Holiday Gift Guide: Top 17 Health-Focused Gift Ideas They’ll Love

The holiday season is upon us—the time for gift-giving! The most magical time of year is upon us, and while that means fun, festivities, and feasts, it can also mean stress. This can be especially true if you're lagging behind on holiday gift shopping this year. 

It's not easy to shop for loved ones, especially if you're trying to find the best holiday gifts for everyone on your list. Giving health-focused gifts may sound boring, but they're often practical, thoughtful gifts that won't get thrown into the back of the closet.

Finding health-focused gifts doesn’t need to be intimidating, but we know making the decisions can feel overwhelming. To make your holiday shopping easier, our health team put together a list of all of their top picks for gifts. 

From stocking stuffer ideas to some wellness tech gifts, take a look at this Nutrisense dietitian-approved holiday gift guide.

For the Health Conscious Reader

Know someone who loves reading and learning about their health? Pick from one of our favorite health-related books here, or better yet, pair a few of them together to create your own gift set!  

Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar

This bestseller is known for its practical guidance on balancing glucose levels. Jessie Inchauspe, who goes by Glucose Goddess, shares why blood glucose levels are so important to our overall well-being, and how poor blood sugar can manifest in many different ways. 

If your loved ones tend to have books on their wish list or are blood sugar conscious, this is a great go-to gift. Bonus: it ships quickly from Amazon!

Sugar-Free Kids by Maria Emmerich

This book, with a great foreword by none other than Halle Berry, makes a unique gift for the health conscious parent. In Sugar-Free Kids, Maria Emmerich shares how sugar affects kids differently, and shares over 150 blood sugar-friendly recipes that are sure to be a hit. 

If you’re looking for a unique and practical gift, this book can be a great alternative to buying legos or other toys.

Your Healthiest Healthy: 8 Easy Ways to Take Control, Help Prevent and Fight Cancer, and Live a Longer, Cleaner, Happier Life

In this book, Samantha Harris, a former co-host on Dancing with the Stars and Entertainment Tonight, walks us through her cancer journey with tips for a healthier life.

As a breast cancer survivor, she shares the importance of nutrition and lifestyle for overcoming challenges and living your best, healthiest life. This book is sure to be an empowering read, and is as touching as it is a helpful resource.

For the Fitness and Weight-Focused

If someone on your list is trying to stay fit, lose weight, and is interested in tracking and monitoring their health and fitness, tech gifts that track wellness or health-focused gadgets can make great gifts. 

Here are some of the best gift ideas for your health-conscious, tech-loving friends and family:

A CGM Subscription

Want to track and monitor your metabolic health? Start your journey toward metabolic flexibility by using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). 

With a subscription to Nutrisense, you can analyze your body’s response to glucose using a CGM and use it to improve your lifestyle habits. Nutrisense also has an innovative app that allows you to track your daily activity to see how food, sleep, exercise, and stress impact your glucose. 

The subscription also offers helpful advice from a registered dietitian, free for one month.

A ClassPass Gift Card

This is perfect for the gym lover in your life who may want to try out new activities, classes, or gym locations. With ClassPass, you get access to a range of popular gyms and activities in your area, including everything from boot camps to yoga studios. 

With access to boutique fitness studios and the ability to customize the routines to fit personal preferences, lots of people might be hoping to find a ClassPass gift card under the tree this year!

A Recoup Cryosphere

If you haven't heard of The Recoup Cryosphere, you may want to take a look! It combines the benefits of icing and massaging yourself in one product. 

You can activate the Cryosphere by placing it in the freezer for two hours and then use it for up to six hours for some ice-cold muscle relief. This device can accelerate and recover damaged or inflamed muscles and injuries across your entire body. 

The best part is that it promises to increase blood and lymphatic flow using trigger point myofascial release. If you know someone with muscle spasms, stiffness, or joint pain, this may just be a great option for them!

A TRX Wall Ball

TRX Wall Balls are weighted conditioning balls made to help strengthen your upper body and core using various exercises. The great thing about TRX products is that they come in different sizes and weights, so they’re sure to have a product suitable for anyone!

With wall balls, you’ll want to consider the weight and fitness level of the person you are giving it to. Even small weights can be used to condition someone already in shape, and they're available in sizes between four and 12 pounds.

A Journal to Track Health Goals 

If you know anyone who’s starting a new healthy journey, a journal to track their progress and stay accountable may be one of the most thoughtful and encouraging gifts you can give. 

There are many types to choose from to fit any tastes or preferences, including specific ones, like sleep and goal journals with prompts to help guide them. We love the selection at Barnes & Noble, if you’re stumped for ideas!

For the Food-Focused

Know someone that loves cooking and eating healthy meals? Give them the gift of good food this season by picking from our favorites food-focused gifts:

An All-in-One Kombucha Kit

Kombucha is a delicious fermented tea that can benefit your gut health. And giving someone on your list this kit will provide them with a fun, informational way to drink it. 

This kit sends you everything you need to get started, including detailed instructions for preparation and storage.

A Subscription to Butcher Box

This is the perfect gift for the grill master or meat lover in your life. Butcher Box has made it their mission to create a community around raising animals ethically and positively impacting the planet. 

Their meats are free-range and grass-fed from small farms. Everything is delivered to your door on a schedule of your choosing. You can even customize your box depending on your preferences!

A Cast-Iron Skillet

If the foodie in your life doesn’t have a cast-iron skillet, this is a must-have for their kitchen. Cast iron skillets are known for the even heat distribution, beautiful sears on meat and vegetables, and versatility so you can transfer food straight from the stovetop to the oven. 

They're also a great source of iron as some of the iron from the pan will transfer to your food while you cook. There's no shortage of good cast-iron cookware, but we're big fans of this skillet from Lodge.

For The Mindful 

Whether you know someone who already practices mindfulness or someone who wants to do so but doesn't know where to start, we've got some great gift ideas here:

An Eco-Friendly Yoga Mat

Yoloha yoga mats are designed for comfort while keeping the earth in mind. All their mats are made from exceedingly soft and slip-resistant cork. 

They have antimicrobial surfaces that eliminate bacteria growth and a closed-cell foam bottom that doesn’t absorb moisture or smell. This gift is perfect for the meditator in your life and will also give them a gift for their yoga practice!

A Sleep App Subscription

Does someone in your life need a little help with their sleep schedule? A sleep app subscription is a perfect gift! 

Try something like Calm, one of the top-rated apps for sleep, meditation, and relaxation. Calm helps you learn about meditation and has content for beginners to advanced meditators. 

It also provides sleep stories, masterclasses, nature scenes, and sounds for better and more restful sleep. This app has something for everyone looking to quiet their minds!

A Meditation App Subscription

Like sleep apps, meditation apps can help the people in your life who need a helping hand getting in the right frame of mind. Try a mindfulness app like Headspace. 

Through science-backed meditation tools, Headspace helps you create life-changing habits to support your mental health. It’s the perfect tool to help your loved one cozy up in their favorite sweater, practice meditation, and reduce stress.

For the Laidback  

Do you know someone who needs a little nudge to get out of bed every morning? For the laid back person in your life who loves a little R&R, these gifts are the perfect choice:

A Sunrise Alarm Clock

Sunrise alarm clocks are designed to create a better sleeping and waking environment to get better quality rest. It's an artificial light source programmed and customized using an app that will gradually wake you up using your body’s natural biorhythm. 

You can customize time, light intensity, and alarm sounds. These can be especially helpful for those short winter days when it is harder to get out of bed. 

You can pick one from a wide variety, but we love this one from Hatch.

A Gift Certificate to a Local Spa  

What's more perfect for the laid back folks in your life than a relaxing massage? Massages are a wonderful gift to help loved ones reduce stress, pain, tension, and muscle fatigue. 

They can also boost your immunity and may even help improve the quality of life for those with chronic diseases and other conditions. Search for spas around where your loved one lives and give them the gift of a restoring and relaxing massage this holiday season. 

For skin care enthusiasts, you may opt for a gift certificate to a beauty spa where your loved one can follow up their massage with a relaxing facial. We’re hard pressed to believe that this may be one of the best beauty gifts you can give.

A Collection of Herbal Teas

‍Herbal teas are delicious, healthy, and relaxing. Give your loved one a collection of teas this holiday and gift them with quiet moments and delicious scents. This gift will allow them to find peaceful moments by themselves, indulge in some self-care or share them with their family and friends.