If you need some gift ideas for the Paleo guy (or gal) in your life, you’ve come to the right place. Before you go and buy a loincloth or something entirely useless (Paleo dudes where jeans, DUH!) have a look at what he might really want. I’ve put together a short Paleo Gift Guide with 10 gift ideas for the modern Paleo dude. The items I’ve selected are ones that I love, use on a daily basis, or have been lusting over. You’ll notice they revolve around the 3 C’s: Coffee, Cooking and Crossfit, since they are the pillars of the Paleo lifestyle! I’ve tried to include items that were available online, mostly through Amazon, since it’s the easiest way to shop nowadays. Some of these items are available in stores, but that will depend on where you live in the world! Go forth, and buy for your Paleo guy!
Chemex 6-cup Classic Series Glass Coffee Maker
Not only does it look cool, it happens to make the smoothest cup of Joe you’ll ever have. If he’s the kind of guy that loves design, quality, and doing things the old-fashioned way, this is the gift for him. It works by placing a filter into the top of the carafe, filling it with some freshly ground beans and slowly pouring heated water overtop. I’m a big fan of the Chemex carafe and so are the friends I’ve recommended it to. It’s become my go-to brewing method.
Duralex Picardie 18 piece Tumbler Set
It took me about 2 dozen broken Ikea glasses before I made the switch over to something less fragile. Duralex are made with tempered glass, can be used with hot or cold liquids and are virtually indestructible – perfect for morning Americanos or smoothies. They come in different sizes depending on what you’re drinking. Throw them in the dishwasher, throw ‘em in the sink, throw them wherever you want. Nothing short of a hammer will break them. Actually, I think a hammer might have a hard time with these bad boys. Plus, they have a beautiful, timeless design that won’t go out of style. They’re a great gift idea for dudes because most dudes won’t buy themselves glassware even though they probably need to.
I’m a big fan of Breville. They always have great design and build-quality. I got this coffee maker a few years ago on Amazon and haven’t regretted it since. I don’t use it as often as I used to since the Chemex came into my life, but it still gets regular play when I have people over. It has a built-in burr grinder that you can load your favorite fresh beans into. This is important since high-end grinders are expensive gadgets. This combines both the grinder and the brewer into a single, more cost-effective unit. Adjust a few easy settings on the display, hit the power button and you have a full pot of café-quality roast in a matter of minutes. Every now and then I’ll use the automatic setting so that I have coffee ready for me first thing in the morning. It means I can pour it into my thermos and hit the road with enough coffee to last me throughout the day. Great gift idea for guys who love coffee but don’t have the time or patience to make a pour-over.
Now that he’s got the proper equipment, its time you save him from drinking the same boring coffee he’s used to. Face it; the coffee he gets from the grocery store might get the job done but its crap. He has little to no idea where the beans come from or how long they’ve been on the shelf. Nomad takes the guesswork out of the equation. They tell him what country and region the coffee grows in, how the coffee was processed, the variety it belongs to, what flavours and taste notes to expect and, most importantly, the roasting date. They ship their monthly packages within a day of roasting! You just can’t beat that kind of freshness. The coffee always changes so he’ll always experience new beans, roasts and flavours! Having sampled three different months worth of beans, I can honestly say that it is the unrivaled best coffee I have ever made in the comfort of my home. Plus, he’ll never have to think about where to get his next fresh-brewed fix. And for that, he’ll thank you! Trust me!
Reebok CrossFit Lifters & Reebok Crossfit Nanos
If the dude is Paleo, chances are he does CrossFit too. Chances also are that he owns a few pieces of Reebok gear. If he doesn’t, he should. CrossFit athletes help design a lot of the gear for the sport so you know that they’re created with the user in mind. They use high-quality materials and the stuff is built to last. I wore my Nanos for 5 weeks straight while backpacking through South East Asia – trekking through Thai jungles, riding elephants, climbing waterfalls, running on the beach – and they barely had a mark on them. He will absolutely notice a difference in his workouts with the right pair of shoes. Reebok Nanos are great for WODs and the flat insole provides a great deal of stability in all kinds of lifts. The lifters are perfect for everything to do with Weightlifting, from squats to snatches.
Hydrolized Whey Protein is not the first thing I’d recommend for Paleo Lifestylers. However, if the Paleo dude in your life insists on consuming whey protein, it might as well be a good-quality one. Progenex has cornered the CrossFit market and have a fantastic marketing campaign. Besides that, it tastes great, has a minimal amount of sugars compared with competing proteins and can help increase recovery while building lean muscle.
I need to attach a disclaimer to this gift item: I have never tried it. However, I’ve read-up on the product thoroughly and know people who have been longtime users. It is one of the highest-quality supplement companies on the market. They’re Omega 3 capsules have a high-concentration (74-83%) and 5:2 ration of EPA and DHA. Like Progenex, they have cornered the CrossFit market in terms of vitamins and minerals. Also, companies that focus on a minimal number of products (Omega 3, Vitamin D3, Magnesiun) tend to have a higher level of overall quality control.
Sear a steak, roast a chicken, fry an omelet, grill some veggies, the Lodge Cast-Iron skillet does absolutely everything. I use it to make Paleo Jap Chae, Shakshuka, and everything in between. It is the ultimate workhorse and no home or professional kitchen is complete without one. If he doesn’t have a cast-iron skillet, get him this as a gift and he will thank you for the rest of his life. Lodge is a great company, they have awesome customer service, are built to last, are beautifully designed, get better with age, and happen to be one of the oldest American foundries. Safe to say they know a thing or two about cast-iron.
Wusthof Classic Ikon 8-Inch Hollow Ground Cooks Knife
Every Paleo dude needs three knives: a pairing knife, a serrated knife, and an 8” chef’s knife. For the last one, I recommend the Wusthof Classic Ikon 8″. It has a solid build, it’s very sharp, and extremely comfortable in the hand. Sharp knives are important. They make cooking a more enjoyable experience and lead to less accidents in the kitchen. Dull knives lead to more and more household injuries each year (FACT!). There’s nothing this knife cannot do. Seriously, I can’t think of a thing. Get it for him as a gift and he’ll be counting his culinary blessings.
Francis Mallmann’s On Fire: 100 Recipes
There’s a reason I’m not including a “Paleo” cookbook here and it has nothing to do with my personal agenda as a Paleo recipe developer. I think it’s important to realize that there exists a wide variety of ‘Paleo’ food, even if it isn’t marketed as such. Many of the recipes in Mallmann’s On Fire are not strictly Paleo, though there are a few. What your paleo dude can walk away with is a newfound appreciation and mastery of the oldest cooking method in the world: fire. There is perhaps no one better suited to guide your Paleo dude through the act of putting flame to food than Francis Mallmann. Mallmann, like me, happens to be deeply interested in art, poetry, literature and his cooking is a marriage of his passions. Mallmann represents the ultimate connoisseur and On Fire will illuminate even the greatest of culinary minds. Oh, it’s also filled with drool-worthy food photography and epic landscapes, which makes it a great gift for the kitchen or the coffee table.
