A friend asked me yesterday if I had any gift suggestions for her health-conscious mother-in-law. Specifically, cooking classes. That’s tricky. I have yet to come across a cooking class description (at least in Charlotte) that suggests the participants would be educated about nutrition while they’re cooking something more nutritious. There are classes focused on vegetarian entrees, but “vegetarian” doesn’t automatically mean “healthier.”
I also wouldn’t suggest you sign someone up for nutrition coaching as a gift, unless they’ve talked extensively to you about wanting to do that. Eating can be a sensitive subject – and signing up for coaching should be a choice someone makes when they’re ready and willing.
As someone who would also love to be receive health-conscious gifts from time to time, I recommend choosing health-conscious gifts that a person can take and enjoy on their own – digest the experience or education in solitude, first. Then they can invite others into if they feel like it.
Here are 3 health-conscious gift ideas:
Gentle Nutrition: A Non-Diet Approach to Healthy Eating ($22)
An excellent gift for someone who: wants to learn a little more about nutrition while putting it into action in the kitchen.
The intuitive eating concept of gentle nutrition is about choosing foods based on what sounds good to you, based on what you want, while also making the conscious choice to add nutrient-dense foods to that selection. It’s about balancing basic enjoyment and deeper well-being.
This cookbook is written by a dietitian, so she offers recipes that support gentle nutrition, as well as education about gentle nutrition as a practice.
45-Minute facial at Toccare Day Spa ($90)
An excellent gift for someone who: wants to start investing in their skin health but hasn’t committed yet.
I got my first facial the other week at Toccare from Alicia and loved it. The 45 minutes included gentle massage, feedback on the skincare “routine” I have at home, and the use of an abundance of products on my face to cleanse and exfoliate. The experience was zen and relaxing, and made me feel productive in taking better care of my skin as I trudge forth into my thirties. What I appreciated the most was that no products were pushed on me at checkout – I asked for a little bit of guidance and received a few samples to test out.
A subscription to healthier meals or snacks
An excellent gift for someone who: wants to try on new-to-them approaches to eating.
I thought this list of “20 best healthy monthly subscription boxes” was fun. If you have someone in your life who wants to experiment with vegan or organic snacks, or meals without artificial ingredients, or personalized protein powders, this could be a simple way to give them access to variety.
Happy gifting!
