One year, instead of an Easter basket filled with chocolate, my husband gave me a bright pink straw basket filled with oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes. It was one of the best gifts I have ever received! The next time you need to give a gift, consider giving a homemade gift basket, filled with gourmet goodies. Instead of filling a basket with candy, make a healthy basket yourself.

Making your own gift basket allows you to hand pick certain items you know the recipient likes and he or she will be touched you went to the extra effort.

Buy a basket at thrift store or craft store and fill it with some of the tasty, low-sodium items below. Have fun selecting your favorites, most of which you can get at your local grocery store. Choose from this list and you can be confident that all the items in your gift basket are low in sodium, a very important factor in keeping your kidneys healthy.

To add to the basket, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.nwkidney.org/recipes" www.nwkidney.org/recipes and print off some low-sodium recipes to include.

For the baker
Imported unsalted butter
Dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries
King Arthur’s, Montana Gold or other higher-end flour
Candied ginger
Candied orange peel
Real vanilla extract
Real almond extra
Small bottles of cooking liquors like lemon cello
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons

For the cheese-lover
Cheddar
Blue cheeses
Soft cheeses, like Brie or Chevre
Brown rice crackers
Flatbread crackers
Baked pita bread
Dijon mustard
Horseradish mustard

For the Italian chef
Low-sodium pesto
Low-sodium roasted peppers
Gourmet dried pasta
Packages of fresh herbs
Garlic bulbs
Truffle oil
Specialty olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Katy G. Wilkens is a registered dietitian and department head at Northwest Kidney Centers. She has a Master of Science degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Washington.