I both love and hate this season. I love it when I find the perfect gift. I hate it when I find myself trolling the overcrowded stores, searching for something that isn’t trite or just a gift for the sake of a gift. I’m a big fan of gifts of service – you know, a day at the spa or a dinner out – but even those have their limitations.

To help you out this year, I’ve compiled my shortlist of some naked gift ideas. See what they inspire in you:

1. For the eco-kid (or the kid in you) – stylish, eco-lunch boxes.

I’m a big believer in preparing your own food, which means brown-bagging it when it comes time for lunch. Trouble is, all those brown bags had to come from somewhere and end up in a landfill. How about this super stylish planet box?  It comes with all sorts of cool compartments and designer bags. This one’s high on my wish list.

2. For the foodie – cultured veggies.

I bet most foodies haven’t had home-made lacto-fermented sauerkraut before. It’s naked – in fact, it’s better than naked! – and I’ll put my bets down that you’re the only one giving this gift this year. Make a big batch and pack them in small jam-jars for the newbies. Here’s a video and recipe to get you started. Or, if you’re feeling like home-made is too much work, Immunitrition ships their yummy cultured veg all over this great nation.

3. For the sweet tooth – raw chocolate.

Wanting to go the sweet treat route but not wanting to make the traditional sugar cookies with lots of refined sugar and white flour? Order some delicious raw chocolate from our friend Liz Marx at Sweet Nuit chocolates. This stuff is magical, and good for you too! They’re 100% raw, naked, and delicious.

4. For the physically active traveler – Felon Fitness.

Good friend and personal trainer Trey Teufel wrote a great book called Felon Fitness. It’s ideal for the frequent traveler because these are exercises you can do anywhere with little to no equipment. All you need are your gym shorts and shoes, and you’re set!

5. For the activist – a copy of Kristin Canty’s documentary, Farmageddon.

It’s a powerful and compelling call to arms to protect our right to choose the food we eat, and the rights of farmers to grow it. If you’re buying for someone who’s socially and environmentally conscious and likes to do something about it, this is a great gift.

5. For the conscious fashionista – a pair of Tom’s shoes.

You’ve probably heard of them: the really cool LA based company that gives one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair they sell. The concept is simple, and brilliant. Style for you, shoes for a shoe-less child. That’s what I call a win-win.

6. For the curious but uninitiated – their very own copy of Eat Naked.

Okay, I have to plug it. How about a copy of my book?  If you’ve been living the naked lifestyle for awhile and your friends and family are curious but not quite sure why you think butter is the healthy option, spread the word! I wrote this book as an easy, accessible introduction to eating real foods, so it’s a great place to start. Email me directly if you’d like a special signed copy.

What’s on your holiday gift list?

Step Two: Shop Naked

No food in your fridge to satisfy what your body is REALLY asking for? Then follow the paved road to your local farmers market.

Start by walking the entire market once prior to buying anything, allowing your body to register all the possibilities. Sample the food, take in the smells, the colors, and most importantly, talk to people. Many of the people behind the stands are the owners and/or workers on the farms. Ask them questions: how far did their produce travel? what fertilizers do they use? which of their produce is at peak of season?

Notice which of these farmers market delicacies your body gravitates toward. Try to focus on what you learned about your primal self from Step one. Many of the Los Angeles farmers markets even sell wild fish and 100% grass-fed beef. Your head may get confused by the terms, but your body knows that cows are herbivores and it’s not natural for fish to be farmed.

Some of this food may be more expensive than you’re used to, but remember this is the true cost of food. There’s no government subsidization or middle person, just you and the farmer. If you’ve been talking and asking questions you’re already learning what this food means to the people selling it. You’ll never find a better place to establish this one-on-one intimate connection to the food you’re buying than at a farmers market.

For those of you without access to a farmers market, or if it’s winter and they’re not yet in season, take all the points above and apply them to a grocery store. Stay on the perimeter aisles since that’s where all the natural food is, talk to the butchers and the heads of the produce department. Most of them will know where their food is coming from. If they carry organic produce, try to make your choices in that area, but if the organic produce doesn’t look good or is already browning, then choose foods that smell flavorful and look good enough to eat.

Follow your instincts, support independent farmers (when possible) and most importantly, enjoy your day. Whether you’re outdoors or indoors, grocery shopping with your heart and not your head can help you make healthier food choices. Oh, and don’t forgot to bring your own shopping bags.

Coming soon, set the table cause it’s time to eat. Step three: Cook Naked.

Related Posts:

• Cook From Your Heart, Not Your Head – Step 1
• Cook From Your Heart, Not Your Head – Step 3
• Ode to a Perfect Sunday

It was like eating love. I’m not kidding. That’s the best I can do to describe how delicious, unusual, and complex this chocolate is.

We were given a bar of Liz Marx’ Sweet Nuit chocolate as an engagement gift. It was gorgeously wrapped in clear plastic with a little ribbon, exposing a gold-dusted engraving of beautiful flowers. Almost too perfect to eat, we kept it in the fridge for a few days, gazing at it longingly. When we did indulge, biting into it was magical. Sweet, creamy, rich, and yet so complex. Unlike any chocolate I’ve ever had.

Sweet Nuit chocolate is 100% raw, sourced with great care, sweetened with coconut sugar and jerusalem artichoke, flavored with superfoods, dusted with gold, and made with such love you can literally taste it. I had to know more.

I had the great joy of chatting with Liz last week. Hear about her journey from glass artist to chocolate maker and scrumptious details about the love and nutritional goodness that goes into her chocolates. (Hint: they’re so good for you, you could almost consider them a nutritional supplement!)

Here’s a link to the audio: (click the play button)

[audio:http://www.eatnakednow.com/audio/28-Jan_13-28.mp3]

Or download a transcript of our chat.

Related Posts:

• Surviving the Holidays, Naked Style
• A Naked Christmas Tree?
• Things Just Got Tastier at Eat Naked

Chef James and Oprah (she loved his kale salad!)

I’m really excited to announce that Eat Naked and the LA-based healthy (and naked!) meal delivery company Wholesome2go have officially joined forces. Wholesome2go’s owner Chef James Barry will be contributing recipes and healthy food planning tips to this blog, and supporting Eat Naked’s clients with creative recipes, cooking techniques, and menu planning.

Chef James was an integral part of the recipe development process for my upcoming book Eat Naked: Unprocessed, Unpolluted, and Undressed Eating for a Healthier, Sexier Youand will be co-authoring the follow-up recipe compendium, Cook Naked (coming in February 2012). We’re also currently developing a new line of healing food products called Better than Naked to be launched later this year.

If you’re lucky enough to live in the LA area, get naked food delivered straight to your door with wholesome2go.

Related Posts:

• Cook Naked Video: Knife skillz 101
• Cook From Your Heart Not Your Head – Step 1
• Know Your Sweets: Natural sweeteners 101

Baby Sequoia, all trimmed and glowing

I am delighted to share that this year I believe I have found a truly naked solution to the dilemma. Enter the rented, still-living, potted Christmas tree.

Here’s how it works:

You pick your type and size of tree, it gets delivered to your doorstep on your preferred delivery date, and then picked up when you’re done with it. You get to decorate the tree, water it, name it, and love it. Then you return it, still living, to the safekeeping of the tree rental company, who cares for it until next year. You can even tag your tree so you get the same one each year. What a great new tradition!

In the Los Angeles area, check out The Living Christmas Co. Our baby sequoia arrived this afternoon, and is sitting happily in the corner of the living room, all trimmed and looking alive and lovely. For the first time, I feel really good about having a Christmas tree.

If you’ve rented your tree from a company you love, share it here in the comments. I’d love to hear of other companies in your area changing our approach to Christmas.

Related Posts:

• Naked Chocolate? Get some raw goodness from Liz Marx at Sweet Nuit
• Surviving the Holidays, Naked Style
• Naked Living and Authenticity: A resolution for the rest of us

In fact, I actually quite loathe grocery shopping. Ironic for someone as preoccupied with all things food, I know. But the fastest way to convert me from happy-go-lucky-foodie to grumpy-reluctant-whiner is to ask me to go grocery shopping. This has been the bane of my existence.

Which is why I was so thoroughly delighted earlier this year to hear that one of my favorite companies was opening in Los Angeles: www.SPUD.com.

SPUD was actually founded by friends of mine up in Vancouver, BC (the beautiful city I called home for 8 years before moving to the US) and they have been expanding down the west coast to major cities including Victoria BC, Calgary AB, Seattle WA, Portland OR, San Francisco CA, and now Los Angeles and Orange County.

Let me tell you some of the many reasons I love Spud:

• I am guaranteed high quality, fresh, mostly local and organic food.
• I don’t have to spend time at the grocery store, or traveling to and from the grocery store.
• SPUD gives me a list of my produce for the week AND I get to customize my preferences and change my order as many times as I want, so I have complete control over what comes to me – the ideal combo of their selections and mine.
• It’s a one-stop deal – I can get almost everything I use at SPUD, from produce, to toothpaste, to meat (and their meat is VERY high quality), to garbanzo beans. The only things I buy elsewhere are the little specialty items I am particular about (a specific type of olive, for example).
• They track the environmental impact of my purchases, so I can see where my groceries are coming from, what resources have been used in getting the various groceries to me, and thus more conscious decisions for future purchases.
• I spend less on groceries now than I ever did going to the store, and I get higher quality food and spend only a few minutes a week to customize the order.
• They are providing such a tremendous distribution vehicle for some small local independent farmers who wouldn’t have access to the markets SPUD has access to as easily.

If you live in one of the cities that SPUD operates in, I strongly encourage you to check them out. Go to www.spud.com and use the promo code: CR5-994937 to receive a discount off your first few orders. They are the ultimate Naked food resource.