The holiday season is sometimes called the gift-giving season because we use gifts as a symbol of love and affection. One way to show your affection is to give healthy presents this year.
Depending on the size of your family or your network of friends you might have a long list of healthy gifts for this holiday season.
Here are some suggestions to help you purchase healthy gifts on a budget. Some ideas can be food or food-related, exercise or exercise-related, or self-care related.
Food-related presents don’t have to be food! You can give recipe books with all types of healthy twists on recipes or you can give cool food containers to carry breakfast, lunch or dinner.
If your friends or family are into fitness or want to start exercising in the new year, consider exercise-themed gifts like apparel, yoga mats, or DVDs as stocking stuffers.
Perhaps colorful earphones for someone’s MP3 players.
Click here for more ideas.
Consider buying apps for your loved one's smartphone. It can be a real time saver for them if you do the research on health apps for them. You can buy them for under 10 dollars.
Here is a great place to start.
To combat the pressure to spend money to buy presents this holiday season, consider making your own. When I was a young adult didn’t have money to buy Christmas gifts for my friends and family I made my own.
Healthy presents can be some of the most fun and creative ones to make. Over the years I have made personal cards, soaps, candles, bubble bath, bath fizzes, among other gifts.
Spa gifts can also be wonderful treats for self care.
A couple of years ago one of my good friends asked me to teach her to make soap for holiday gifts. We made a day of it going to the craft store, coming home and making our soaps. It was a blast.
By the end of the night we had 20 gifts that were ready to wrap and distribute. Mission accomplished!
This activity was also a stress reliever because we enjoyed ourselves by being creative and creating gifts for others. By the way, with materials, etc., we only spent $2.50 per person.
If you want ideas on how to make soap or other spa gifts here is an awesome simple resource from Martha Stewart.
The secret to giving healthy gifts is to find something that will make your families' or your friends' lives easier. Making health easy makes your love ones health easier to maintain.
Live Vibrantly,
Dr. Dae
Naturopathic Physician
Diabetes Ambassador Champion, National Capital Area Region
Dr. Dae's website: www.healthydaes.com
Dr. Dae's book: Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living can be purchased @ www.healthydaes.com
Dr. Dae's Bio:
Dr. Daemon Jones is your diabetes reversal, hormones, metabolism and weight loss expert. Dr. Dae is a naturopathic doctor who treats patients all over the country using Skype and phone visits. Visit her or schedule a free consultation at her website www.HealthyDaes.com
Sources:
25 Under $25: Gifts for Fitness Fanatics. (2012, November 19). Retrieved December 16, 2014
http://www.fitbie.com/slideshow/cheap-gifts-fitness-fanatics
50 Healthy Gifts Under $50. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16, 2014
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20539484,00.html
Christmas Gifts | How To & Instructions | Martha Stewart. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16, 2014
http://www.marthastewart.com/275209/bath-and-spa-gifts/@center/307035/santas-workshop#266875
Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, CSSD, LDN. (n.d.). Cheap, Thoughtful and Healthy: Super Last-Minute Drugstore Gifts for Under $15! Retrieved December 16, 2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dawn-jackson-blatner-rd-cssd-ldn/diet-and-nutrition_b_4469747.html
The 100 Best iPhone Apps of 2014. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16, 2014
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393847,00.asp
Reviewed December 17, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith