Charity Gifts Aid Health

Charity Gifts Aid Healthcare

As Christmas rapidly approaches we thought we would offer suggestions how to help improve your health whilst helping others.

Giving Benefits Health

Studies in Europe have suggested that generous, thoughtful giving offers benefits to health - the act of giving creates a sense of well being which in turn reduce stress and anxiety thereby helping to lower blood pressure.

For maximum effect why not consider giving a charity gift that will help others?

For many years people have felt good about sending charity Christmas cards but Charity gifts are increasingly popular and various charities now offer imaginative gift ideas that will help those in most need.

Charity Gifts

Healthcare charities and aid agencies all sell christmas cards but now online shopping is being embraced by forward thinking organisations. Oxfam, for example, give visitors the opportunity to provide water and shelter for communities that are suffering the effects of natural disasters around the world and even buy a goat.

The principle goal of these charity gifts is to raise money that can be used to help relieve suffering - be that locally with medical conditions and illnessess, or further afield where communities are feeling the effects of climate change - floods, drought and famine.

See for yourself if you feel better after making a charitable gift - it doesn't have to be Christmas but we think it is an ideal time to try new ways of giving.

Next in the run up to Christmas we will once again remind visitors of the perils of the white stuff - salt

Healthy Food Hampers | Gifts - Create A Hamper

Foods for healthy blood pressure

Much is debated about reducing salt in our diets to help lower blood pressure - along with many other no no's when it comes to what we eat and drink for our health's sake but we think it appropriate to highlight what we should eat more of in order to feel great and stay in good health.

Often overlooked are the benefits of certain types of super foods - especially fruits and vegetables that when eaten in combination.

Essential minerals - amny only found in specific types of fruit - contribute to a healthy heart and maintain a good level of blood pressure - see getting the most benefit out of fruit and veg.

How much?

Loads - it's common to hear five a day but fruit and vegetables could make up at least a third of your entire food intake.

Give a healthy hamper of food

As an example we have put together a "gift hamper" selection which might provoke you to create your own hampers with top quality healthy food that you know the recipient enjoys.

Suggestion for healthy hampers

Most gift hampers are usually full of luxury food and drinks - rarely the best health option - although the benefits of red wine and chocolate are sometimes reported in the health news.

Here's our ideas of things to include in your hampers which needn't cost a lot but if packaged properly will be a great gift.

• banana - high in potassium - a great bp lowering food
• apples
• pears or at least one
• oranges are not the only fruit
• avocado - notorious super food
• plums - get you r gums stuck into plums
• grapefruit

if its a seasonal gift, christmas hampers can include all the festive fruits you cna fing - figs, satsumas and of course whole nuts beans and pulses - remember however much you eat, beans and pulses count as one portion each day

Fresh fruit is important but the concentration of dried fruit can also help the mineral intake so add these to your gift hampers too.

dried fruit (such as raisins and apricots)

healthy drinks

a glass (150ml) of fruit juice (however much you drink, fruit juice counts as a maximum of one portion a day)

No so easy for these food hampers is frozen or cooked food but don't be shy - they too caount as one of the five a day - frozen peas are more likely to be nutritionally better than raw peas as they are frozen to seal the healthy bits in quickly