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Give
gifts of healthy holiday cheer
November 25, 04
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
We’re entering holiday season, and it’s time to
figure out what to buy the people on your list – family,
friends, colleagues, business associates.
Gifts associated with food and the kitchen can be fun and
practical. With a bit of thought, they can be health-supporting,
too. Here are some ideas in a range of prices, many as low
as $10:
* Good reading. My top recommendations: Nutrition Action Healthletter,
published ten times per year by the Center
for Science in the Public Interest. It’s the largest
and most progressive wellness letter in North America with
a focus on nutrition and health. The rate for new subscribers
is $10, although CSPI says gift notices for orders placed
now will go out after the holidays (so make your own gift
card). Best book: “Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard
Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating,” by Walter Willett
(Fireside, 2001). The paperback lists for $14, but the online
discount price is about $10.
* Kid stuff. You can’t go wrong with an apple peeler.
The best one is cast iron with a suction base. Attach apple,
turn crank, and you get peeled fruit in a springy, spiral,
“Slinky” design that kids love and eat. I paid
about $28 for mine at a kitchen supply store. Internet prices
range from $13 to $36 for similar models. Also for young cooks:
“Pretend Soup” by Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson
(Tricycle Press, 1994). A sweet little cookbook. List price
is $17.95 hardcover or order it online for $12.
* Caribbean getaway. Take a mini vacation at home. One cookbook
I like: “The Rasta Cookbook” by Laura Osborne
(Africa World Press, 1993). List price is $14.95 paperback.
Some recipes call for fruits that are difficult to find in
the U.S. Other recipes are worth buying the book for, though.
Also: “Delicious Jamaica” by Yvonne McCalla Sobers
(Book Publishing Company, 1996). List price is $12.95 paperback.
Find both books discounted online for about $10. Recipes are
quick and easy to fix, with short ingredient lists.
* Gift baskets. Of course, some of the very best are available
locally, but here are some suggestions if you would like to
look farther afield. One of my favorites is from Wood Prairie
Farm, a small, certified organic family farm in northern Maine.
Call 1-800-829-9765 or go to www.woodprairie.com
and read about their Potato of the Month Club and Maine Potato
Barrels. Also see the Maine Harvest Basket and New England
Organic Bean Sampler. At www.villageorganics.com,
check out the South of the Border Organic Gift Basket, Italian
Lover’s Organic Gift Basket, and the Rise-n-Shine Organic
Gift Box. See fruit and vegetable gift baskets at www.harryanddavid.com
(Large Baby Vegetable Basket and The Favorite gift box, Crimson
Fruit Tower, or Sunshine Assortment), and the organic gift
basket at The Mail Order Catalog for Healthy Eating at www.healthy-eating.com.
* Vinegar and oil. Elegant bottles of balsamic vinegar or
olive oil from gourmet stores (also try Marshall’s,
TJ Maxx, and Steinmart) – some infused with herbs and
other flavorings – make nice gifts in lieu of a bottle
of wine.
* Fitness aids. Give jump ropes, yoga mats, and pedometers.
Pedometers vary in accuracy, but for $25, you can get one
that will give you a reasonable idea of the number of steps
walked in a day – good enough to motivate and map your
progress.
Other ideas: heirloom vegetable seeds, a fruit tree, a set
of stainless steel measuring cups or spoons, new latex spatulas
in hot tropical colors, and a pottery or stainless steel colander.
If you have more to spend, many homes could use a good French
knife for chopping vegetables, a bread knife and a new paring
knife.
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