Especially if you live in the Midwest, you just, you're not really able to get enough sun exposure to get what you need for vitamin D. So you need to supplement. I would say most adults could benefit from the 5,000 international unit capsule. So I think during the winter months, this would be a great thing to gift anyone in your family.

And this is essential for a lot of roles in our body. It's great for your immune system, your mental health, hormone balance. So it covers a lot of ground, just like the omega-3.

BRITNI: Yeah. Yes, I agree. I think basically everybody needs to be supplementing with it.

BRANDY: Well, what's next on your list, Britni?

Foundational supplement #3: quality multivitamin

BRITNI: Well, I always take a good quality multivitamin. I give a multivitamin to my whole family. Again, I recommend it to my clients. Because as much as we would all want to get everything we could from food. It's just, it's not realistic. You know, the nutrient content of our food has significantly reduced.

And the two that come to my mind are Twice Per Day, the Nutrikey Twice Per Day or the Ortho Molecular Alpha Base. Those are two really great ones. I know Leah did an “Ask a Nutritionist” episode about multivitamins, and so that would be a great one to listen to just, just to learn more if you are interested. But again, I think anybody could benefit from a good quality multivitamin.

BRANDY: Good point. Knowing that our food isn't as nutrient rich as maybe it was a hundred years ago. I think of magnesium.

Foundations supplement #4: magnesium

BRITNI: Yeah.

BRANDY: You know, most of us are deficient in magnesium because our soil is deficient in magnesium. So I, I would supplement with magnesium. Most people benefit from that. This is like the miracle mineral. Again, plays a lot of roles in our health, cardiovascular health, our bone health, even blood sugar control.

And one of the biggest benefits that I love it for is how it can support better sleep. It is amazing how much deeper of sleep you get when you take a little magnesium before you go to bed. So I would say if you can give the gift of good sleep, I mean, that's priceless. They're going to love you forever.

BRITNI: Absolutely. Yeah. Magnesium really is magical and has so many beneficial properties to it.

Key Collagen

Well, this would be another idea that I would say isn't necessarily foundational, but maybe you want to get somebody something they wouldn't buy for themselves. So you could get a container of the Key Collagen for them.

BRANDY: Yeah. Good idea.

BRITNI: Yeah. It's really great quality. Anybody could benefit. It's helpful for hair, skin, and nails, yes, but it's also really beneficial for joint health, gut health, tendons, ligaments, bone health. And the Key Collagen is unique, because it contains very specific peptides for these different areas of the body. And I think everybody's heard of collagen by now, so I'm sure that your friends or family would appreciate this one as well.

BRANDY: And it works. It's really effective. And I think this time of year, it's dry. You know, you might notice like your skin and your hair are not looking as bouncy and bright. Collagen can help with that.

BRITNI: Good point. Everybody wants their hair, skin, and their nails to look better.

Last foundational supplement: a quality probiotic

BRANDY: So before we wrap up the quality supplements for your gift giving season, I want to mention one more really foundational supplement, a good probiotic. And the one that I would suggest is the Biotic 7. The Biotic 7 I love because it is a multi-strain probiotic.

So this is really great for folks that have already taken probiotics and they just want to add a little diversity into their routine. And it's also really convenient because it's one capsule.

One capsule a day will suit most people's needs, but it's also shelf stable. So I love this when I'm traveling because I can pack it in my toiletry bag and I don't have to worry about it, you know, “going bad”. Some probiotics need to live in the refrigerator. So this one is great to take along as you travel. Maybe you have an upcoming tropical trip coming up, so this is a great one to take with you; keep your gut health in check.

Fitness & movement gift category (idea #1: class pass gift card)

BRITNI: Yeah. Awesome. I love that one too. Well, let's move on to the next category, fitness and movement gifts. Anything that comes to mind first for you, Brandy?

BRANDY: Well, when I was brainstorming some ideas, something I thought of was a class pass gift card. So, this is something a lot of my friends love to use and basically what it is is you have a pre-paid card that you can use to access a lot of different fitness classes at gyms and studios around your area.

So it's a great option for the person who's maybe just getting into fitness, but they're not quite sure what their thing is yet. You know, do I, do I, am I into yoga or am I into spin class? This would give them the chance to test a few things out and figure out where their groove is.

BRITNI: Oh, I love that.

BRANDY: Or, you know, it's great for people that just get bored with doing the same thing every day and they can just switch it up every week. So if this is something you want to try, the gift cards are electronic and then emailed to whoever it is that you're giving this to. You can choose when it's delivered. So just give them a heads up of when you're sending that. What I've done in the past is I'll write a little card, let them know what I'm giving them and wrap that up with maybe a water bottle or something.

Idea #2: quality water bottles

BRITNI: Good idea. Yeah. Really good idea. And so speaking of water bottles, I think that could be a really nice gift as well because a nice quality water bottle, they're not cheap. So again, maybe something somebody is not going to spend money on for themselves. But what I would look for in a water bottle is make sure that it's stainless steel or glass.

I think stainless steel is probably preferable, so you don't have to worry about it breaking. And then, you know, making sure that they are lead free. And, again, water bottles come in so many different colors, and people are actually more likely to drink more water if they have an attractive looking water bottle.

BRANDY: I think especially this time of year, again, like when people are chilly and cold, at least with the clients I work with, I find that they're not drinking a lot of water or as much as they did in the summer.

BRITNI: Yep.

BRANDY: But our water needs are the same.

BRITNI: Yep.

BRANDY: So if a fun water bottle is going to help you hit your water goals, go for it.

BRITNI: Yeah. It's a great gift.

Self-care category

BRANDY: All right. So the last category of ideas that we'll share with you today is self-care. You know.

BRITNI: Yeah, I love the sound of this category.

BRANDY: Stress management is so important to a healthy lifestyle. So these gift ideas I think are perfect for the person that is always giving, but maybe not giving to themselves. So my idea is pretty classic, but I think it's always well received. If you were to give a gift card for a massage or to a spa and they can kind of pick what services they get there. That's at least giving them the opportunity to take some time for themselves. And maybe what I would do is wrap that up with a new pair of slippers or a comfy robe or something. You know?

BRITNI: Yeah, great idea.

BRANDY: Take some time for yourself and relax.

Essential oils

BRITNI: Yes. Good. Yeah. That everybody would love that gift. Absolutely. The other thing that might be nice to think about is an essential oil kit. Depending on if this individual is into essential oils or not, there's kind of some starter kits that give you like maybe five of the basic ones and then get a nice diffuser to go along with it.

BRANDY: Perfect.

BRITNI: You could even get like a little essential oil booklet that gives them more information about how to use them. But I think anybody could benefit from that as well to help with relaxation. Some of them help with sleep, immunity.

BRANDY: Yeah.

BRITNI: Lots of benefits.

BRANDY: They’re so much fun and you can combine them. Lavender is one of my favorites. Just so relaxing before bed. I've even used some essential oils like in a hot shower, just to kind of replicate a steam room almost. It's just so relaxing.

BRITNI: Yeah. Lots of uses. I use them to clean.

Cozy blanket

BRANDY: Yeah. Love that idea. Maybe one more idea I'll throw out is a new snuggly blanket. And again, this is, an opportunity to kind of splurge and just get something really special, but who doesn't love a new cozy, fuzzy blanket to curl up, watch a good movie or with a nice cup of tea?

BRITNI: Read a book.

BRANDY: And this could be a great gift for somebody maybe you don't really know super well, but you still really want to show them that you appreciate them.

BRITNI: It's a really good idea as well. Well, remember that we also have all of these on the wellness gift article on our website, weightandwellness.com. And then we have some links for you too, to make it super easy to provide these gifts to loved ones. Be sure to check out that article for more ideas. It's your complete wellness gift guide. Well, thank you so much for joining us today and happy holidays.