The Celiac Self-Care Gift Guide
A curated list of delicious gluten-free treats and more to shop this holiday season.
Gift-giving season is here, and I’m all about treating myself to gluten-free foods that taste delicious as well as products that save me time in the kitchen.
In my almost four years of living with celiac disease (and 15 years of being a health writer), believe me when I tell you I’ve tried a lot of stuff. Naturally, I have my favorites—and I want to share them with you!
Whether you’re shopping for yourself or you’re looking to buy something for the celiac in your life, I’ve got you covered. Below are my picks for the best holiday gifts for people with celiac disease.
Note: Not all of the food products featured in this newsletter are certified gluten-free; however, they’re all free of gluten-containing ingredients. If you have celiac disease, then I encourage you to do your own research to decide what’s right for you.
The ultimate celiac self-care gift guide
1. Deux Holiday Gift Set
I first heard of Deux (pronounced “dough”) when the founder, Sabeena Ladha, was on Shark Tank a few years ago—and I was instantly hooked. This better-for-you cookie dough is infused with ingredients like amino acids, pea protein, mushrooms, vitamin D, and elderberry to support your mind and body.
What’s more, all of the cookie doughs are vegan and gluten-free. (I asked their customer service before my first purchase, and they confirmed that the brand uses gluten-free oats and that their cookie doughs are manufactured in a GFCO Certified Gluten Free facility to help control allergen and gluten cross-contact.)
The Deux Holiday Gift Set comes with four flavors, a combo of bestselling and seasonal varieties (chocolate chip, brownie batter, pumpkin spice, and peppermint sugar cookie). It also comes with a gold spoon and gold cookie cutters in a beautiful custom gift box.
2. XO Marshmallow The Peppermint Queen Hot Cocoa Bundle
What’s better than warming up with a mug of hot cocoa on a cold winter’s night? Warming up with a mug of hot cocoa that contains big, fluffy marshmallows!
I was first introduced to XO Marshmallow when I interviewed the co-founder of the brand, Kat Connor, for Parade last year. I was lucky enough to get a sample of the marshmallows (which are gluten-, tree nut-, and egg-free) and can confirm they are amazing.
The XO Marshmallow The Peppermint Queen Hot Cocoa Bundle comes with a box of peppermint marshmallows, a jar of peppermint cocoa mix, and a set of four mini marshmallow mugs. Cheers!
3. Modern Bread & Bagel Gift Card
As a native New Yorker, I know that nothing beats a New York bagel. Thankfully, I don’t have to miss out on my favorite breakfast item even though I have celiac disease.
Modern Bread & Bagel offers the best gluten-free bagels in town—and even my non-gluten-free friends are impressed when I make them meet me there for breakfast sandwiches.
Luckily, you don’t have to be in NYC to enjoy their offerings. Modern Bread & Bagel ships their bagels (and yummy baked goods) nationwide. Buy a gift card for your favorite celiac—or place an order for yourself.
4. MatchaBar Starter Kit
A few months ago, I cut out coffee and switched to matcha. Coffee makes me too jittery and also gives me awful acid reflux. Matcha, on the other hand, offers a much more gentle energy boost because the caffeine is released over a three- to five-hour period. Because of this, it also doesn’t destroy my stomach the way coffee does.
I’ve taste-tested quite a few matcha varieties since cutting out coffee, and MatchaBar is the winner for me. This certified gluten-free matcha contains a blend of green tea leaves that come from the first harvest of the season.
The MatchaBar Starter Kit includes the brand’s ceremonial-grade matcha, a USB-rechargeable matcha whisk, and a matcha scoop. I like to froth up some non-dairy creamer and make a matcha latte. I’ve saved so much money making matcha lattes at home (versus buying them at my local coffee shop).
5. Clean Monday Meals Seasonings Variety Pack
I started following Janae Cox of Clean Monday Meals on Instagram a couple of years ago. She has celiac disease and PCOS and is the mom of five kids.
She also has an app where she shares gluten-free meal plans and has a line of gluten-free seasonings that I highly recommend and use in my cooking all the time.
The Clean Monday Meals Seasonings Variety Pack comes with onion soup mix, chicken ramen seasoning, and ranch seasoning mix. All of the seasoning blends are free from gluten, soy, dairy, nut, shellfish, and MSG. The bottles are big—there are a whopping 110 servings in each one!
6. Stellar Eats Gluten-Free Banana Bread + Muffin Mix
One of my favorite things about being a health and wellness writer is that I get to attend press events to stay up-to-date on new product launches. A few months ago, I went to a holiday preview hosted by the PR company representing Stellar Eats and got to try the gluten-free banana bread for myself.
Reader, I was wowed by how good it tasted. They even sent me home with a bag of the Stellar Eats Banana Bread + Muffin Mix so I could make it myself. I may never go back to making homemade banana bread again.
7. Simply Julia: 110 Easy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Food
This is, hands down, the cookbook I find myself reaching for the most out of my large collection. I love Julia Turshen’s approach to cooking. Her recipes are simple, comforting, and packed with flavor. (She also teaches virtual cooking classes—I’m hoping to finally attend one in 2024!)
While it’s not an exclusively gluten-free cookbook, many of the recipes in Simply Julia are naturally gluten-free or can be adapted to be gluten-free. Plus, at the back of the book, there’s even a list of all the vegetarian, vegan, dairy-/egg-free, and gluten-free recipes, which makes it super-easy to find something if you don’t have time to scroll through the entire cookbook.
The recipes that are in my regular dinner rotation include:
Llubav’s Green Spaghetti (made with gluten-free pasta)
Sesame Rice Bowls with Tofu, Quickles, and Peanut Sauce (made with gluten-free soy sauce)
Best Vegan Chili
More-Vegetable-Than-Rice Fried Rice (made with gluten-free soy sauce)
Almond Chicken Cutlets for Grace
Sticky Chicken (made with gluten-free soy sauce)
Khao Man Gai (made with gluten-free soy sauce)
8. Posh Pop Bakeshop Top-Rated Collection
For my first birthday with celiac disease (which took place during quarantine in 2020), my best friend sent me a very thoughtful box of goodies from Posh Pop Bakeshop. This New York City-based gluten-free bakery has since become one of my go-to spots for incredible desserts (and they ship nationwide!).
If you want to share the gift of gluten-free sweets with a celiac loved one, then consider sending them the Poshpop Bakeshop Top-Rated Collection.
It comes with two slutty brownies, two s’mores bars, two chocolate chip cookies, and two funfetti cookies. I won’t judge if you buy this box of goodies for yourself!
9. Little GF Chefs 3-Month Baking Club Subscription
For kids with celiac disease, I suggest the baking kits from Little GF Chefs. I bought a gummy candy baking kit for my niece a couple of holiday seasons ago (she doesn’t have celiac disease, but I wanted to be able to enjoy a treat with her), and she had a blast making them.
You can gift your celiac child a Little GF Chefs 3-month baking club subscription. The kits come with everything you need to make recipes for fun gluten-free treats like unicorn donuts, soft pretzel bites, and gingerbread houses.
Each month, you’ll get a baking kit in the mail that contains all of the dry ingredients and decorating supplies needed to make the recipe. Each kit also comes with a cooking tool so your child can start their own collection of baking supplies.
10. Ninja 4-Quart Air Fryer
My mom bought me the Ninja 4-Quart Air Fryer when I moved into my current apartment a few years ago, and to say I’m obsessed with it would be an understatement.
It’s truly the kitchen gadget I use the most frequently and one that I recommend to everyone with celiac disease. If you get stressed out by the thought of having to cook most of your meals at home, then this is the tool for you.
It’s so easy to use—and you can cook almost anything in it. I use it to make all of my proteins for dinner (mostly chicken and salmon) as well as everything from French fries to buffalo cauliflower bites to frozen gluten-free appetizers. I even heat up leftover gluten-free pizza in this thing. (I rounded up the best Ninja air fryer accessories for Parade if you want to add to your gift!)
Let me know if you end up gifting yourself (or others) something from this list—and feel free to drop your recommendations in the comments as well!
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