The Ultimate Healthy Holiday Gift Guide, 2018

This is my final holiday gift guide of 2018, and this is the BIG ONE! I’ve included all of my top gift recommendations in the “healthy lifestyle” category, and I’ve covered all price ranges. I’m going to try to keep things as brief as possible, because this is quite a long list! If you haven’t read my 2018 holiday gift guide for HER, or my gift guide for HIM, make sure to check those out as well. Let’s dive in, shall we? Here is my 2018 “ultimate holiday gift guide” – enjoy!

• Beautycounter Charcoal Essentials: This set comes with the Beautycounter Charcoal Bar and No. 3 Balancing (Charcoal) Mask, which are the two products that sold me on Beautycounter in general! The charcoal bar helps to wash away impurities, absorb excess oil, and pull toxins out of the skin. It can be used on the face and the body, and it’s especially great for anyone with oily or acne-prone skin. The Charcoal mask also pulls out any impurities in the skin, gets rid of blackheads and blemishes, and absorbs excess oil. It can be used as a mask or as a spot treatment! These are two of my Holy Grail products. For anyone who thinks safe, nontoxic skincare isn’t effective – these products will prove you wrong.
  
• Beautycounter Travel Body Essentials: Everyone needs travel-sized body care on hand, and it’s also a great way to introduce someone to nontoxic, safer skincare products! This set includes the Body Wash in Citrus Mimosa, the Hydrating Body Lotion in Citrus Mimosa, the Hand Cream in Citrus Mimosa, and the Citrus Mimosa Body Bar. Oh, and don’t worry, the Citrus Mimosa scent is AMAZING.
  
  
• Earthing Mat: This mat allows you to get in some grounding/earthing even if you’re stuck inside all day. Check out my post on grounding to learn more about the benefits. Briefly, grounding allows us to receive some of the free electrons from the earth, and it can help boost energy levels, reduce inflammation, reduce stress, improve sleep, regulate cortisol, get rid of headaches, and more!
  
• Yonanas Dessert Maker: This contraption MADE my college experience. You can put any frozen fruit into this machine (along with any other spices or flavorings), and it turns it into healthy soft serve! You can use frozen bananas, strawberries, blueberries, or basically anything else that’s frozen. It’s the easiest way to make a healthy dessert! You could go with an ice cream maker, but I prefer this option!
  
  
• Instant Pot: This is the one kitchen appliance I truly believe everybody needs. It does the work of a slow cooker in less than an hour, and it allows you to cook in bulk incredibly quickly. I cook almost all of my meats in here, and it saves me so much time!
  
• Air Fryer: An air fryer allows you to fry, bake, grill, and roast with little to no oil, or with oil, but in a healthy way! If you love the taste of fried food but want to avoid the inflammatory, rancid oils, the air fryer is the best option.
  
• Vitamix: If you’re going to invest in a blender, go big or go home. This is the blender of all blenders. It’ll blend, process, and create the perfect smoothie. A Vitamix is an investment, but it’ll last forever!
  
• Lodge Cast Iron Skillets: These are my favorite pans to cook in. Help your loved ones ditch their toxic nonstick pans and switch over to a healthier option. Cast iron skillets will last a lifetime (if you take care of them), and they’ll help you get in a healthy dose of a little extra iron!
  
• Squatty Potty: This needs to be in every bathroom! I’ve given this to so many people for Christmas. The squatty potty allows people to “squat” while using the restroom, which makes elimination much easier. Trust me, they’ll thank you after they’ve had the best poop of their lives!
  
• Electric Tea Kettle: Not a necessity, persay, but always very nice to have. This makes heating water a lot easier, especially for the tea lover!
  
• Cards Against Humanity: If you don’t own this game, you must. This is one of my favorite games to play in a group setting, and it’s especially fun with anyone who has a very dry sense of humor.
  
• What Do You Meme: This has a similar format to Cards Against Humanity, but it’s all about memes. If you and your friends like to send each other funny memes you find on the Internet, you’ll love this.
  
• doTERRA Home Essentials Enrollment Kit: Everyone needs to have this kit, because everyone needs a natural “medicine cabinet.” This will replace your traditional medicine cabinet. This kit comes with everything you need to get started with essential oils from doTERRA, or to restock all of the essentials! The Home Essentials Kit comes with the Petal diffuser as well as our most popular oils: Frankincense, Lavender, Lemon, Melaleuca, Oregano, Peppermint, Breathe, DigestZen, On Guard, and Deep Blue. You could also gift a doTERRA membership itself, which gives someone 25% off of all doTERRA products for the rest of the year!
  
• Rebounder: If you get this for someone, make sure they have room for it before you buy it. This is a mini trampoline, but it still takes up space! If you don’t know about the benefits of rebounding, head here. I hop on this every morning for a few minutes to help with lymphatic drainage!
  
• Homebiotic Spray: This is the ultimate eco-friendly cleaning product! It’s an all-natural probiotic spray for your home that’s completely nontoxic and safe to use around kids and pets. This multipurpose spray allows you to restore the healthy probiotic bacteria to your home, rather than simply kill it all with traditional toxic cleaners.
  
• Pyrex 18-Piece BPA-Free Food Container Set: Everyone needs a set of pyrex to store their food in, rather than harmful BPA-laden plastic tupperware. This is a gift that will definitely get used!
  
• Ember Mug: This mug keeps your drink at your ideal temperature, and you can control the temperature directly from your phone. You can even save your presets for different drinks! No more worrying about if your drink will get cold – the Ember keeps it perfectly warm!
  
• Blue-Blocker Glasses: Everybody should be wearing a set of blue blockers in the evening after the sun sets to avoid the blue light that can disrupt melatonin levels in the body and throw off our circadian rhythms. This is especially important if you look at any screens after it gets dark out. My blue blockers are from Swanwick, and Swannies come in “night” and “day” versions. With all of the screens and artificial lights we’re exposed to during the day, it’s also important to wear the daytime glasses as often as we can. Blue blockers come in a ton of different styles, so you’ve got plenty of options. You can use the code “WELLNESS” for 15% off any Swanwick products!
  
• MAPS Anabolic and MAPS Anywhere: These are the two fitness programs I recommend to everyone. MAPS Anabolic is great for building strength and muscle if you have access to weights or a gym, and MAPS Anywhere is the guide to follow if you want something for home workouts without weights or if you want a program to follow while on travel. I’ve done both programs multiple times, and they’re highly effective. Perfect for men and women, and they can be adjusted for any fitness level. You can use my code “WELLNESS” for 10% off any MAPS fitness programs or gear!
  
  
• Rubberbanditz Resistance Bands Set: If you do any MAPS programs, you’ll need a set of resistance bands. Even if you don’t do a MAPS program, I think everyone should own a set of high-quality resistance bands. These are especially great to have for travel or at-home workouts. I’ve gotten other bands from Amazon, and they broke after a year or so. These are built to last a lifetime. Again, you can use my code “WELLNESS” for 10% off.
  
• Fitbit Alta: Having a fitness tracker can really help motivate people to keep moving throughout the day and get in a few more steps. This Fitbit will track your activity and your heart rate, which lets you know how ready your body is for different types of activity!
  
• Oura Ring: This is the most advanced fitness tracker out there. It’s more stylish than the Fitbit, and it gives you a lot more information. This is especially helpful for tracking data about your sleep. You can learn your REM sleep time, deep sleep time, wakeups, and more, as well as your heart rate variability and your activity levels. This is top-of-the-line, but also very expensive.
  
  
• Just Thrive Probiotic: Everyone can use the gift of good gut health this Christmas! A high-quality probiotic can promote clear skin, weight loss, immunity, muscle recovery, better mood and energy, and more! This is the probiotic I recommend to everyone – it has been clinically proven to help heal leaky gut in 30 days. You can use my code “christina15” for 15% off!
  
• Kasandrinos Olive Oil – I get this in bulk so that I’m stocked up on olive oil for a long time. The majority of olive oils you’ll find at the store are not high-quality, pure olive oil – most are cut with other inflammatory oils because it’s cheaper to produce, or they’re extracted using high heat. Kasandrinos is a brand you can always trust, and you can truly taste the difference! Olive oil is my #1 cooking oil and oil for dressings, so I like to have a lot of it on hand. You can’t beat those polyphenols! You can use my code “WELLNESS” for 10% off anything from Kasandrinos!
  
• Balanced Bites Spices – These spice blends are not only delicious, but they come in very generous sizes! These will last you a very long time because they’re so large. You can buy them individually, in four-packs, or as the entire set. Some of my favorites are Smoky, Diner, Greek, and Ranch. You can use my code “WELLNESS” for 10% off!
  
• Ned Full-Spectrum Hemp Oil: This is my all-time favorite full-spectrum hemp oil (a.k.a. CBD oil), which I use every night. CBD oil will not get you high. It helps to stimulate the endocannabinoid system in the body, which brings the body to homeostasis. Full-spectrum hemp oil can help with insomnia, anxiety, depression, inflammation, chronic pain, more immediate pain relief, PTSD, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, seizures, and more. This product is made only with CBD and non-GMO MCT oil – you won’t find cleaner ingredients. Plus, it tastes amazing. I recommend starting with 300 mg a few hours before bed, and then you can move to a higher dose if you want.
  
• Barukas – These are truly the best seeds / nuts I’ve ever had. They taste like a peanut, cocoa bean, and almond all rolled into one! Incredibly addicting, and they have a great macronutrient profile. Plenty of protein and fiber!
  
• Four Sigmatic Royal Flush Sampler Pack:  I have 1-2 Four Sigmatic Elixirs almost every single day. Not only are they delicious, but they offer a variety of health benefits depending on which elixir you’re drinking. Functional mushrooms contain plenty of antioxidants and can act as natural adaptogens in the body. They work to support immunity, stress levels, longevity, and more. This pack comes with a box of each of their Elixirs, Mushroom Hot Cacaos, and Mushroom Coffees. All you have to do is mix a packet with hot water, and you’re good to go! You can use my code “CRW” for 15% off any Four Sigmatic Products.
  
• Primal Kitchen Whole 30 Kit: Primal Kitchen products are must-have healthy condiments for everyone’s pantry! Condiments are the most common place unhealthy ingredients are hiding that most people forget about. This kit comes with PK’s Regular Mayo, Chipotle Lime Mayo, Greek vinaigrette, Ranch dressing, and Avocado oil. The Advanced kit also comes with the Green Goddess dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Caesar dressing.
  
• Marigold Bars Sampler Pack: If you follow me on social media, you probably already know how much I love these. They’re my version of a candy bar, but they’re packed with protein and are made with real-food ingredients. They contain grass-fed whey and L-glutamine, and that combination personally works fine for my stomach even though I am very intolerant to dairy. This sampler pack lets you try a bunch of their flavors (all are delicious): Lemon Pie, Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Praline, Chocolate Squared, Choconut, Cookie Dough, Oatmeal Cookie, PaleoRiffic, Pure Joy, and Salty Caramel!
  
  
• Vital Proteins Vanilla Coconut Collagen or Collagen Peptides: People always want to know if collagen is overrated, and I don’t think it is. Regular collagen supplementation can show a noticeable improvement in your nails, skin, and hair, joint and muscle recovery, and gut health. The regular collagen peptides will melt into any liquid and have no flavor, and the Vanilla acts similar to a protein powder – I like to use it in a lot of difference recipes to provide natural sweetness!
  
• Paleo On the Go Meals / Gift Card: Give the gift of pre-made, delicious, truly healthy comfort food. POTG offers fully-prepared, frozen paleo and AIP-friendly meals, as well as a bakery and keto menu. They have options like Shepherd’s Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, Curry, Pop Tarts, Carob Chunk Cookies, Bolognese, Cuban Picadillo, and more. Everything I’ve tried from here has been absolutely delicious! You could order someone meals, or you could get them a gift card so they can treat themselves to a delicious meal of their choice!
  
• Butcher Box Membership: Butcher Box delivers high-quality meat straight to your door! You can pick from a selection of beef, poultry, and pork, and get a box delivered monthly or every two months. This is how I always keep organic, grass-fed / pastured protein sources in my freezer so they’re ready at any time!
  
• Thrive Market Membership: Thrive Market is the ultimate online marketplace for healthy food. You can filter by dietary preference to help you find new products that are perfect for you, and you’ll save a ton of money each year! This year alone I saved over $700 from using Thrive compared to shopping at the grocery store or using Amazon. I stock up on all of my non-perishables from Thrive, and I’ve also tried their meat and seafood boxes, which I love!
  
  
• #NoSugarNoProblems: A Lovely Collection of Paleo Sweetener-Free Desserts Part 1 and 2: My ebooks are the perfect gift for anyone who loves sweet treats but doesn’t want any of the added sugar! Both contain delicious, paleo dessert recipes that contain no sugar or sugar-substitutes, which means no coconut sugar, stevia, xylitol, erythritol, maple syrup, honey, bananas or dates – just low-glycemic, whole foods that create a naturally sweet flavor! These are especially perfect if you’re keto, low-carb, on a Candida diet, on any other sugar-free diet, healing your gut, or diabetic. Almost all of the recipes are also vegan. You can either buy the bundle to get both ebooks at a discount, or you can buy Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
  
• Genius Foods by Max Lugavere: This is a must-read health book for everyone. It focuses on nutrition and lifestyle recommendations that will support brain health, but really these recommendations will also help support hormonal balance, weight loss, mood regulation, energy levels, and every other aspect of health. There is a plethora of knowledge bombs in this book, but it’s written in an easy-to-understand way.
  
• Irresistible by Adam Alter: This book dives into this era’s addiction to technology and what that really means. If you use technology, you should read this.
  
• 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson: Exactly what it sounds like. 12 rules for life. Another book I really think everyone should read at some point for general self-improvement.

Those are all of my top gift recommendations this year! I hope you enjoyed my 2018 series of gift guides and that it gave you some good ideas – if not for others, for yourself! Happy shopping, but more importantly, happy holidays!