Five healthy gift ideas

With only one weekend left before Christmas, you may have already finished the bulk of your shopping and only have a couple more people to still buy for. If you're like me, you could be tempted to buy gift cards instead of going back into mall mania. But not to worry – we've made last-minute shopping easier with these five great gift ideas that your loved ones are sure to appreciate.

1. Food dehydrator
Great for the snacker in your family – they'll be able to skip the calorie-heavy potato chips and make their own veggie chips instead. Slice up a variety of vegetables and fruit – apple, kale, parsnip, zucchini, sweet potato – and put them into this handy appliance for their very own healthy crisps. Try: Total Chef Deluxe 5-Tray Food Dehydrator, $50, Homedepot.ca.

2. Snowshoes
Winter is such a beautiful time of year. What better way to enjoy it – and get your heart rate going – than with snowshoeing? Think: wooded area, away from any city noise, a blanket of glistening soft white snow, and the sun shining in a clear blue sky. It's a meditative experience that you and your family will want to have again and again. Try: Atlas Elektra 1027 Snowhoes, $186, MEC.

3. Light therapy lamp
Banish winter blues away with light therapy, which can help with mood and other depression symptoms including excessive sleep, loss of energy, loss of motivation, and excessive weight gain. Try: Verilux HappyLight 6000 Full Spectrum Light Thearpy System, $99, Sadtherapylamps.ca.

4. Spa gloves
Also know as "moisturizing gloves", these make a great stocking stuffer. The gloves are coated with grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, and vitamin E to soothe and moisturize dry winter hands. Make it a complete gift with a pair of spa socks. Try: Sephora Collecton Spa Gloves, $36, Sephora.

4. Whole grains cookbook
Our favourite from this list of New York Times notable cookbooks, Ancient Grains Modern Meals has great recipes with barley, kamut, polenta, wheat berries, and more whole grains to make delicious, filling, heart-healthy dishes. Try: Ancient Grains Modern Meals, $22, Amazon.ca.