The 2025 Men’s Health Food Awards
Ted Cavanaugh. Food Styling: Michelle Gatton. Props: JJ Chan. AS POLITICIANS CLASH with Big Food over additives in packaged products, we rounded up the best new supermarket stars from the past year that are already minimally processed, totally good for you, and incredibly delicious. What makes a food the best, anyway? We looked for products
AS POLITICIANS CLASH with Big Food over additives in packaged products, we rounded up the best new supermarket stars from the past year that are already minimally processed, totally good for you, and incredibly delicious.
What makes a food the best, anyway? We looked for products that are high in muscle-building protein, stomach-filling fiber, and heart-healthy fats, yet also low in added sugars. This year, we also zeroed in on short ingredient lists with few to no unpronounceable words. And we made sure to taste-test everything. (Tough job, right?)
JUMP TO:
The tofu wizards at this company finally nailed the creaminess of the real stuff. Black salt, turmeric, and smoked paprika elevate the flavor. Twelve grams of protein. Four grams of fiber. Just heat and eat.
Creamy peanut butter, dates, oats, honey, real chocolate chips, and a hint of vanilla combine in a bar with 15 grams of protein that you’ll genuinely look forward to eating.
These breakfast patties are made not from sausage but from jackfruit, which has a meaty texture. Each one has five grams of protein and three grams of fiber.
If there’s a more flavorful granola out there, we’ve yet to find it. Jam-packed with nutrient-dense ingredients and nothing artificial, it’s the ideal way to start the day. (And all the better with a hefty spoonful of Greek yogurt.)
This lean, wild-caught fish is lightly smoked, so it’s ready to roll up with avocado, cucumber, and/or steamed asparagus for a snack. Three ounces has 13 grams of protein.
These “chicken” patties are actually made of mycelium, a mushroom-like (and sustainable) protein. One cutlet has a—what now?—17 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber, plus a host of vitamins and minerals.
No antibiotics. No growth hormones. No fillers. Just really tasty, well-raised pork.
This pack features three varieties of super fresh-tasting ’maters: pomodorini (great for homemade sauce), red datterini (on pizza), and yellow datterini (in salads).
Branche’s extra-virgin olive oil comes from Spain and will dance the bolero all over your tongue. It’s bright and grassy—perfect for salads or finishing a steak.
It’s the most delicious way to eat 16 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber inside a can.
This lesser-known beef cut from Porter Road is antibiotic- and hormone-free, pasture raised, and ultra-tender. Cook it fast, seared in a hot skillet, to medium rare for maximum flavor.
Zucchini, peas, carrots, onions, celery, kidney beans, chickpeas, potatoes, green beans, and ditalini pasta all join forces in this satisfying soup.
The work of a James Beard Award–winning baker, this flour is soft and fluffy, making it awesome for homemade loaves and tortillas alike.
We like sockeye for its strong (but not fishy) salmon taste. These single-serving packs work equally well in poke bowls, curries, and bakes. One fillet has 25 grams of protein.
This salty-citrusy sauce works well as a dip for dumplings, sure, but it’s also awesome with anything you pull off the grill.
A quarter cup of this nutty-tasting grain cooks up fluffy and contains six grams of protein.
This spin on pad thai houses the noodles and sauce. Top it with your protein of choice and all the vegetables and you have an easy high-protein dinner.
This block of fermented soybeans offers a whopping 18 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber per serving. Throw some on nachos; tuck some into tacos.
Good dough, high-quality olive oil, fresh ingredients—these shipped-from-Italy pies taste incredibly close to those coming straight out of a brick oven.
Yes, it’s made from black beans. (See the color?) But no, it doesn’t taste like it. It cooks up al dente and hearty and has—get this—25 grams of protein per two-ounce serving.
Leaner than beef, bison has a deeply meaty flavor that works really well in chili and meatballs. A three-ounce serving of this stuff has 19 grams of protein.
Creamy, with just the right amount of tang, Ayoh is built from apple cider vinegar, cage-free eggs, and sunflower oil.
Just 12 of these hearty, nutty-tasting rectangles of crunch contain six grams of protein and three grams of fiber. Dunk them into hummus, pimento cheese, or a big bowl of chili.
Sweet-sour dried pineapple meets the double burn of cayenne and habanero to deliver an actually exciting way to work toward your five-servings-a-day produce goal. A bag has three grams of fiber and no added sugar.
See the marbling in this jerky? That’s because it’s made from brisket (not top or bottom round), so it’s extra flavorful and still high in protein. Two ounces has 16 grams.
These have that cereal-flavor vibe, but with only two grams of added sugar. Two ounces has six grams of protein and a bowlful of good fats.
Thin sheets of imported Spanish cured, acorn-fed pork, ready-made for charcuterie boards or snacking right out of the package.
Straight-up tinned sardines are an acquired taste, we know. But bathed in a tart, citrusy sauce, they go down easy. One tin houses 21 grams of protein, too.
Seven grams of protein a pop. No sugar. No antibiotics or hormones either. Just all good.
You’ll find these tubs in the refrigerated section, which preserves their garden-fresh flavors.
These Turkish sun-dried fruits have no added sugar and three grams of fiber per serving. Taste like summer.
These extra-thick triangles are made from corn on regenerative farms. They’re flavorful in their own right but also stand up to the chunkiest of guacs. They’re great as a crouton swap in salads, too.
It’s not flashy, but that’s kind of the whole point: chickpeas, sesame seeds, red peppers, oil, lemon juice, spices, salt. Simple, when it comes to hummus, is really, really good.
A serving of these shelled soybeans provides 11 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. They’re good in salads, slaws, and rice bowls.
Salty pretzel rods dunked in chocolate and caramel that satisfy like no keto-friendly ice cream substitute ever could.
Finally, an N/A sour beer that tastes like a real sour beer. Ninety calories. Sixteen carbs.
Café-quality coffee, in an actually recyclable container, with so many incredible flavors, you’ll never not look forward to a cup.
This bag supplies the living bacteria and yeast culture; you build your own fermented kombucha production line. Or just enjoy fresh glasses of the stuff daily.
These no-sugar, stir-and-drink packets help you recover from tough workouts, delivering the electrolytes—sodium, potassium, magnesium—you need in great-tasting flavors. (Mango chili, anyone?)
The latest from the Lionel Messi camp, this sports drink is genuinely delicious and jettisons a lot of the added colorings and sugars that tend to come with this genre.
This beet-based powder is stirred into water to help with muscle recovery. Fear not: The berry flavor balances everything out.
This bittersweet, no-alcohol “liqueur” tastes just like the real deal. Try it with soda water.
More of a seltzer than a soda, this no-caffeine bubbly has 30 calories a can, which come from real sugar.
Editor: Paul Kita
Writing: Mark Stock
Design: Taryn Colbert
Food Styling: Michelle Gatton/Hello Artists
Prop Styling: JJ Chan/BA-Reps
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