The Follow Your Gut MDNP Holiday Gift Guide
The Christmas holidays are fast approaching and what better way to get in the holiday spirit than with the official Follow Your Gut MDNP gift guide! We decided to keep things light hearted this week by sharing a collection of fun, health-promoting products that are perfect for gifting to your family and friends- and perhaps adding to your own Christmas wish list!
Thrive Market Membership
Both Jaci and myself have been members of Thrive Market for about 6 months and it has quickly become our go-to retailer for many of our favorite organic food products, environmentally friendly household items, and green beauty brands. They even carry pet supplies and wine! Not only do they offer top-selling organic and natural products at a reduced cost, they include free gifts with your purchase! They also organize their products into categories, making it easy to shop for foods that are diet-specific, whether it be keto-friendly or vegan. A year’s membership costs $59.95 ($5/month), however you can get 25% off of your first order using the this link. Thrive Market also provides a free membership to a family in need, teacher, veteran, or first responder for every person that signs up- another thing we love about this company!
Green Chef Box
For those family members or friends who either don’t have time to shop through the week for meal ingredients or have less than stellar kitchen skills, a Green Chef box is the perfect gift! While meal subscription boxes are a dime a dozen these days, we think Green Chef is one of the best. They offer a wide variety of meal plans to suit your tastes (everything from paleo to gluten-free and vegan), all of which are restaurant quality and easy to cook. My husband and I can attest to this, as we are constantly amazed at how delicious every single meal tastes! Another plus- they use organic and non-GMO ingredients, as well as sustainably-sourced and hormone/antibiotic free animal products. You can get four FREE meals when you order Green Chef for the first time using this link.
Apple Watch
For those of you that have been to our “Fitness Favorite” page, you will know that the Apple Watch is one of our workout must-haves. It is the perfect way to track everything from calories burned to workout minutes, heart rate, and total daily steps. You can choose between different types of workouts as well as share your workouts with friends for the extra dose of motivation and accountability! While it’s a bit on the pricy side, it does make for the perfect gift to give to that extra-special someone who is either already a fitness buff or is looking to make their fitness a priority in the new year.
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
For all of the women in your life, this is a MUST-READ! Rachel Hollis is a kick-ass business woman, mom of four, girl-next door who motivates women to break-free from the lies that are holding them back- both in business and in their personal lives. This book is witty, soul enriching, motivational, and completely relatable to every woman I know. I promise you that anyone you gift it to will absolutely love it. And be sure and buy a copy for yourself while you’re at it!
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
If you follow us on social media and read our blog, you will know that we are always singing the praises of collagen peptides. Vital Proteins is our go-to brand of collagen peptides and use quality sourced ingredients in their products. We also love the variety of formulations that they offer- everything from unflavored to matcha and dark chocolate! This is the perfect gift for any fitness fanatics in your life as they serve as a form of quality, easily absorbable protein- a absolute necessity for muscle recovery. If you are looking for more information on what collagen peptides actually are, be sure and check out my previous post, “Collagen Peptides: What You Need to Know.”
Amare FundaMentals Pack
This has quickly become our favorite supplement system and is the perfect gift for anyone who is even slightly health conscious! It is designed to target the gut-brain axis (aka the communication between the gut and the brain via various nerve pathways) and is formulated with ingredients that have true scientific data backing them. As Jaci alluded to in her post titled “Gut-Brain Axis: The Future of Modern Medicine,” the magnitude of the gut-brain relationship and its massive impact on overall health is just starting to gain recognition within the conventional medical community. This particular collection of supplements contains ingredients such as prebiotics, probiotics, and phytonutrients that optimize this relationship, thereby improving gut health and mental wellness. We both take the FundaMentals supplements daily and have noticed huge improvements in both our digestive system and mental focus and clarity!
Mantraband
Both Jaci and myself love this line of inspirational bracelets, necklaces, and rings. We wear our bracelets on the daily and find that the uplifting messages on them serve as constant reminders to be more mindful and optimistic. While more geared towards women, they also have a great looking men’s line of bracelets! You can receive 10% off of your first order using the code FOLLOWYOURGUTMDNP.
Passion Planner
The Passion Planner is the perfect gift for anyone in your life who is as obsessed with organizing and goal setting as Jaci and I are. While phone apps and computer calendars can serve the same purpose, there is something about a good old fashion planner that makes up happy inside. In addition to planning out your days, the Passion Planner allows you to break down your long- and short-term goals and acts as a life coach of sorts. It is the perfect place to purge your mind of your endless to-do lists, creative ideas, and plans for the future- AND it's stylish!
FabFitFun Box
You all know how much Jaci and I love receiving our FabFitFun boxes in the mail every 3 months. And we could not think of a better way to spoil someone special this Christmas than to give them this box of beauty must-haves, fitness accessories, and stylish fashion finds! Each season’s box includes over $200 worth of products- for only $49.99! AND we have a special code that will get you a $10 discount which you can find on our “Beauty Favorites” page!
Figs
If you have any healthcare workers in your life (or anyone that can wear scrubs on the job), Figs are a perfect gift option! These are THE most comfortable scrubs that Jaci and I have ever worn. They are also about as flattering as a set of scrubs can be (no baggy pajama look) and come in a variety of styles. They honestly look (and feel) more like stylish athleisure wear than scrubs. And for those who don’t wear scrubs at their day job, Figs sells quality loungewear and outerwear- we love their fleece jackets and cozy-yet-cute pajamas!
Healthy Gut, Healthy You by Dr Michael Ruscio
If someone you know is half the gut geek that we are, then you MUST gift them this guide to all things "gut" by Dr Michael Ruscio. It is incredibly informative, easy to understand, and lays out a comprehensive plan to help you get your gut in the best health possible. And because gut health (or lack thereof) is directly tied many other chronic illnesses and symptoms, it is a must-read for anyone and everyone- regardless of whether they struggle with digestive symptoms.
Oribe Gold Lust Dry Shampoo
Oribe Dry Shampoo is an absolute must-have for all of the women in your life! All of the Oribe products perform amazingly, but this is a true superstar. It comes in gift-worthy packaging and smells as luxurious as it performs. While I usually try and stick with green beauty hair-care lines, I do occasionally splurge on this product.
Doterra Deep Blue Rub
If you have any fitness buffs in your life, they will LOVE this essential oil-based muscle rub. It smells amazing and is the perfect treat for sore, over-worked muscles. It is also formulated with quality ingredients and natural plant-based extracts rather than the artificial junk that is in a lot of over-the-counter topical pain-relieving creams. Doterra also sells bottles of the pure essential oil blend in the cream, as well an ingestible supplement that includes a blend of anti-inflammatory plant extracts.
Four Sigmatic
Four Sigmatic mushroom teas, elixirs, and coffees make the perfect gifts for those family members and friends who like to follow all of the latest health trends. While drinking mushrooms may seem a little cuckoo (and slightly disgusting!), it can actually be very beneficial for your health! Mushrooms are some of the world’s most nutritious foods and have incredible anti-oxidant and immune-boosting effects. Four Sigmatic has done an excellent job formulating their products to taste much more palatable than most other mushroom supplements on the market. Their mushroom coffee tastes like coffee and their mushroom hot chocolate tastes like hot chocolate (albeit a less sweet version than what most are probably used to). Jaci and I love the hot cocoa mixes blended with our favorite coffee creamer, NutPods.
Crunchi Cosmetics Holiday Gift Set
Crunchi Cosmetics is a beautiful line of natural, toxin-free makeup products created by two local Florida girls. All of the products look and feel luxurious, but we especially love their foundation. They also have a collection of beautiful holiday gifts sets that would serve as the perfect gift for those beauty and health conscious women in your life!
I hope you enjoyed reading through our holiday gift guide and were inspired to add a few of our favorite goodies to your Christmas lists! If you have any questions about any of the products discussed, be sure and send us an email or contact us on Facebook or Instagram. We would also love to hear what must-have products are on YOUR holiday wish lists!
Last but not least, have a Merry Christmas season and, as always, continue to follow your gut!
Erin