During doctor’s appointments, you’re probably too busy discussing your health to ask your doctor about healthy gifts. Plus, doctors tend to be a little busy to give out gift suggestions!
However, Dr. Bradley Bale, co-founder of the Bale/Doneen Method, has taken up the cause of healthy giving with his article below. And he has also explained the science behind some of his picks. Most of these gifts can be arranged or bought in a snap, so check your last-minute gift list.
Top 5 Healthy Holiday Gifts for the Ones You Love
By Dr. Bradley Bale,
co-founder of the Bale/Doneen Method and the Heart Attack & Stroke Prevention Center
Make certain your family and friends start the year off healthy. These gifts are an easy way to give the gift of health in 2010!
1. Gym Membership
Put an extra spring in someone’s step. Offer to cover a friend or family member’s gym membership for a month or a year. According to The Mayo Clinic, individuals who exercise daily find it helps maintain consistent sleep patterns, a consistent body weight, and mental alertness. Check out your local gym for yearly and monthly membership packages.
2. Offer to Attend a Doctor’s Appointment with a Loved One
It can be overwhelming for people to visit the doctor, especially older folks who may have multiple health issues. Use your knowledge about the latest diagnostics and treatments for prevalent conditions to make sure your loved one is getting the best possible care. For example, the PLAC Test is relatively new and goes beyond traditional risk factors in identifying risk for heart attack and stroke. By accompanying your loved one on their next doctor’s visit you can be sure to ask about this test, among others, that might not come up otherwise.
3. Healthy Cookbook
Compile or buy a book of your favorite healthy recipes. Kathleen M. Zelman of WebMD.com recommends Fit Food – Eating Well for Life by Ellen Haas, Healthy Homestyle Cooking by Evelyn Tribole and The Phytopia Cookbook by Barbara Gollman and Kim Pierce for healthy cooking.
4. A Monthly Bottle of Red Wine
Sign up to have a monthly bottle of wine sent to your loved one. According to the Yale-New Haven Hospital, drinking one four-ounce glass of red wine a few times a week can reduce blood clotting, boost HDL (good cholesterol) and reduce LDL (bad cholesterol).¹ Please keep in mind one or more alcoholic beverages a day does increase cancer risk in women.² Also there is evidence individuals who harbor the apoE 4 genotype may have a worsening of their HDL and LDL with daily alcohol.³ Visit wineinsiders.com to find 3 month, 6 month and 12 month wine packages. Or visit wine.com and click on wineclubs for prices.
5. Fruit Basket
What’s healthier than mother nature’s wide variety of desserts that are chock full of antioxidants that help ward off diseases like cancer?
¹ “A glass of red wine a day keeps the doctor away”. March 10, 2005. http://www.ynhh.org/online/nutrition/advisor/red_wine.html
² Allen NE, Beral V, Casabonne D, et al. Moderate alcohol intake and cancer incidence in women.J Natl Cancer Inst 2009; 101:296-305
³ ApoE genotype information. Berkeley HeartLab, Inc. www.bhlinc.com
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