13 Gifts to Promote Health and Wellness
Many of CR's top-rated products make great gifts for anyone trying to be healthier in the New Year
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Giving a health-related gift can sometimes get dicey. A good example: Although over-the-counter hearing aids are available this year for the first time ever, choosing one can be complicated, so they’re probably not something you want to spring on someone as a surprise.
Still, there are plenty of great options for giving health-related gifts, whether you want to help your recipient get better sleep, deck out their home gym, or reduce their exposure to potentially dangerous forever chemicals. Check out some of our top-rated and favorite products that can help make 2023 just a little bit healthier.
For more holiday shopping help, see CR’s holiday gift guide and check out gifts for home chefs and gamers, and gifts to buy for yourself.
For Eco-Conscious Home Cooks
This year, CR’s scientists found that even nonstick pans labeled as being “PFOA free” may still contain some of that compound and other PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which are linked to health risks. Fortunately, there are plenty of nonstick alternatives that are more likely to be free of worrisome forever chemicals—including this Red Copper pan, which didn’t contain any of the 96 PFAS we looked for in our test. This ceramic-coated nonstick pan also earned top marks for cooking evenness, and held up well to scratching.
An uncoated cast iron pan would make a great gift for the aspiring home cook on your list who doesn’t yet own one. The Lodge’s pre-seasoning helps boost its ease-of-cleaning score in our tests, and a well-seasoned cast iron pan can become more like a nonstick pan over time. Plus, cooking with uncoated cast iron can add iron to your food. Cast iron pans do not generally contain any PFAS at all, and they are known to last for many years.
For People Watching Their Blood Pressure
If you have hypertension, monitoring your blood pressure at home lets you keep an eye on your numbers and can even help you get your blood pressure under control. This Omron model is a good option for frequent travelers who want to keep monitoring their blood pressure while they’re away from home, because it comes as one piece, rather than a cuff connected by a tube to the digital device. It earned top marks for accuracy, and our testers found it to be convenient and easy to use.
While some blood pressure monitors can cost $75 or more, this Rite Aid monitor offers a high degree of accuracy for a budget-friendly price. Note that it can only store readings for a single user, so if more than one person in the household wants to measure their blood pressure, the second person will need to record their readings separately.
Experts usually recommend upper arm monitors over wrist monitors because upper arm monitors tend to be more accurate. That’s in part because any blood pressure monitor needs to be positioned at heart level while taking a reading, and there’s more variability when positioning a wrist monitor. Still, it’s definitely possible to get accurate readings with a wrist monitor, and arm cuffs don’t fit everyone. This wrist monitor earns a very good rating in our accuracy testing, and our testers find it to be highly convenient and comfortable.
For Exercisers and Meditators
A Versatile Yoga Mat
Iuga Pro Non-Slip Yoga Mat
This absorbent cushion yoga mat offers a nice balance of features, with a good amount of cushioning, very grippy top and bottom surfaces, and a quick drying time, according to CR’s tests. It comes with a carrying strap, so you can easily take it with you to class. It’s also significantly less expensive than many other absorbent cushion yoga mats.
For weight training at home, a set of adjustable dumbbells can be a great option for anyone without, say, a huge basement in which to put a large, complicated weight machine. This set of Bowflex dumbbells offers 15 weight settings with either 2.5 or 5 pounds of difference in between settings. Our testers liked that this set had a good hand grip, and the set had plenty of settings on the low-weight end, making it a good choice for beginners.
For Friends Who Need More Sleep
This L.L.Bean set ranks near the top of our ratings of bed sheets. They’re also a significant savings and a great value compared with our very top scorer. They’re soft, they earn top marks for durability, and they provide a nice fit for your mattress.
A Serviceable Sleep Mask
Mzoo Sleep Mask
This unassuming mask proved to be our editor’s top choice in our evaluation of sleep masks. It blocked light effectively for a variety of head shapes, felt comfortable on the face, and was easy to adjust.
For Aspiring Indoor Gardeners
A Festive Log of Fungus
North Spore Blue Oyster Mushroom Spray & Grow Kit
Mushrooms are packed with plenty of health benefits. And getting started with this North Spore mushroom growing kit requires just a spritz of water. In our evaluation, it took eight days to start growing, and two further days before the blue oyster mushrooms were ready to harvest. Our taste test deemed the resulting fungi juicy.
A Beginner-Friendly Hydroponic Garden
Click and Grow The Smart Garden 3
Our evaluators found this tabletop garden device to be especially easy to set up and take care of, a plus for folks without the greenest of thumbs. Its capacity is small, just three plants at a time. But even that can make a good introduction for folks looking to get started growing their own leafy greens at home.
Stocking Stuffers for Tropical Travelers
You should wear sunscreen anytime you go outside in the sun, even during the winter. And for anyone headed somewhere bright or beachy, sunscreen is a must. This sunscreen is a high performer in our tests, and it contains no oxybenzone or octinoxate, which means it complies with reef-safe sunscreen laws in effect in some areas.
You’ll still want to protect yourself from mosquito-borne diseases on vacation. Even a winter hike poses a risk of tick bites in certain areas of the country where blacklegged ticks are common—they can be active even in the winter if the temperature is above freezing and there isn’t snow on the ground. These insect repellent wipes provide long-lasting protection, and the wipe formulation makes them convenient for travel.
