Health

The 2024 Men’s Health Food Awards

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DISCOVERING NEW PRODUCTS fights diet boredom. But how do you stick to a budget with so much deliciousness at play? We did the work for you.

So, what makes a winner? We’re looking for foods that are high in protein, healthy fats, and/or fiber while also containing a sensible amount of calories and added sugar. Organic and sustainable products—along with those that have short ingredient lists—are all valued. And this year, we asked: Is this worth the money?

Our food and nutrition-obsessed editors and writers set out to answer this question with each food product we encountered this year. We extensively researched and tested hundreds of foods—from pantry essentials, quality meats, and frozen meals to high-protein snacks and instant coffee that actually tastes like a fresh cup of joe. Our goal: To curate a list showcasing this year’s finest foods. Without further ado, we present the Men’s Health Food Awards 2024.

JUMP TO EACH SECTION:
BREAKFASTLUNCH & DINNERSNACKSSWEETSBEVERAGES

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Best Granola

Organic Granola | Original

Struesli™ Organic Granola | Original

This party of chia, hemp, coconut, pecans, walnuts, and tiger nuts (rawr!) has the sustenance of oatmeal without a sugar pile-on.

Best Yogurt

Extra Creamy Skyr Whole Milk Yogurt, Passion Fruit & Mango

Icelandic Provisions Extra Creamy Skyr Whole Milk Yogurt, Passion Fruit & Mango

The whole milk in this thick yogurt makes it extra rich, and the flavor is your answer to mixed-berry fatigue. One cup has 11 grams of protein.

Best Eggs

Restorative Pasture-Raised Organic Eggs

Vital Farms Restorative Pasture-Raised Organic Eggs

The chickens that lay these live off land that is able to restore the soil. The eggs’ flavor is buttery and clean, with a texture that’s supremely fluffy.

Best Bacon

Thick Cut Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon - 9 lbs.

North Country Smokehouse Thick Cut Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon – 9 lbs.

These strips come from pigs raised without antibiotics or growth hormones. The bacon’s smoky-sweet balance tastes especially amazing worked into chowders, braised greens, and meat loaf.

Best Oats

On Sale

Old Fashioned Oatmeal

Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oatmeal

Now 15% Off

With 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup serving, it’s your tried-and-true foundation for a better breakfast.

Best Waffles

Homestyle Protein Waffles

Banza Homestyle Protein Waffles

These chickpea-reinforced discs of deliciousness taste just like their flour-built counterparts, but contain 10 grams of protein per two-waffle serving.

Best On-the-Go Breakfast

Organic Pineapple Coconut Oatmeal Cup, Pack of 24

Bob’s Red Mill Organic Pineapple Coconut Oatmeal Cup, Pack of 24

This slightly sweet cup of good has 7 grams of stomach-filling fiber and a flavor that shakes you out of apple-cinnamon boredom.

Best Breakfast Sausage

Chicken & Sage Breakfast Sausage Patties, 14 count

Applegate Farms Chicken & Sage Breakfast Sausage Patties, 14 count

One on these precooked patties has 5 grams of protein. Stack 2 two on an egg-and-cheese and you have a hearty start to your day (or evening).

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Best Frozen Pizza

Broccoli Rabe Wood-Fired Pizza - 4 Pack

Genio Della Pizza Broccoli Rabe Wood-Fired Pizza – 4 Pack

The tender-crisp crust, well-balanced toppings, this- is-frozen? surprise factor—all from the chef behind N.Y.C.’s legendary Una Pizza Napoletana. Best enjoyed with a beer.

Best Cold Cuts

Lamb Pastrami

Aussie Select Lamb Pastrami

These cold cuts hold way more meaty flavor than the sad roast beef at the deli counter. Try them folded onto a Reuben, atop a burger, or straight out of the pouch. A four-ounce serving has 10 grams of protein and 120 calories.

Best Grains Mix

Quinoa and Brown Rice Blend, Rosemary and Olive Oil (Pack of 6 Boxes)

Near East Quinoa and Brown Rice Blend, Rosemary and Olive Oil (Pack of 6 Boxes)

A duo of grains cooks up fluffy and has 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber—the perfect bed for grilled chicken, salmon, or tofu.

Best Tomato Sauce

Homemade Marinara Sauce

Raos Homemade Marinara Sauce

There’s no added sugar in this bright-tasting, smooooooth sauce.

Best Fries

Mixed Root Vegetable Fries

Strong Roots Mixed Root Vegetable Fries

Beets, carrots, and parsnips unite in the best thing to happen to oven fries since the invention of the air fryer.

Best Pasta

Protein+ Rotini Pasta

Barilla Protein+ Rotini Pasta

The 10 grams of protein per serving is nice, but it’s the extra-nutty flavor that will keep you restocking.

Best Meatless Meatballs

Italian Style Plant-Based Meatballs

Beyond Meat Italian Style Plant-Based Meatballs

They’re surprisingly light given that a serving houses an impressive 19 grams of protein. And they hold up simmered in sauce too.

Best Frozen Veggies

Fire Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Birds Eye Fire Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Eating Brussel sprouts? Awesome. Prepping Brussels sprouts? Not so much. This bag of pre-prepped does all the work for you so you can enjoy all the antioxidant-rich, fiber-packed benefits.

Best Plant-Based Meal

BBQ Impossible Pork Bowl

Impossible BBQ Impossible Pork Bowl

Beans and potatoes help round out the flavors and nutrition in this plant-based power bowl.

Best Fresh Poultry

Free Range Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

Perdue Harvestland Free Range Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

Thighs house way more flavor than breasts, don’t try out as easily, and this brand even does the deboning for you.

Best Tinned Tuna

Skipjack Wild Tuna, No Salt Added

Wild Planet Skipjack Wild Tuna, No Salt Added

Meaty, not mealy, powerfully flavorful tuna. One serving has 20 grams of protein.

Best Salt

Kosher Salt Flakes

Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt Flakes

Light and flaky, these crystals melt into your meals, enhancing the flavor of, well, everything.

Best Tinned Salmon

Wild Pink Salmon, No Salt Added

Wild Planet Wild Pink Salmon, No Salt Added

It’s quite possibly the easiest way to eat your heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Best Olive Oil

Single Origin Moroccan Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mina Single Origin Moroccan Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This luscious olive is as well suited for cooking as it is drizzled over a salad.

Best Butter

Cultured Stick Butter Unsalted

Vermont Creamery Cultured Stick Butter Unsalted

That 82% butterfat makes it extra rich in flavor, especially melted into scrambled eggs or atop great bread.

Best Beef Product

85% Grass-Fed Ground Beef

Laura’s Beef 85% Grass-Fed Ground Beef

Laura’s is (and has long been) committed to raising amazing-tasting beef without the use of growth hormones or antibiotics.

Best Plant-Based Wings

Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

Wholly Veggie Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

If you’re still knocking cauliflower wings, it’s time you try them. Especially these, which have just 260 calories per dozen.

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Best Tortilla Chips

Maíz Totopos, Sea Salt

Siete Maíz Totopos, Sea Salt

The hearty tortilla chips are sturdy enough for even the heaviest scoops of guac. They taste nutty and slightly sweet, even with no added sugar.

Best Light Lunch

Seafood Snacks, Chile Jalepeño (3-Pack)

Scout Seafood Snacks, Chile Jalepeño (3-Pack)

Wild yellowtail tuna, corn nuts, toasted pumpkin seeds, spices: It’s the tastiest way to eat 23 grams of protein with 30 seconds of prep.

Organic Sea Salt & Olive Oil Hummus

Hope Organic Sea Salt & Olive Oil Hummus

With chickpeas and tahini, this is the best-of-both-worlds dunking experience you need. Two tablespoons have a mere 70 calories.

Coriander and Pink Pepper Green Olives

Kosterina Coriander and Pink Pepper Green Olives

They’re big, green, robust olives packed with a spicy- fresh flavoring that blows away those

Spicy Flavored Pistachios

Nut Harvest Spicy Flavored Pistachios

Oooooowwwwwweeeee these are hot little nuts. (Thirteen grams of plant protein per serving is pretty fire too.)

Best Gluten-Fee Cracker

Cracker Crisps, Everything n' Dill (Pack of 3)

ZENB Cracker Crisps, Everything n’ Dill (Pack of 3)

It’s a flavor trend mashup of everything bagel seasoning and dill pickle. Twenty-seven crackers have only 140 calories. You don’t even really need to dunk them in anything.

Best Grain-Free Chip

Plantain Strips, Sea Salt

Artisan Tropic Plantain Strips, Sea Salt

Crispy and slightly banana-y, they make great dippers for just about anything and taste especially awesome crunched atop chili, stews, and bean-based dishes.

Smokehouse Flavored Snack Nuts

Blue Diamond Almonds Smokehouse Flavored Snack Nuts

They’re salty. They’re smoky. They have 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber in a 28-nut serving.

Classic No Stir Peanut Butter

Justin’s Classic No Stir Peanut Butter

Too many PBs lean on added sugar for flavor. Justin’s classic has none—just tons of powerfully peanut buttery taste. Grab a spoon.

NUT-rition Men's Health Recommended Mix

Planters NUT-rition Men’s Health Recommended Mix

We worked with Planters on this mix of peanuts, almonds, and pistachios. Not only is it awesomely delicious, the mix has 7 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of added sugar per serving.

Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs

Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs

Tumble few of these high-protein orbs out of the package, chop them up, stir in some Greek yogurt, season, pile on toast, and you have yourself a high-protein breakfast (or lunch! or dinner!).

Cottage Cheese, 4% Milkfat

Daisy Cottage Cheese, 4% Milkfat

TikTok loves this stuff for good reasons: A half cup has 13 grams of protein for only 110 calories and no added sugar.

Spicy Avocado Verde

WHOLLY Guacamole Spicy Avocado Verde

Creamy Haas avocados, blended with tart tomatillos, and spiked with a dual threat of serrano and jalapeño peppers—this combo dip-sauce works with nachos and enchiladas and grilled fish and so much more.

Organic Jack's Cantina Salsa (Pack of 2)

Garden Fresh Gourmet Organic Jack’s Cantina Salsa (Pack of 2)

Bright, fresh, a loaded with tomato-y sweetness, this refrigerated salsa tastes like you just made it.

Bison Bars, Sea Salt and Pepper

Epic Bison Bars, Sea Salt and Pepper

If you can’t tell the difference between a protein bar and a candy bar, then it’s probably closer to a candy bar. This meat-bar contains no added sugar, no fake sugars, and no bull. It’s made with bison and spices. That’s it.

Classic Hummus

Ithaca Classic Hummus

Most packaged hummus is nutritionally comparable. For us, great store-bought hummus comes down to texture. Ithaca’s supremely smooth and creamy stuff trumps all.

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Best Unprocessed Bite

Amazin Pitted Prunes (Pack of 2)

Sunsweet Amazin Pitted Prunes (Pack of 2)

These high-fiber flavor bombs are great straight out of the tub, but also work well chopped and stirred into oatmeal, cottage cheese, or yogurt.

Best Ice Cream

On Sale

Madagascan Vanilla Bean Gelato

Talenti Madagascan Vanilla Bean Gelato

When the craving hits, why settle for anything less than the real stuff?

Best Energy Bite

Frooze Balls Peanut Butter & Jelly — 8 Pack

Frooze Balls Peanut Butter & Jelly — 8 Pack

Weird name, awesome snack. A layer of dates encases PB&J for 126-calorie experience with no added sugar.

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Pro Series Protein Shake, Chocolate Peanut Butter (Pack of 12)

Muscle Milk Pro Series Protein Shake, Chocolate Peanut Butter (Pack of 12)

It’s a fully loaded shake for muscle recovery from intense exercise. And, yes, the flavor is as amazing as it sounds.

Unsweetened Real Brewed Tea

Pure Leaf Unsweetened Real Brewed Tea

You have to marvel when an iced tea doesn’t have any sugar and still tastes great. This stuff carries a bright, slightly tangy flavor that’ll remind you of sunny summer days.

Best Non-Alcoholic Brew

Marionberry Sour Sour (6-Pack)

Athletic Brewing Company Marionberry Sour Sour (6-Pack)

N/A beer has long shed its punchline—with craft brewers like Athletic pioneering new styles that completely re-arrange your taste buds and how you feel about near beer.

Best Instant Coffee

Craft Instant Espresso Single Serve (5-Pack)

Blue Bottle Coffeee Craft Instant Espresso Single Serve (5-Pack)

Rip. Pour. Stir. Sip. Savor. Then ponder: “Wow, this is really instant coffee?”

Best Water

Premium Purified Water pH Balanced with Electrolytes, (Pack of 12)

LIFEWTR Premium Purified Water pH Balanced with Electrolytes, (Pack of 12)

Bottled water can sometimes taste like the vessel it comes in. Not this crisp, clean H20, which has none of the plasticky undernotes of even some boutique brands.

Nojito, Sparkling Water with Real Lime Juice and Mint (24 Cans)

Spindrift Nojito, Sparkling Water with Real Lime Juice and Mint (24 Cans)

Where other sparkling water companies turn to “artificial flavors,” Spindrift uses (gasp!) real juice. In this lime-and-mint combo, the effect is wildly fresh—like sipping on a non-alcoholic cocktail off the 18th hole.


Food styling: Rebecca Jurkevich. Prop styling: Stephanie De Luca.


This story originally appears in the March/April 2024 issue of Men’s Health.

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