Anti-Diet & Body Liberation Gift Guide 2023

Image of two wrapped gifts with peace ad blue paper for bravespace nutrition that represents the anti-diet and body liberation gift guide created by our Seattle registered dietitians for the holiday season of 2023 and for 2024.

As anti-diet registered dietitians, we are excited to embrace the holiday season and enter into a New Year.

We are also mindful that this time of year can bring up a wide array of emotions ranging from excitement and gratitude, to stress, anxiety, and a sense of overwhelm. This makes a lot of sense considering the holiday season is concentrated to a few short weeks. In addition to this, at the workplace, it’s common to experience a change of pace, often a ramp up in workload or intensity to finish certain deliverables by year end. Outside of work, you might also experience an increase in social commitments, such as with family gatherings, celebrations with friends, and travel. 


These holiday festivities can bring about a lot of joy and connection, and the expectations at year end can bring about a lot of stress. No matter what, you can expect a shift from your day-to-day schedule. As a result, you may experience a change in your physical environment, food intake, eating experience, company, conversation topics, and/or social and cultural factors relative to your norm. 

Phew! That’s a lot of change to be experiencing at once.

Change, even when exciting and/or familiar, takes effort and time to adjust to. Add to this the effort that you or your loved ones may be putting in to recover from diet/wellness culture, poor body image or an eating disorder, and it can be exhausting!

Despite this, the holidays can be fun, full of love and joy, and be a time that you show appreciation to your loved ones. And sometimes, this comes in the form of a thoughtful gift! The holiday season brings out an appreciation for gifts and gift-giving. Gifts can act as a helpful reminder of the appreciation and love you have for loved ones and vice versa, which can be especially grounding when stress and tensions are running high. Personally, as registered dietitians, we are also big fans of showing ourselves a little extra appreciation this time of the year – an extra gift for good measure.

As dietitians, we are also mindful of the surge of diet and wellness culture products that bombard your mental and visual spaces, and inevitably seep into your conversations at the dinner table and workplaces. We recommend proactively planning for this, especially as you are brainstorming ways to show yourself and your loved ones appreciation and support in the form of a gift. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to facilitate this: 

  • What could you gift yourself at the end of the year that would affirm your commitment to respect and trust your body? 

  • Is there a gift for your loved ones that would allow you to share with them your commitment to anti-diet culture and inspire a greater discussion around shared values? 

  • How might you support someone in your life with their own journey to body trust and liberation through intentional gift-giving this season?

And, if you’re are looking for some anti-diet and body liberation gift inspiration for yourself or loved ones, check out our Seattle-based, anti-diet dietitian’s guide below! When books are listed, we encourage you when possible to consider buying them at your local bookstore. 

Anti-Diet & Body Liberation Gifts

For the Teens & Young Adults in Your Life:

  • No Weigh! by Shelley Aggarwal, Signe Darpinian & Wendy Sterling

  • The Intuitive Eating Workbook for Teens: A Non-Diet, Body Positive Approach to Building a Healthy Relationship with Food by Elyse Resch 

For the Parents, Caregivers, and Educators in Your Life:

Self-Care Gifts (That have nothing to do with changing your body shape and size)

Gifts under $15

Image of a tub with candles and coffee for bravespace nutrition in Seattle, WA that represents the anti-diet gift guide created by our dietitians for you for the holiday season.

  • Tea 

  • Ginger chews 

    • What can be found in Dietitian Ivory’s fanny pack at all times? These individually packed ginger chews! She finds them tasty in general but also especially helpful when nauseous or when appetite is low due to sickness. 

  • Journal 

    • Bravespace Nutrition Founder and Dietitian Katherine loves the gift of a journal, as she sees journaling as the #1 form of self care, She describes journaling “as a form of therapy that we get to provide to ourselves. It's a way in between sessions with your dietitian to not have to hold things in your head and to get a better sense of the "what and why" of what you're feeling.”

    • Journals to check out: Midori MD Note, Paperage Lined Journal, Muji Passport Memo (for the pocket-sized option)

Gifts under $30

  • Adequate feet support - Dietitian Ivory highly recommends adequate feet support, as it can often be overlooked. We are often on our feet, from running errands, commuting, to engaging in joyful movement. “One of my favorite ways to connect with my body and ground myself in between sessions is by going for a walk on the nearby trail on my lunch break or after work. I never leave the house without warm socks, especially in the winter, and comfortable and supportive shoes.”

    • A pair of Darn Tough Socks - Merino wool socks made in Vermont with unlimited warranty for life. Your feet will thank you!

    • Allbirds Insoles - Women’s, Men’s 

  • Fidget Ring 

  • Heating pad 

  • Sun care from Olive Kollection

Gifts under $50

  • Manta Eye Mask 

    • For 100% blackout sleep for those looking to improve their sleep quality

  • Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Water Bottle - comes in 18, 21, and 24oz 

    • One of the biggest barriers to adequate hydration that we hear from clients is not having a water bottle nearby and accessible to them. Buy a water bottle that is reliable, fits your needs, and feels fun to you! Extra bonus if you add a few stickers onto your bottle to make it extra eye-catching.  

  • A new class or course you’ve been wanting to try out

    • For dietitian Julia, she is always looking for an opportunity to explore her creative side, such as a ceramics or painting community class. Eventbrite.com can often be a good place to start searching for options. There are often free and virtual options available too!

  • A massage at your favorite local parlor

  • A delicious meal at your favorite restaurant or cafe

    • Treat yourself to a cozy date with delicious takeout at home in your comfiest sweats and your favorite film/show.

    • Alternatively, if you have the space in your calendar and social/emotional bandwidth, invite a friend or loved one and treat them for coffee or a meal!


*Please note that prices of products are subject to change by vendors, which might lead to slight misclassification of the product prices at time of readership. If any of the hyperlinks are not working, we apologize and would love to hear the feedback.

Are you wanting to heal your relationship to food and your body in 2024? You’ve come to the right place!

Our caring Seattle-based dietitians are here to support you in your food and body healing journey. We provide counseling for body image concerns, medical nutrition therapy, disordered eating, eating disorders, binge eating, intuitive eating, bulimia treatment, anorexia treatment, and chronic dieting. For more information, please visit our blog, FAQ or resources page! And to get started on your journey today, schedule a free 15-minute phone call with us! 

Self-Care, NutritionKatherine MetzelaarComment