Healthy Holiday Gift Ideas

A familiar New Year’s resolution for many is to eat healthier. Help family and friends get a head start on their New Year's resolutions by putting a little extra thought into their holiday gifts.

Tossing grandmother’s treasured fudge recipe won't be necessary, but introducing new traditions to add to family favorites is a great option.

People always appreciate home-produced treats, especially when they don’t have to feel guilty about eating them. "I’ve found biscotti to be lower in fat than typical Christmas goodies and they now replace the cookies I used to make every year," said Diane Wade, MS, RD, a Sharp Grossmont Hospital certified nutrition support clinician. "You can also adapt your favorite recipes to be lower in sugar or fat or higher in fiber. If you’re baking something try to replace at least half the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour for a little added fiber." Sugar substitutes, such as Splenda, can be used in place of granulated sugar and a liquid egg substitute, such as Eggbeaters, can be used instead whole eggs to lower the fat content.

Great recipe tips can be found without having to rely strictly on cookbooks. There are an array of websites that offer healthy holiday recipes, including www.eatingwell.com and http://allrecipes.com, which even lists recipes for baking dog treats.

There are many more ideas for gift giving than simply baked goods. "I know someone who makes a great salad dressing that she mixes up in a big batch and bottles for friends," said Wade. 

There are a variety of recipes on www.squawkfox.com for homemade food gifts that can be packaged in a decorative jar, including a Chai tea mix and the makings for minestrone soup.

"I have relatives living in the northeastern U.S. who greatly appreciate getting the gift of fruit in the winter months when their grocery store offerings are sparse," said Wade. "There are websites that offer variety of fresh whole fruit available for shipping and they even offer a fruit-of-the-month club for year-round giving. For something a little different, there are event websites that create and ship elaborate fruit bouquets made from cut-up fruit."

A little creativity is all it takes to create a memorable and healthy treat without the guilt.

We hope you find the above websites helpful, but please remember that Sharp HealthCare does not control or endorse the information presented on these websites, nor do these sites endorse the information found on www.sharp.com.

For More Information
To learn more about Sharp's health and wellness services or to find a Sharp-affiliated physician, search for San Diego doctors or call 1-800-82-SHARP (1-800-827-4277), Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. To find health general information, read the General Health News archive.