The Best Healthy Gifts to Give this Year

Shouldn’t every gift you give help your loved ones live their most Nutritious Lives? We think so! That’s why our official 2016 Nutritious Life Gift Guide is filled with unique, healthy gifts for everyone on your list. Help your foodie sister-in-law stock her kitchen with tools for eating well in 2017 (organic artisan spices?), for example, or your fitness-obsessed BFF recover faster (the best foam roller!). Here are the healthy gifts everyone will be excited to unwrap—whether they’re already committed to a wellness-focused lifestyle or you’re giving them a friendly holiday nudge in the right direction. Healthy Gifts: Eat Empowered The Well Necessities Subscription, $40–50 A seasonal delivery of functional foods and lifestyle essentials that protect and promote your health, curated by dietitian Lisa Hayim, MS, RD, a graduate of The Nutrition School. (You can gift one delivery or set someone up for the whole year.) Organic Artisan Baking Spices in Magnetic Jars, $140 Art Basel meets Food Network: These good-for-you spices look like a piece of art and are super functional at the same time, since they stick right onto the fridge for easy access. Brass Spoon Rest, $32–110 The home cook and hostess will love this chic piece for resting spoons while whipping up a feast or putting them out for serving at a dinner party. Life’s Abundance Plant Protein Chocolate Powder, $55 Something for a smoothie-lover’s stocking? This plant-based protein powder is made with the highest quality, clean ingredients (I should know—I helped formulate it!). The Hemsley + Hemsley Spiralizer, $17 For the pasta lover who’s trying every strategy to cut back on carbs, this veggie noodle tool—made by cool food bloggers Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley will transform meal time. Healthy Gifts: Drink Up S’well Water Bottle, $25–45 S’well’s bottles keep water cold for 24 hours and, in cool patterns like Dark Forest, are super chic. They come in multiple sizes (the small nine-ounce is great for kids to throw in their backpacks), and gifting one also means giving back, since the company helps provide clean drinking water to kids around the world. House of Matcha Gift Set, $89 Matcha’s position as the trendiest tea isn’t budging in 2017, and that makes us happy, given its health benefits and taste. This gorgeous gift set comes with the highest quality matcha. Healthy Gifts: Sleep Deep Thrive Pillow, $88 A fun, cheeky reminder for the most overworked in your life that getting enough sleep is essential when it comes to getting ahead. Healthy Gifts: Sweat Often Withings Activite Steel, $150 Finally, a smartwatch the stylish dude in your life will actually wear, with a sleek design and effective fitness tracking. Monrow Oversized Camo Basic Legging, $135 A fun print on a blend of cotton/spandex fabric makes these the perfect option for the woman who likes to wear her leggings from barre class to brunch. Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 33 Shield, $125 A great pair of sneakers is really all anyone needs to get in a workout wherever they are, and this sleek new design from Nike comes with a bonus: a weather-protective coating that will keep the runner on your gift list comfortable (AKA dry feet) on slushy, winter runs. Sweaty Betty Escape Sweater, $160 The perfect cute-and-cozy piece to layer over leggings on the way to yoga or on a long, cold-weather run. Healthy Gifts: Nurture Yourself Lauren Roxburgh Aligned Life Foam Roller, $15–45 A good foam roller can literally change an active person’s life. I use mine daily, and my kids love it, too—so you can consider it a family gift, really. Jiva Apoha Personalized Body Oil, $200 For the person in your life who needs a little pampering: order this for a friend and Jiva Apoha will have them answer questions before creating their perfect treatment oil with ultra-pure, high quality essential oils chosen to facilitate healing and promote well-being. Healthy Gifts: Love More Buddha Charm Disc, $210–990 Engraved with a Buddha motif symbolizing “Enlightenment,” this handmade charm acts as an all-day, close-to-the-heart reminder to focus on and project love and kindness. Healthy Gifts: Live Consciously Awair Air Quality Monitor, $200 This smart device tracks toxins and chemicals in the air and gives personalized recommendations for your giftee to create a healthier space at home. Glass Straws, $32-38 For the family member who’s constantly sipping smoothies or has kids that love to use straws, these reduce the use of plastic and minimize waste—and they look pretty, too. Univers Series Office Set, $760 OTHR’s high-design products are 3D-printed to order, eliminating all production waste. And this desk organizer will add a little Zen to any workspace to promote focus. Healthy Gifts: Stress Less Meditation Mala Necklace, $240 Handmade in London using natural, recycled materials, this spiritual jewelry pick is made with one-of-a-kind gemstones that are said to still the mind and promote peace and tranquility.

Nutritious Life, Life’s Abundance and the Best Supplements

My mission in life is to help as many people as possible take their nutrition up as many notches as possible, so they can live their most Nutritious Lives. It’s really that simple. Everyday I seek opportunities to help me accomplish my mission, and weigh opportunities that are presented to me to help me do this. When the opportunity arose to partner with Life’s Abundance to create a line of the best supplements you can find that were organic (when necessary), completely GMO free, at a cost that’s accessible to most people, and that I could be 100% involved in choosing the ingredients for, it was a no-brainer. Yep, you read that right. I helped choose every single ingredient that went into these supplements. I’m so ridiculously excited about this, and I know you will be too once you finish reading this! In over a decade of counseling clients in my private practice in NYC, thousands of people have come to me because they’re tired, stressed, overweight, unfocused, unmotivated, and feeling like they aren’t the best version of themselves. We live in an age with amazing medical breakthroughs that save people’s lives, except we’re sicker, fatter and unhealthier than ever. We’re overfed and undernourished because we choose convenience over wellness and our habits are shot! I believe that having a solid nutritional foundation (and this doesn’t have to compromise convenience or taste!) combined with the other pillars of a Nutritious Life can help anyone attain and sustain a healthy body, mind and life. Each of the products I created with Life’s Abundance contributes to building that solid foundation in some way. So, if you or someone you know is trying to take their nutrition up a notch, I’m glad you’re here. Why I Partnered on a Line of the Best Supplements   We all know we should eat better and increase the nutritional value we get from food on a daily basis, but many of us either don’t know how or we simply can’t make it happen. Sometimes, it’s just not realistic to get all the vitamins and minerals we need from the food we eat, especially with issues of depleted soil, eating processed and overcooked food, and not eating enough fruits and vegetables. This is why I’ve been recommending supplements for years –  because they supplement what is hopefully a healthy diet to begin with. Think of them like insurance for your body – they won’t replace solid nutrition, but when your body needs a little extra help, you’ve got it. There are a handful of supplements that I’ve always recommended to my clients because I think they’re the most important ones for optimal health, so naturally they were the first products we developed, and we focused on formulating them in an easy to digest way.   Fish Oil Liquid Fish Oil Capsules Plant Protein Powder Greens Blend Multivitamin Probiotic Minerals & Antioxidants We carefully handpicked each and every ingredient – if it’s in there, it’s in there for a reason – and left out any that posed a health concern or just flat out didn’t need to be included. Supplements aren’t for everyone, especially those that are already eating an incredibly clean diet or are following a plan that guarantees they’re getting in all the vitamins and minerals they need. But they’re great for anyone that doesn’t fit those categories, no matter how close or far from that end of the healthy eating spectrum they are. By adding supplements to your daily routine, you may start to feel a little healthier and more motivated, which can slowly make you become more mindful of what you eat. When you learn to make better food choices and feel better in your body, it’s a game changer for your whole your life. Feeling good comes from the inside (mentally and physically), and creating change in your wellness routine can happen without deprivation. These products are not a diet – they’re intended to be incorporated into your diet and your life to support your overall health, not just for 30 days, but for a lifetime. This is why I’ve incorporated them into my pillars of a Nutritious Life philosophy. Why I Partnered with Life’s Abundance   I’ve had many opportunities to get involved with other companies before, but I never wanted to work with a company that I didn’t believe in or that didn’t share my same values and goals. When I met the team at Life’s Abundance it was clear we shared the same beliefs about health and wellness and our goals were in sync. They’re an employee-owned company and they take a great deal of pride in doing solid work. They’ve been providing top quality products for pets since the 90s and a select group of dietary supplements for people since 2003. The introduction of these new products we worked on together represents a significant expansion of their dietary supplement line. Life’s Abundance is known for making top notch products, having awesome customer service, and taking care of their people. And by people, I mean their employees, distributors, and customers. Pretty much everyone. Distributors? Yep. They give people an opportunity to help support themselves and/or their families, have a little more freedom and a lot more fun by welcoming passionate people like you and me to become independent distributors for their products. What’s better than helping people live more nutritious lives and earning a great income while doing it?! Why You Should Partner With Me   I love, as in L-O-V-E what I do. In over 10 years of counseling clients one on one in my private practice and reaching millions of others via national TV, I know how incredibly difficult it can be to make healthy choices and to change your diet and lifestyle. This is why I lovvvvvve making it easier for people! I also know that I’m very lucky to earn a living and support my family doing something that I am so uber passionate about. And I