The FITNESS 2009 Healthy Food Awards

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The FITNESS 2009 Healthy Food Awards

We can't do your supermarket shopping for you, but we can make it a whole lot easier. We combed through more than 46,000 products on store shelves to find the 50 most delicious, healthiest packaged foods out there. Fill your cart and enjoy!

By Sara Wells; additional reporting by Kiera Aaron, Sarah D'Angelo, and Jackie Stewart

The Healthiest Foods in Your Grocery Store

Use this guide to find the tastiest, healthiest packaged foods in your grocery store. Get the handy printable shopping list on the next page!

The Best Breakfast Buys >>
The Best Lunch Buys >>
The Best Dinner Buys >>
The Best Snacks >>
The Best Desserts >>
The Best Beverages >>

How We Choose 'Em...

Four of the best nutritionists in the country -- all FITNESS advisory board members -- created healthy criteria for each category (such as the number of calories and grams of fat each food should contain; that deli meats be low in sodium, breads and cereals high in fiber, and so on). The top three to five brands of each food that met these stringent standards were taste-tested by dozens of staffers throughout our company. (Only nationally available products qualified.)

Get recipes that combine ingredients from our list of product winners here! >>

Our nutrition experts: Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association in Chicago; Leslie Bonci, RD, director of sports nutrition at the Center for Sports Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Kathy McManus, RD, director of nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston; Lisa Young, PhD, RD, adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University and author of The Portion Teller Plan

The Shopping List

Your aisle-by-aisle guide to healthy grocery shopping.

The Cereal Aisle

BEST CEREAL: Nature's Path Optimum Blueberry Cinnamon
BEST BREAKFAST BAR: Kashi TLC Pumpkin Spice Flax
BEST OATMEAL: Holly's Wickedly Plain
BEST GRANOLA BAR: Kashi TLC Trail Mix

The Bread Aisle

BEST BAGEL: Thomas' Hearty Grains 100% Whole Wheat
BEST ENGLISH MUFFIN: Food for Life 7-Sprouted Grains
BEST MUFFIN: Fiber One Apple Cinnamon Bun
BEST SLICED BREAD: Nature's Pride 100% Whole Wheat
BEST WRAP: MexAmerica 100% Whole Wheat Tortillas

The Dairy Case

BEST YOGURT: Fage Total 0%
BEST CHEDDAR CHEESE: Cracker Barrel Reduced-Fat Extra Sharp
BEST SWISS CHEESE: Sargento Reduced Fat
BEST HUMMUS: Sabra Classic
BEST PUDDING: Jell-O 100-Calorie Packs Chocolate
BEST SMOOTHIE: Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino

The Deli

BEST SLICED HAM: Boar's Head Branded Deluxe Lower Sodium
BEST SLICED TURKEY: Applegate Farms Organic Roasted Turkey Breast

The Juice Aisle

BEST SPORTS DRINK: Luna Sport Electrolyte Splash Lime-ade
BEST ICED TEA: Ito En Lemongrass Green
BEST ORANGE JUICE: Florida's Natural Calcium & Vitamin D
BEST JUICE: Naked Bare Breeze Peach Mangosteen Bliss

The Freezer Aisle

BEST WAFFLE: Van's All Natural Multigrain
BEST VEGGIE BURGER: MorningStar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger
BEST FROZEN DINNER: Healthy Choice Roasted Sesame Chicken
BEST FROZEN PIZZA: Amy's Margherita
BEST FROZEN VEGGIE DINNER: Amy's Vegetable Lasagna
BEST FROZEN MEAL IN A BAG: Bertolli Mediterranean Style Shrimp & Penne Primavera
BEST CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM: Edy's Loaded Chocolate Fudge Brownie
BEST FROZEN YOGURT: Edy's Slow Churned Yogurt Blends Vanilla
BEST ICE CREAM SANDWICH: Klondike Slim-a-Bear 100 Calorie Vanilla
BEST SORBET BAR: Blue Bunny FrozFruit No Sugar Added Chunky Strawberry

The Canned/Boxed Goods Aisle

BEST PEANUT BUTTER: Smucker's Reduced Fat Natural Style Creamy
BEST JELLY: Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves
BEST PASTA: Barilla Whole Grain Penne
BEST PASTA SAUCE: Rao's Homemade Marinara
BEST VEGETABLE SOUP: Campbell's Select Harvest Light Southwestern Style
BEST CHICKEN SOUP: Kettle Cuisine Chicken Soup with Rice Noodles
BEST PREPACKAGED LUNCH: Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers Southwestern Style Chicken
BEST FRUIT CUP: Del Monte SuperFruit Mixed Fruit Chunks
BEST HOT CHOCOLATE: Twinings Chocolate Indulgence

The Snack Food Aisle

BEST BAKED POTATO CHIP: Kettle Brand Baked Lightly Salted
BEST PRETZEL: Newman's Own Organics Hi-Protein
BEST DRIED FRUIT: Sun-Maid Mixed Fruit
BEST PITA CHIP: Athenos Baked Whole Wheat
BEST TORTILLA CHIP: Food Should Taste Good Multigrain
BEST SALSA: Wholly Salsa Medium
BEST COOKIE: Back to Nature Chocolate Chunk
BEST 100-CALORIE PACK: Mister Salty Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzels
BEST MILK CHOCOLATE: Ghirardelli Luxe Milk
BEST DARK CHOCOLATE: Cadbury Royal Dark

Get recipes that combine ingredients from our list of product winners here! >>