Ep. 94: Holiday Gift Guide + Favorite Gut Health Products of 2025!

I love trying new things and this episode is my annual roundup of the products that actually earned a spot in my real life this year.

In this episode, I’m sharing my Favorite Things of 2025, including gut-friendly staples to nervous system supports, mineral must-haves, mom life helpers, and business tools that genuinely make life easier.

Here’s the important part:
You don’t need gadgets or a ton of products to heal your gut. The foundations matter most: sunlight, nervous system regulation, laughter, and solid routines. These products simply support that work.

To keep it simple and not overwhelming, I gave awards in each category:

• a Gold Medal if you only choose one
• a Runner-Up
• and Honorable Mentions for everything else that made the list

If you’re someone who loves trying new things (like me), or you just want a short list of what’s actually worth it, this episode is for you.

Quick note on links

This episode is not sponsored. Some links on the product page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through them. Thanks for supporting the podcast and my small business.

Links

• View my Favorite Things of 2025 (all products linked here)
• Follow me on Instagram

Grab a walk, a coffee, or your favorite mineral mocktail and listen in.

Transcript

Dr. Heather Finley: 0:03

Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Heather Finley, registered dietitian and gut health specialist. I understand the frustration of dealing with GI issues because I've been there and I spent over two decades searching for answers for my own gut issues of constipation, bloating, and stomach pain. I've dedicated my life to understanding and solving my own gut issues. And now I'm here to guide you. On this podcast, I'll help you identify the true root causes of your discomfort. So you can finally ditch your symptoms for good. My goal is to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need so that you can love your gut and it will love you right back. So if you're ready to learn a lot, gain a deeper understanding of your gut and find lasting relief. You are in the right place. Welcome to the love your gut podcast.

0:55

Hello and welcome back to the Love Your Gut podcast. Today's episode is a super fun one and an important one because we're talking about my favorite things of 2025. Without turning this into a, you need to buy all of this to feel better episode. That is my, I hope your number one takeaway. I wanna say this very clearly right up front. You do not need a ton of gadgets, supplements, or products to heal your gut. You need targeted support and some of the most powerful tools for digestion, hormones, energy are completely free. Sunlight, get sunlight in the morning and you will change your health. Nervous system regulation. Literally, we have so many clients that come to us that are like, I've tried everything and they're so stressed and have never addressed the nervous system piece. Laughter. Having fun. Having joy in your life makes such a difference. And then solid and predictable routines as much as you can. These things do way more for your gut than most people realize. And that being said, I do get sent a lot of things to try a lot of food products, a lot of devices, a lot of things. And I also say no to a lot of things that people try to send me because I feel like sometimes I live at the post office at my PO box. I'm very picky. If something doesn't actually help or doesn't have any kind of science behind it, or I don't notice a difference, I'm not going to share it. And if it doesn't support digestion or stress levels or just real life consistency. Then it doesn't stay at my house very long, and it doesn't make this list. So everything that I'm sharing today is something that I genuinely use and love and would recommend even if I didn't have this podcast or this platform. It's the things that I'm telling my girlfriends about, the things that I'm telling my family about and the things that I'm telling you about. Before we dive in, one more quick note is this episode is absolutely not sponsored. No single brand paid to be included. There are a few affiliate links in the show notes, which means that if you do choose to buy something, I may earn a small commission. Some of it is just discount codes, but I may earn a small commission on some of the links. That's one way, one of the ways that you can support this podcast and my small business, and I truly appreciate it. And again, I only share products that I would use myself or recommend to my family and clients. Okay, now that we covered that, let's get into it. Here's the lens that I want you listening through, is that. No red light, no supplement, no water filter or gadget will fix your chronic constipation, your bloating, your low iron, your hormone imbalances, your burnout, those things will improve when you've holistically addressed your gut function. Your nervous system feels safe enough to heal your minerals. All the things and the free stuff matters most, like I mentioned. So the products that I'm sharing today don't replace that work, but they can support it. And help to make that process easier for you. So to keep this simple and not overwhelming, I'm giving awards in each category, a gold medal. So if you only choose one a runner up, and then some honorable mentions for everything else that earns a place. So let's start off with gadgets and devices. So my gold metal gadget and device for 2025 is my Loom Box Red light therapy. This is my most used recovery tool. I use it every single day, and so does my husband and my kids use it too. I use it for mood. I use it for skin recovery, nervous system support. Red light does not directly fix gut issues, but it does help with mitochondria. It helps with energy, it helps lowering inflammation. It absolutely helps stress. It helps sleep, so it indirectly helps. But it's funny because my kids notice a difference, and I find now if they're not feeling well or if they have a headache, they're always just going over, we keep it out. So it's like easy to use. We keep it next to our couch and they'll just go over and turn it on. And sit there. They love it so much. My mom has had amazing results with the Loom box, with some like arthritis type stuff in her hands. It is amazing. So gold medal, loom box therapy, red light therapy. It's this little box. And I do have a discount code for Loom Box, which I'll put in the show notes. Okay, the runner up is the air doctor, air purifiers. If I had to remove a lot of gadgets and devices from my life, this is one that I would not, I would hold onto because cleaner air matters so much, especially after we went through mold a couple years ago. I noticed such a difference in our air quality, allergies, overall stress levels. When we are breathing clean air, so you might not realize that your air needs purifying, but you will notice a difference when you, once you start using an air purifier. And we have air doctors all throughout our house. We have the big one for the main part of our house, and then we have some of the smaller ones for the bedrooms. Absolutely love my air doctor and something again that we use every single day. Okay. Some honorable mentions. The AquaTru water filter. This we got this year and I have loved it. We have this under our sink. So it is a great filtration system. Without installing, I didn't wanna go through the process yet of installing a whole house water system, but we now have filtered water underneath our sink, and the AquaTru is one of the highest rated for removing contaminants and metals and all the things. And one of the things that we've consistently seen high on a lot of htma is things like uranium and other heavy metals. We installed this under our sink this summer. I can tell a difference in the way that our water tastes. We had a different filter before, so I absolutely love this. The other one that kind of goes along with this is the clearly filtered filters. We have this on our fridge, so we installed the filter on the back of our fridge. It connects to the waterline, so that way our ice is filtered. I thought that this was a great one as well. So we installed the AquaTru under our sink. And then the clearly filtered fridge filter at the same time this summer, and they also were kind enough to send my kids some filtered water bottles. I have now sent these water bottles to several clients as ideas for things when they're traveling. We have a lot of clients that like to travel internationally and are so worried about getting something or getting exposed to something. These water bottles actually have a built in really, really good filter. My son's teacher was actually laughing when she saw the massive filter that is inside of this water bottle, but it, they're perfect for school. They're perfect for travel. They're perfect for so many things, so love clearly filtered water bottles and their fridge filter. They also have some like. Brita type filters that are just better than Brita and other things as well. Same with AquaTru, so you can find what you need if you're looking for a great water filter on both of these sites. The other thing that I have loved from a gadget and device standpoint is the brick device. So I got one for myself and one for my husband. One of our main goals this year was to be on our phones list, which is interesting when you run a business that relies somewhat on social media, I have become very intentional about my time online and although I could just put my phone down and leave it alone for some reason, when you actually click your phone on the brick, which is like this little device, it's a magnet so you can put it on your fridge or wherever. It's like almost signifies to me like my phone is off and the notifications are not coming through. So I have loved the brick, especially if I need like deep work time or like after my kids get home from school, my phone gets. Bricked and it's just so nice. Sometimes on the weekends I'll brick my phone for like the whole weekend, so that is a great one as well, and honestly a great gift because they're not that expensive. So that could be a good stocking stuffer or gift for a loved one that wants to have some boundaries around the phone. Okay, let's move on to the second category, which is supplements and mineral support. I gave a gold metal to the KPOs lactoferrin. This is a newer product to us, but it is our go-to for immune support and iron support. We have started seeing tons of low ferritin, iron issues, et cetera. It was something I was dealing with earlier this year, postpartum, and it really, really helped. So now we are recommending this to so many of our clients. The other benefit is that it's a gentle prebiotic, so it also helps to support your beneficial bacteria, but it also prevents gut pathogens from feeding on iron, which they do. So if you have low ferritin or iron issues despite supplementation, et cetera. Lactoferrin is a great option and something that we've used a lot this year. A runner up goes to equip protein. Equip protein was newer to me this year, but it's a clean beef protein that is. So gentle on sensitive guts and makes amazing smoothies. I make a nighttime smoothie most nights. I've actually started making hot chocolate with this now that it's colder, but I have the recipe on my blog for the smoothie that tastes like a Wendy's frosty that I make every night. And then I also just use this for hot chocolate this time of year. So the qui protein definitely a favorite as well. And then some runner ups, so all of the jigsaw products. If we are not doing custom minerals for clients, we often recommend several of the jigsaw products. They have the adrenal cocktail, which is just a great like overall mineral support. It has sodium and potassium and vitamin C pickleball cocktail, or actually it's now called Potassium Cocktail. This is a great support if you need more potassium. Which I got a message from an HTMA client the other day that was like, so basically I just need an IV of potassium, which is so true. We, so many of our clients need a lot more potassium, especially our stressed out clients. And then Magoo is another of our, one of our favorites. It's a great magnesium glyconate product that helps with winding down and sleep and relaxation. Another honorable mention is gut personal. This is another supplement brand that is actually dietician owned. They have some great immunoglobulin products, digestive enzymes, and magnesium, and it was newer to me this year as well. Another supplement that I got sent this year, which my husband has really loved is called Kill Switch, and it is a sleep supplement, is a melatonin free sleep support that tastes like hot chocolate. I have tried it. I really do not struggle with sleep, so it's not something that I personally use, but my husband has loves this. I also have loved fluoroscopy fiber. They have a great fiber for constipation, a great fiber for diarrhea, and then a great just like daily fiber. I also love Redmond relight. This is a great electrolyte sup, support for hydration and minerals, and then. Last but not least, I have loved the organic Olivia products. I especially like their glucose bitters and then their just digestive bitters. We have recommended these to a lot of our clients that struggle with digestion and just overall bloating and fullness, et cetera. So it's a great just like day to day product. Okay, next category is food and drink staples. So the gold medal for this goes to fond bone broth. This is the broth that I have on subscription that I drink sometimes just as a snack that I use for soups that I use for. Recipes, so many different things. They have so many different types of broth, but it's something that I've used a lot this year, especially to support postpartum healing and just overall mineral support. So gold medal, fond bone broth. A runner up is drink update. This was a new to me product this year. It is, it sounds like an oxymoron, but it is a caffeine free energy drink that I love and my husband loves as well. Sounds crazy, but it actually is caffeine free. They've extracted the compound. From caffeine that helps with focus to create this energy drink. So I have loved this drink and keep it on subscription so that we have some if needed for focus or just like deep work blocks, et cetera, but without the jitters of coffee. Okay, some runner ups, purity coffee. This is not a new to me product, but it's a mold-free, gut-friendly coffee that I use almost every day. Further food, which is a great collagen and super food blend company. Drink Wholesome was a newer product to me. They have a minimal ingredient protein powder and then of course can't mention food and drink staples without chocolate. So who, chocolate is great. I also love Unreal chocolate. Those have been some non-negotiables with like travel and just treats this time of year. And then lastly, or two more actually, mountain Rose herbs. This is where I source herbs for DIY teas and just like gut support or even seasoning blends, they have so many different products on their site. I personally love just their overall seasoning blend that they have, and sometimes I'll order nettles in bulk to make nettles infusions, which are really helpful for histamine and just overall mineral support. But they have so many great herbs and teas. And then ancient nutrition collagen. I got the opportunity this spring to go to a conference that they put on about collagen and learned so much about different types of collagen and processing of collagen and really love their products. So they have some really great, just overall basic collagens, but they also have some like menopause support, collagens. They have a A metabolism blend et cetera. So love their products and have been using those this year. Okay, next up is home lifestyle and travel. So this one overlaps slightly with, the other category of like supplements and minerals slightly as well as like gadgets and devices, but tried to separate them. So gold metal for this goes to Queen of Thrones castor oil pack. This is our go-to cast oil pack that we recommend to clients for liver support, digestion, relaxation, decreasing bloating. Runner up for this is force of nature cleaner. So I love this cleaner. They've done studies to show that it is just as effective as bleach, but it is non-toxic. So this is something that I use in my home most of the year, especially with three kids going to school and all the things. And then the last one, or Honorable mention is this supplement organizer called Alcove. It's pretty cool because it holds more than just a day's or week's worth. You can put like a whole supplement bottle in one section. So if you have a supplement routine that stays the same, it's kind of nice because you can empty it into your supplement organizer and just know which supplement is in each section and it looks nice on your counter. Or you can put it under wherever if you don't wanna see it. But this is a great one. It's not great for travel, but it is great for your supplements at home. Okay, next category is beauty and personal care. So the, this one was hard to choose because I've tried several things this year that I have really liked. One which got the gold medal, which is clear STEM skincare. This is acne, safe hormone safe. I have, I actually ordered this on New Year's Day last year'cause they were having a sale and I've had it on subscription ever since. I love their bounce back serum. I love their under eye cream. I love their moisturizer. They also have this really thick moisturizer if you have dry skin, or especially this time of year. So have really, really loved using these products and have definitely noticed a difference in my skin. And then the runner up was oia. So this is also a skincare brand that was new to me this year, and I've tried several of their products. They have a great. Body oil. They actually have this really cool quiz that you can take on their website where you put in your concerns, and then it will help you pick what products would be good for you. But they have face products, body products. They have different sets so you can check out their site. They have a lot of great options. And then some honorable mentions, rise. Well, toothpaste is a favorite here. This is a fluoride free. Hydroxy appetite based, gut friendly oral care products that we like. Another one that is one of my husband's favorites is this product called One Skin. It is a skincare brand that has moisturizer and face wash and several other things that are, it's more of like a longevity based skincare. It does change the texture of your skin. I noticed a big difference when I started using this, and my husband did too. And then another honorable mention is guha. This is very simple, lymphatic support for jaw tension, stress puffiness. There's so many YouTube videos that you can find on Guha, but it feels so good at the end of the day to do a little bit of guha on your face. It helps with blood flow, puffiness, et cetera. It's something that I have loved to do just as more of like a natural skincare routine. Okay, next category is mom Life favorites. So this might not come as a surprise, but the gold medal for this category is HTMA testing and custom minerals. Honestly, the biggest game changer postpartum and for mom life for me is supporting my energy and my mood and my hair loss, and all the things with custom minerals. This is a hill that I will die on, is that every mom needs minerals in more than just food. This is one of the most depleting times of your life, and so supporting your minerals with a custom mineral blend and getting testing to know exactly what you need is so, so, so helpful. Some honorable mentions in this category would be an Instapot, or this would be the runner up the Instapot and a 4:30 PM dinner. We have started eating dinner so early, and the reason being is that my kids come home from school so hungry that either it's them snacking and then not wanting to eat dinner or eating dinner. And then just having another snack before bed. This helps because we have soccer practice and basketball practice and afterschool activities, and so if they're able to get in a good dinner, I just notice such a big difference in their moods, in their sleep, and the Instant Pot makes that possible because I can set it and forget it in the morning using the slow cooker mode. Or I can pressure cook things if I need to. This is my most used. Gadget in my kitchen, and I've had this for years and years and years, but definitely I've used this the most this year. Another honorable mention is roommate. This is just a water bottle that I have loved. I think it is way better than a Stanley because it locks if you were trying to feed a baby. Or you have kids and you're worried about your cup getting knocked over and everything's spilled, especially if you have a lot of different things in your water, sometimes with minerals and whatever it might be. This cup is great because it actually locks and so you're not gonna lose your entire cup of water. So that has been a huge one for me, especially with little kids. Okay, last category is business favorites. This would apply to you even if you're not a business owner, but the gold medal is clickup. This is the only way that I manage my business is clickup. We have team tasks, we can schedule launches, we have content. Clickup is. The best and a runner up here is Google Workspace. Google Workspace is amazing for email, calendar, Google Drive meetings. This is really that and Clickup are like the backbone of my company. And then a really silly runner up is Sharpie. S shell Pens are my favorite writing pens and a really good journal, just like a journal that opens and lays flat and you can like brain dump and get all your thoughts out. So. That is the 2025 holiday gift guide. Or favorites episode. But the takeaway is you don't need all of these things. You don't need to buy more to heal faster. Start with the free stuff, but the right tools can help support the process, but also never replace the foundation. So if you're wanting to. Send a little nudge to someone in your life for a stocking stuffer gift. All the links and the discounts are in the show notes. And truly thank you for supporting this podcast and my small business when you choose to use those links. And if you're listening thinking, I've tried everything, I still don't feel right. Then maybe what you need to ask for is one-on-one support, one-on-one testing, and support for your gut, for your hormones, for your minerals, and we can do that for you. So I hope you have a wonderful Christmas holiday season. Happy New Year, and would love to hear if you try any of these things and love them as much as I do.