‘Tis the season for indulgence and revelry! To be sure, for anyone trying to lose weight, the holidays present a major challenge. Why not balance things out a bit by giving healthy gifts to your friends and family this holiday season? Not only can these types of gifts help loved ones stick to their New Year’s resolutions, but they also show that you care about supporting them as they strive for greater health.
We’ve rounded up some of the best healthy gifts to give you a head start on your holiday shopping. From kitchen accessories to nutritious treats to high-tech weight maintenance tools, there’s a little something for anyone who is working toward a healthier life.
Sunsweet Amaz!n Prunes
Making the perfect healthy stocking stuffers, Sunsweet Amaz!n Prunes offers a variety of options, including individually wrapped prunes and dark chocolate covered diced prunes. They’re a tasty alternative to candy, and one serving of 4–5 prunes is a good source of fiber and only 100 calories. Research shows that this fat-free snack can even help maintain bone mineral density in women. Visit sunsweet.com for nutrition information, healthy living tips and recipes using prunes. Get a coupon.
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T-fal OptiGrill Plus
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, healthy eating often falls by the wayside. The simpler you can make eating healthfully, the more likely you are to stick to a nutritious diet. An indoor grill makes it easy to cook meat, vegetables and everything in between any time of the year. Special sensors on the T-fal OptiGrill Plus automatically determine the thickness of your food in order to grill with precision at the ideal temperature. Whether you want your meat rare, medium or well done, the grill’s cooking level indicator will alert you. For veggies and other more delicate food, you can simply utilize the manual temperature setting for cooking. It even has a defrost button so you can cook straight from the freezer.
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Crock-Pot Slow Cooker
Not only does a slow cooker come in handy around the holidays when we tend to entertain more, but it is also a great appliance to have year-round. Famous for making healthy meals easy to throw together, a slow cooker is a great gift for anyone hoping to shed weight. When it comes to slow cookers, the original Crock-Pot brand slow cooker, available in 2.5-quart to 7-quart sizes, is a classic, affordable choice. In addition to cooking meat and vegetables perfectly, Crock-Pots are designed for advanced meal prep—you can toss ingredients into the pot in the morning, and dinner (plus leftovers!) is done the moment you walk in the door in the evening.
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Under Armour Holiday Gift Pack
Give the gift that makes all athletes better: UA’s iconic styles all boxed up and ready to go! Each pack includes a shirt, hat and fleece infused with the latest technology to guarantee warmth, comfort and performance for the holiday season.
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Cuisinart Smart 2-Speed Hand Blender
Forget that old plastic blender or heavy food processor! Whether you want to puree soup, emulsify a sauce, or mix up guacamole, an immersion blender can do it all. In fact, the Cuisinart Smart 2-Speed Hand Blender can blend, puree, chop, grind, whip and meringue. It can be used in conjunction with just about any kitchen vessel, unlike a traditional food processor. Outfitted with a 200-watt motor, this hand blender offers lots of power in a compact package.
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Gilt City Presents Blue Apron
Having the right ingredients stocked in your kitchen may be the biggest barrier to healthy eating. This is something that Blue Apron sought to remedy by creating a grocery-subscription service that delivers fresh ingredients in exactly the right proportions—along with recipes to guide you— right to your front door. Allowing you to whip up chef-designed meals for two to four people without the hassle of shopping and measuring, you might not want to go back to traditional home cooking methods. Even better: Enjoy up to 35% off your order thanks to Gilt City.
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Healthy Eating Container Kit
Looking for a gift for someone who is hoping to shed weight in the New Year? It turns out that portion control is one of the biggest hurdles to weight loss. The Healthy Eating Container Kit includes a set of four 1-cup containers, a set of 2-cup containers, as well as a pedometer and body tape measure. Not only do these containers allow you to measure out the perfect amount of food to help you stick to your daily consumption goals, but they also make it easier to prep meals ahead of time. Simply fill the containers the day before and throw them in your bag for lunch the next day.
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Nest 9 Plus Nesting Bowls
Know someone who is missing some kitchen essentials? Every cupboard should be stocked with a set of dishwasher-safe nesting bowls. The Nest 9 Plus collection offers everything you could ask for in a space-saving design. The package includes two mixing bowls with non-slip bases, measuring cups, a stainless steel mesh sieve and large colander.
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Casper Mattress
Quality sleep improves health and can even contribute to weight-loss efforts, and Casper is changing the game when it comes to mattress design. Marrying latex and memory foam, their mattresses provide contouring support with a healthy bounce. They also promise to keep you cool at night. What’s more, Casper will ship the mattress directly to you free of charge in a “how-did-they-do-that?”-sized box. If you don’t like it after 100 nights, they’ll pick it up and refund you in full. With the greater clarity and energy you’ll gain through a better night’s sleep, we’re guessing you won’t ever want to give it up, though. Enjoy $50 off your mattress with code MyFitnessPal.
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CC Boards 3-Piece Bamboo Cutting Board
The CC Boards 3-Piece Bamboo Cutting Board set is larger and thicker than most comparable products on the market. Bamboo is especially low maintenance due to the fact that it resists water retention. The wood’s density also helps it hold up against knife cuts and scars—this means it won’t crack or warp over time, nor does it hold bacteria in the same way other woods do. Since bamboo naturally replenishes itself, you can also rest easy knowing that you’re buying an eco-friendly product.
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Luvo’s Turkey Vegetable Lasagna
Whipping up a healthy home-cooked meal after a long day at work can feel akin to climbing Mount Everest. This is why Luvo’s Turkey Vegetable Lasagna is the perfect dinner to have in your freezer. Made with whole-wheat noodles, kale and spinach, it provides a nutritious and filling meal for anyone who is trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Chef-inspired and nutritionist approved, one serving contains 2/3 cup of vegetables, 19 grams of protein and less than 500mg of sodium. Download a coupon for $1.50 off any Luvo frozen entrée.
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FoodSaver V3880 Vacuum Sealing System
Vacuum sealers are the kitchen appliance you never knew you needed, and it doesn’t get any more deluxe than the FoodSaver V3880 Vacuum Sealing System. Allowing you to suck the air out of special food preservation bags, it relies on heat-sealing technology to keep the bag air-tight. Not only does this mean that food stays fresh longer, but it also makes storage easier than ever. The V3880 comes with pre-cut quart and gallon-sized bags to keep meals and ingredients fresh and ready to eat.
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Envy Spiral Slicer
Have someone in your life who shies away from vegetables, or do you want to try a low-carb alternative to pasta? Turn boring vegetables into spiral-cut fries and veggie noodles with this easy-to-use countertop tool. The Envy Spiral Slicer can assist in making tasty and beautiful veggie-focused meals and sides like sweet potato fries, zucchini noodle carbonara, shoestring jicima fries, beet noodle pasta and butternut squash fettuccine.
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Taylor Smart Scale Body Analyzer
Forget those cheap, inaccurate scales everyone once had in their bathrooms! The Taylor Smart Scale Body Analyzer is a perfect gift for anyone who is working toward weight-loss goals. Relying on Bluetooth® 4.0 technology, this smart scale connects wirelessly to your smart phone (iOS 7 and above; Android 4.3 and above). Simply download the app and track your progress through real-time data synchronization, back-up storage in the cloud, and integration with many popular apps, like MapMyFitness and MyFitnessPal. It offers feedback on body weight, body fat, water and muscle mass percentages. The scale takes weight readings up to 400 pounds, and stores user profiles for up to eight people.
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Armoa Perfection Rice Cooker and Food Steamer
For anyone hoping to simplify healthy cooking, a rice cooker is a go-to kitchen accessory. Throw rice and water in the pot, hit cook, and you’ve got perfectly cooked rice in minutes. The Aroma Perfection 20-Cup Cool-Touch Rice Cooker and Food Steamer combines two great appliances in one, allowing you to cook rice and steam everything from meat to vegetables to dumplings. What’s more, the inner cooking pot makes it easy to clean up and prep for the next meal.
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OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner
Sopping wet leaves can really put a damper on any salad. This is what makes the salad spinner such an amazing invention. Simply rinse the leaves, spin out the water and viola—you have a ready-to-eat salad. The OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner achieves high RPM in order to dry soggy leaves fully with adequate centrifugal force without bruising them. It can also be used as a serving bowl, offering a great two-for-one kitchen accessory.
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Hamilton Beach Slow Juicer
Juicers have long been a favorite kitchen appliance among health-conscious individuals. When you’re trying to lose weight and improve your overall health, there’s nothing like a fresh glass of orange juice in the morning or a vegetable concoction at lunch. The Hamilton Beach Slow Juicer’s durable auger crushes and squeezes fruits and vegetables to offer pure and delicious juice free of pulp and insoluble fiber.
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