The three tenets of a good stocking stuffer include useability, enjoyability and simplicity – but we’re adding another essential to the list this year – sustainability. Here are a few fun, affordable ideas to get your inspiration – and not landfill – flowing this Christmas.

Cookbook

For your friends that live in the kitchen, what better gift than a cookbook? Our Holiday Entertaining Guide is loaded with everything they’ll need, from Christmas to New Year’s. This eBook has entrees, fun cocktails, delicious mains and indulgent desserts to get the whole family bonding over a good meal. This guide is all about using up leftovers, meal prepping to make your dollar go further and reducing your time in the kitchen – and therefore sparing the earth the extra energy usage.

Your foodie friends might also appreciate a place to store their favourite recipes in – and we have just the thing. A recipe binder will help them get their cooking essentials in order, so they’ll no longer have to worry about losing all their festive recipes. Our new enviro recipe binder fits 300 pages worth of recipes, and has 8 tabs for your foodie friend to organise their recipes into categories. Plus, this gift will be as well-received by the planet as it is by your friend considering it’s almost completely made of recycled material and is 100% biodegradable.

Where to buy: HERE

Soy wax candles 

Nothing sets the warm and festive tone of Christmas like a good candle – but traditional wax candles produce harmful chemicals when burnt, with the wax releasing toxins like acetone, toluene and benzene into the environment, putting our health at risk – and the planet. These carcinogens don’t just mess with our lungs, they pollute the air too. Soy wax candles make for an eco-friendly alternative – these are completely biodegradable as the soy wax comes from soybeans, making them far kinder to the planet than chemical-laden alternatives.

So, if you’re holding a candle for someone, well, get them a candle! 

Dark chocolate

Chocolate is a gifting favourite around the festive season, but dark chocolate consistently outperforms its milk and white counterparts when it comes to nutrition – in fact, with Research showing that dark chocolate has numerous health benefits from lowering high blood pressure to improving insulin sensitivity – you could say it’s the gift that keeps on giving. It’s also bursting with magnesium, copper, calcium, potassium and iron – packing in 19% of the latter in just one 28-gram serve.

The antioxidants are another good reason to get behind this variety of chocolate, as they have been found to be responsible for those insulin-improving properties and, unlike sugar-laden milk chocolate, the dark stuff may reduce our chance of developing type 2 diabetes. It may also protect us from inflammation and oxidative damage – including that which is caused by environmental pollutants and exposure to UV rays. But you’ll want to do a little research before picking up this tasty stocking stuffer – make sure it’s sourced from ethical ingredients. Here are a few reliable brands:

• Alter Eco
• Theo Chocolate
• Evolved
• Divine Chocolate

Reusable bag

With plastic laws rolling out with fresh restrictions around the use of single-use bags and plenty of shopping to do over the festive season, why not treat your loved ones to a stylish, reusable bag? From tote bags to shoulder and messenger bags, the choices are vast. If your friend enjoys a good farmer’s market or needs a new bag to join them on their supermarket runs, we have the solution. Give your health-conscious, sustainably-minded friend a place to store all their buys with our Market Bag Tote. Their new shopping companion will them the peace of mind of knowing they’re contributing to reducing the 8 trillion tonnes of plastic polluting our oceans each year, along with the 100, 000 deaths of marine life killed. With a fun design and sustainable fabric, this gift will be with them for a long time to come.

Where to buy: HERE 

If you’ve been having a little trouble keeping that sugar addiction at bay, we’re here to help. We know it can be hard to stick to your health goals – especially when you’re trying to manage it alone. Join us for the 8-Week Program where we’ll be quitting sugar and turning our health dreams into a reality. When you sign up with us, you’ll have access to clear-cut meal plans, community support and exclusive access to our sugar-free content. Here’s what’s on offer:

1. 8 weeks of meal plans and shopping lists.
2. 90+ member-only recipes.
3. Community forums to share your journey.
4. Support and guidance from the I Quit Sugar team.
5. Exclusive content from our panel of experts.

So, if you’re ready to ditch sugar and the host of maladies that come with it, it’s not too late to join. We’d love to help you get started on your health journey. Sign up HERE today!