Bruce Bradley

4 Simple Last Minute REAL FOOD Gift Ideas

Is your holiday shopping complete? I’ve almost got mine “wrapped” up. But if you’re not so lucky, here are several simple gifts that are not only thoughtful, but might also share a subtle REAL food message with your friend or loved one!

Your favorite REAL food recipe and a dish to serve it in:

When I got married one of our wedding presents was a wonderful recipe for a hot cheese dip with a serving dish to prepare it in. Over twenty years later I still remember the gift and who gave it to us. Why? The gift was personal, the recipe was delicious (I’ll probably share it on the blog sometime soon), and the idea was totally unique.

So if you’ve got a simple, family-favorite REAL food recipe, write it down and wrap it up with a serving dish. My guess is it will be a gift that’s remembered for years to come!

A REAL food cookbook:

I’m excited to see more and more cookbooks about REAL food being published these days. Without a doubt, one of my favorites was written by Lisa Leake, and it’s titled 100 Days of Real Food: How We Did It, What We Learned, and 100 Easy, Wholesome Recipes Your Family Will Love. Beyond being filled with some great, family-friendly recipes that are beautifully photographed, I really enjoyed learning more about Lisa’s family’s real food journey. And if you don’t trust me that this story is special, Lisa’s amazing book has hit The New York Times bestseller list!

So if you’re hoping to inspire someone to start eating real food, give them a copy of Lisa’s cookbook. It’s truly a winner!

A REAL food gift basket:

Who doesn’t like receiving a gift basket? I know I love them! But let’s face it—so many of them are filled with tons of highly processed junk food.

I’ve been looking for a better option for years and thankfully, more and more are on the market like these from Harry & David. And if it’s too late for it to arrive by Christmas, why not send it for New Years to kick off healthier eating resolutions?

An Entertaining Thriller About Big Food:

Okay, I’m biased with this one. Many of you know my story, but in part, my REAL food journey began when I wrote a novel about the food industry.

You see I’ve always loved reading thrillers, so when I left General Mills in 2008, I decided to follow a lifelong dream of mine—to write a novel! Following the advice to write about what I knew, I set my thriller in the food industry…and that’s when the magic happened. Only by literally detaching myself from the one-sided marketing culture of Big Food did I come to realize that your average consumer doesn’t stand a chance to really understand what’s in their food.

So if there’s someone in your life that loves the roller coaster ride excitement of a great thriller, give them a copy of my book, FAT PROFITS. I promise, not only is it an entertaining read, but it just may plant the seed in their mind that …”maybe I shouldn’t blindly trust where my food comes from.”