Your Nutritionist-Endorsed Holiday Gift Guide
Another year of holidays, another year of buying holiday gifts. And so it goes, year after year. Stumped? Again? You are surely not alone. Finding that perfect gift for that special someone in your life can be daunting.
But anyone buying a gift for me has it easy (although I'm sure my husband would disagree). I always want yoga clothes. You can never have too many (along with shoes, jeans and white T-shirts) and a new yoga outfit always inspires me to get to class. This year, I'm all about buying them at JuJa Active, either online or in the store. They carry a wide selection of fabulous brands that used to be hard to find outside of yoga studios.
To help with more gift ideas, I checked with some of my nutrition expert pals. Here's what's on their wish lists for this season:
1. Ballroom Dance Lessons
"I'd love to receive the gift of ballroom dance lessons (and a nice pair of ballroom dance shoes). Even better if the gift includes a partner (aka my husband). It's so much fun to learn the waltz, salsa and other classics! And, it's a challenging workout without the drudgery some other types of exercise can bring. The best part is having fun while exercising your body and your brain!"
-- Melissa Joy Dobbins, registered dietitian nutritionist and CEO of Sound Bites, Inc.
2. Spiralizer
"I would like a spiralizer so I can make all those fun fruit and veggie spaghetti recipes! I have a hand-held spiralizer, but it has led to some casualties in the kitchen! The spiralizing trend isn't going away, and it would be really fun to take part in, especially for the kids. It's a great way to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and leads to lots of fun in the kitchen!"
-- Jessica Fishman Levinson, registered dietitian nutritionist, culinary nutrition consultant and founder of Nutritioulicious
3. Pilates Classes
"I started Pilates years ago to strengthen my core after a back injury. Now, it's my go-to exercise. In addition to keeping me flexible and strong, each workout helps clear my mind and focus me for a healthy, mindful day. I would love the gift of extra classes to add to my week!"
-- Amy Gorin, New York City-based registered dietitian nutritionist and contributing blogger for ?WeightWatchers.com
4. Cold Brew Coffee System
"I recently gave up diet soft drinks, so I've been missing my caffeine fix in the morning. While I'm still not a hot coffee drinker, I've discovered how much I enjoy cold brewed coffee and would love to start making it at home. After polling my coffee connoisseur friends, they all agree that using a cold brew system yields a much better flavor than just chilling a cup of hot brewed coffee."
-- Holley Grainger, registered dietitian nutritionist, healthy food blogger and culinary nutrition expert
5. Aged Balsamic Vinegar
"On my wish list: a bottle of real aged balsamic vinegar from Italy. It's pricey stuff -- running anywhere from $75 to $200 for just over 3 ounces, but that much lasts me a year and just a little drizzle of it literally transforms foods. It's not acidic like a salad vinegar -- it's luxuriously syrupy with a complex and balanced sweet-tart taste. I love it on roasted vegetables (from broccoli to Brussels sprouts), sprinkled on fresh fruit or drizzled on cheese and fresh tomatoes. It's a healthy way to add incredible flavor to food."
-- Ellie Krieger, registered dietitian nutritionist, TV personality and award-winning cookbook author
6. Cooking Vacation
"I love to explore food and culture, and culinary escape marries two of my passions -- food and travel. While I enjoy a relaxing vacation, it would be fun to do a hands--on cooking class (or two) in Italy's Amalfi Coast, on a Caribbean island or on a beach in Thailand."
-- Marisa Moore, registered dietitian nutritionist, owner of Marisa Moore Nutrition and U.S. News Eat+Run blogger
7. Donation to Charity
"This year, I'm truly in the giving mode. So all I want for Christmas is for my friends and family to donate to their favorite charities instead of buying something for me. If they don't have a favorite, I recommend supporting the American Diabetes Association in search of a cure for diabetes. Though, if anyone wants to wrap up a box containing a note telling me about the donation, I always love opening gifts!"
-- Jackie Newgent, chef, registered dietitian nutritionist and author of "The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook"
8. Tea-of-the-Month Subscription
"Tea is the new coffee -- well, at least for me. I have decided I want to start a daily ritual of brewing up a pot of good-quality tea to sip on each afternoon to aid in workday stress relief. I wish someone would send me an adorable teapot, a strainer to house the loose tea and a subscription to a tea-of-the-month club so that the leafy selections change with the seasons. I am feeling less stressed just asking for this cozy, calming holiday gift."
-- Joan Salge Blake, registered dietitian nutrition, clinical associate professor at Boston University, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and U.S. News Eat+Run blogger
9. Food Gift Basket
"I would like to receive a giant gift basket filled with some of my favorite things: verbena scented candles, a bottle of David Bruce Pinot Noir, savory seasoning blends, an imported rich balsamic glaze, dark chocolate and sea salt-covered almonds, a cache of teas and a gift certificate to MacKenzie-Childs! Is anybody out there listening?"
-- Bonnie Taub-Dix, registered dietitian nutritionist, owner of BetterThanDieting.com and author of "Read It Before You Eat It"
10. Yoga Props
"This holiday season, I hope to enhance my yoga practice with a few accessories. On my wish list are a yoga blanket (which my knees will appreciate when I'm doing table) and two yoga blocks. Right now, I use the blocks that are available at my studio, but the germ freak in me keeps whispering "those blocks can't possibly be clean!" in my ear. Finding the time to exercise is always a New Year's resolution of mine, and I know that some new yoga accessories will keep me inspired through 2016."
-- Liz Weiss, registered dietitian nutritionist at MealMakeoverMoms.com and co-author of "The Smoothie Bowl Coloring Cookbook"
Keri Gans, MS, RDN, CDN, is a registered dietitian/nutritionist, media personality, spokesperson, and author of The Small Change Diet. Gans's expert nutrition advice has been featured in Glamour, Fitness, Health, Self and Shape, and on national television and radio, including The Dr. Oz Show, Good Morning America, ABC News, Primetime, and Sirius/XM Dr. Radio.
