Gift Ideas

Healthy gift ideas might sound too wholesome, but the fun of gift-giving (and receiving) is to choose things that someone wouldn’t normally buy for themselves.

If that certain someone is interested in health, environmental sustainability and/or not having too many ‘things’, these ideas might help.

Superfoods

Certain superfoods are a bit pricey to include in a regular grocery trip, so they make fun gifts. And what better way to tell someone you care than by giving them something super healthy?

• Dried Mulberries: They’re really high in vitamins and antioxidants, and I personally find them tastier than goji berries when you’re just eating a handful
• Dark Chocolate: There are some brands pairing high-quality dark chocolate with superfoods like ginger and goji berries for a delicious and healthy treat
• Smoothie/Greens Powders: Perfect for someone travelling by plane so that they can make a smoothie after going through security

Homemade Treats

I love handmade gifts – they’re so special. For the ladies in my life, I often make earrings or sew a purse out of old clothes. Men are a bit trickier, but they always appreciate a little homemade treat…

• Homemade Chocolate Bars: For the men in my life, I like to figure out their favorite chocolate bar and make a homemade version – you can’t go wrong with chocolate!.
• Truffles: It’s surprisingly easy to make those rich little balls of chocolate. Coconut or almond milk work just fine, and there are lots of recipes out there. They look (and taste) especially lovely covered in coconut, ground almonds or cocoa powder.
• Nut Mix: For those with a salt-tooth, you can roast and flavor your own nut mix. Much healthier than the ones you buy, and you can customize them. Dry roast them in a skillet or oven, and then season them with tamari (soy sauce), your favorite BBQ seasoning, or just some sea salt.

Cookbooks

Cookbooks are great for ideas and inspiration – and often gorgeous photos! The cookbook section in bookstores is steadily growing, and it’s nice to see a lot more healthy and vegan/vegetarian books coming out.

• Blissful Bites: Christy Morgan (aka The Blissful Chef) has put together an awesome compilation of recipes, organized by season. I highly recommend the pumpkin hot chocolate as a holiday treat by the fireplace.
• Sweet Eats For All! is the newest book by Allyson Kramer, and is all about vegan gluten-free baking – perfect for anyone with celiac or wheat/gluten allergies.
• Let them Eat Vegan!, by Dreena Burton, is a great cookbook for everyday meals for a family. There’s a wide variety of ideas, and Dreena uses healthy whole foods as the main ingredients in her recipes.

Kitchen Tools

For people who like to cook, or just like to make good healthy food, sometimes a simple tool can make all the difference. There are so many to choose from, but the best choices are the ones that will get used a lot.

• Ginger grater: A ginger grater isn’t a staple in most kitchens, but it makes ginger so easy to add to any sauce or salad dressing. It rips up the ginger to a pulp that you can squeeze for juice. I love my ginger grater.
• Zester/Microplane: Citrus zest is so tasty, and has lots of nutrients. Adding zest to your cooking will transform your life – so why not share that with someone who shares a love of good food?
• Sprouting container and seeds: Growing your own sprouts is so easy, and gives you a perfect source of fresh nutrient-dense greens all through the year.

Vegan Clothes & Accessories

Vegans don’t use or wear anything that involves leather, wool or silk. There are so many options now for buying clothes and accessories that don’t use these materials.

• Organic cotton clothing: There’s a wide variety of clothes made from organic cotton and other sustainable and vegan materials. If you’re lucky enough to live in a city with a store (like Herbivore in Portland or I love the MEC line of organic cotton clothes in Canada) you can browse, but there are lots of options online, particularly on Etsy.
• Vegan Handbags: Canopy Verde is one of my favorite sources for vegan and ecofriendly handbags, but there are lots of companies using organic canvas and crueltyfree synthetic leathers.
• Vegan Shoes: It can be really tricky to go shoe shopping as a vegan, since most are made with leather. Luckiily there are several online stores that cater to vegans. Nice Shoes in Canada is one, but there are lots of others if you look online.

Other Healthy Gift Ideas

If you let your imagination wander, you can come up with all kinds of different ideas…

• Online Cooking Classes: As you may know, I do online healthy vegan cooking classes. When I was just starting to learn about healthy eating, I would have loved a gift of a cooking class. It’s the kind of thing a lot of people wouldn’t treat themselves to, so I think it’s a pretty fun gift.
• Organic Wine: Made with organic grapes, and without sulfites, it’s a great option for a healthy and environmentally-sustainable gift, or to share over a special meal.
• Tea Pot With Tea and Infuser: Herbal tea is tasty, and lots of them have great health benefits. Green, honeybush and rooibos are all full of antioxidants and other special things. I like the ones that are mixed with dried fruits and flowers.
• Glass Straws: I never thought I needed a straw until I started using a glass one. If you have someone who likes smoothies in your life, these are a great option to make their sipping fun and avoid plastic straw waste.
• Travel Cutlery: Light My Fire makes a pretty fantastic spork, with a carrying case included. It was probably the best gift I’ve ever gotten, I carry it in my bag all the time so that I have it ready if I’m out at work or travelling, to eat on the go.

Amazon Associates Disclosure: Heather Nicholds is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.