Words on Wellness: Healthy gifts from the heart

Giving gifts of homemade cookies, cakes, and candies is a happy holiday tradition. But for many people, the gift of a plate of high-sugar, high-calorie goodies may not be as welcomed as it used to be.

Two-thirds of adult Iowans are overweight, and many of them are struggling to keep a healthy weight. For them, the holidays can provide too many temptations to overeat.

So how can you give a delicious food gift from your kitchen that will also support the health of your loved ones? Think outside the cookie box. You can make these healthier treats packed with good flavor and loving care: individual snack packs of healthy trail mix or granola, attractively packaged; individual bags of homemade and high-calcium cocoa mix, with a cinnamon-stick stirrer; a fresh loaf of homemade whole-grain bread, wrapped in foil and ribbons.

A healthy soup basket with a bow!

In a basket or other gift container, place all the ingredients for a healthy winter soup. For example, for a winter black bean soup kit, assemble a jar or can of black beans, a small bottle of canola or olive oil, an onion, a packet of pre-measured chili powder and cumin, a can of tomatoes, a lime, and a copy of the recipe.