A Healthy Shopping Tour

Imagine walking into a store that wants to make you feel good–warm decorative touches, easy lighting and even aromatherapy. It’s easy to feel better once you’ve visited them. All of the gift ideas in this article can be found in natural product stores, many of which have this feel-good ambience. Gifts for Friends Who Share Juicers are a treat for some, a necessity for others. A good example is the Green Life Juicer. It juices almost anything–from carrots to spinach. Different options enable the juicer to make nut butters, sprouted grains, baby foods and even fresh pasta. Magnets help the juice and butters stay fresh for up to two days in the fridge. (Good for those who wouldn’t juice every day.) Health food stores sometimes have juicer demonstrations and you might even score a free pick-me-up glass of fresh juice during your shopping trip. Grain mills keep the smell of fresh grains in your mind and once you realize how fast ground flour or flaked oats go rancid, you will never go back to prepared supermarket flakes, flour and cereals. Schnitzer produces a number of kitchen models for processing grains. Clou is an electric stone grain mill that can fit even on the smallest counter. It grinds millet, corn or oily seeds equally well. Eschenfelder makes a beautiful beech wood and stainless steel wall-mounted flaker that rolls or flakes oats, wheat, rye, rice or any grain equal to or smaller than the size of wheat. These companies provide grain mills for every taste. Teas are tempting and don’t forget to stop by the tea display to stock up on extra gifts and your own winter supplies. Traditional Medicinals has an incredible variety. Organic Roasted Green Tea, Everyday Green Tea, Eater’s Digest and California Chai Tea are just four choices. The Household Helpers Gifts that are practical, clever and healthy, are abundant in natural product stores. For instance the Original Biosnacky Yoghurt Box makes it easier to make yoghurt than buy it. The Teldon Kefir Culture Kit converts milk into easily digestible, frothy kefir, giving you a different kind of bubbly to enjoy on New Year’s Eve and the Electric Kefir Maker is for those who want more culture faster. And what’s a good cook without a good garlic press? (Answer: a good cook who spends a lot of time crushing garlic and then cleaning the garlic press!) Easy to clean and holding up to six cloves, you can wrap this Teldon garlic press for the gourmets in your life. Teldon also has magnetic Ecosave Laundry Disks, for fresher, cleaner clothes with up to 90-percent less detergent. Its cousin, the Magnetic Wash Ball, does the same thing for your dishwasher, kitchen sink or shower. A Little More to the Left... Gifts that are designed to relax are relaxing for you too. How could you give someone an Acu-Tapper from Relaxus without trying it out yourself? Thump your shoulders or scratch an itch with the flexible-handled massager and you’re ready for anything! Soothing Relaxus Octi-pets and Stress Pets can be placed in your shopping basket to be pulled out every once in a while for a self massage. If you’re uncomfortable on your feet, you could even slip off your shoes and try the Lifestyle Single Foot Roller. The Relaxus Dream Machine is the five-star, under-the-desk massager for tired feet, calves, neck and back. The rollers go backwards, forwards, fast and slow. If you’re not able to buy two, buy one for your partner or roommate, so you get the benefits too! Cracking open the tin of Earth Solutions Inspiration Candle may be the first thing you want to do before moving on to the rest of your shopping list. The scents of fir, cedar and juniper get you off to a creative start. Or, begin with serenity, friendship and a peaceful heart in Nature Light Candles. You’ll probably want to wait until the last minute to wrap up these 100-percent plant-based aromatherapy candles. Earth Solutions has the perfect gift for the commuter: a CarScenter aromatherapy diffuser. It plugs into the lighter outlet, heating up an essential-oil-dabbed pad. A few drops of eucalyptus essential oils can ease breathing when the pollution is bad; lemongrass helps drivers breeze through a traffic jam. You choose the oil! Earth Solutions also makes a diffuser for homes–good for when you’re resting after shopping. Shopping "naturally"–it could be the best present you give yourself!