Leslie Beck: A holiday gift guide for the nutrition-lover on your list

Racking your brain trying to come up with a holiday gift idea for the person who has everything? Or a health-conscious foodie? Forget about cookies and 70-per-cent dark chocolate. There's no need to add to that pile.

I have a few nutrition-minded gift ideas to share, gifts you'll like to give and to receive. Some may even nudge a loved one toward adopting a healthier diet. Here are five to consider adding to your holiday shopping list.

Healthy meal kit delivered to the door

For the busy person who doesn't have the time – or the inclination – to shop for and cook nutritious dinners (or lunches), consider giving a HelloFresh Canada gift card.

The company delivers easy-to-follow recipes along with premeasured, locally-sourced fresh ingredients so that you can prepare healthy meals "from scratch" in 30 minutes. The German-based company launched in Ontario earlier this year and will offer its services nationally as of Dec. 1. Just in time for holiday giving.

Salad dressing kit

Leafy green salads are an important part of a brain-friendly diet. And tossing greens with an oil-based dressing helps you absorb more fat-soluble nutrients and phytochemicals from your salad.

Making your own salad dressing allows you to avoid the excess sodium and unwanted preservatives found in many store-bought brands. And you can use high-quality oils that deliver health-promoting nutrients.

Assemble a salad dressing "kit" that includes small bottles of assorted oils and vinegars and a handy OXO Salad Dressing Shaker. Include a few of your favourite salad dressing recipes.

Eco-friendly water bottle

Hydration is important. Drinking enough water regulates your body temperature, hydrates your skin, keeps you feeling energized and may even improve your mood and memory.

So why not motivate a loved one to drink more water by giving them a sleek-looking S'well bottle? Made from high-quality stainless steel, S'well bottles keep drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12. Plus, they're free of chemicals, such as BPA, found in some plastic bottles.

Reusable S'well bottles come in nine, 17- and 25-ounce sizes and a range of fun colours and swanky designs. They're available at department stores, book stores, gift stores and many online retailers. You can also order one directly from S'well.

Grilling gift basket

For the person who loves to barbecue, create a gift basket that offers tools that allow your grill chef to get creative and keep grilled meats safe.

Montreal-based Purposedesign's grill guru master kit includes 12 different spice rubs, including Memphis BBQ, Ancho Chili, Tuscan, Moroccan and Scandinavian. Spices amp up the flavour of grilled meat while adding polyphenols, potent antioxidants that may help boost brainpower and guard against cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

A digital instant-read thermometer is a must-have to ensure burgers, chicken and pork chops are grilled to a safe internal temperature. My favourite: Thermoworks Superfast Thermapen. It reads a food's temperature within seconds and its thin-tipped probe lets me easily take the temperature from the side of thin cuts of meat.

Inspirational cookbook

There are so many wonderful health-minded cookbooks with recipes that produce delicious, nutrient-rich dishes. I have shelves and shelves of them at home, many of which I turn to again and again.

Every so often, though, I come across a cookbook that really inspires me. London chef Yotam Ottolenghi's vegetable cookbook, Plenty More, does just that. It makes me think differently about cooking vegetables.

Organized by cooking method (steamed, roasted, tossed, etc.), the book is packed with incredibly flavourful vegetable recipes that emphasize spices and seasonal ingredients. This cookbook gift is a must-give for a kitchen-loving friend or family member.

Leslie Beck, a registered dietitian, is based at the Medisys clinic in Toronto.