By Dave Zinczenko
Award shows celebrate the best of the entertainment industry, but Hollywood isn’t the only source of deserving performances. In the spirit of the Oscar season, we nominated the finest players in today’s food industry and hand-selected our winners from among the 38,000 contenders filling the shelves of your grocery store. Although all of these products are strong nominees—they may look alike, taste alike, and most are even priced alike—we reveal how to get the most nutrient-rich bang for your buck. You can catch these fat-fighting favorites stealing the show in supermarkets nationwide. For even more of the supermarket’s best, be sure to check out the all-new Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide.
Best Cereal in a Leading Role
Kashi GoLean (1 cup)
140 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
10 g fiber
6 g sugars
[13 g protein]
And the award goes to: Kashi! Why? A solid combo of fiber and protein is the ultimate breakfast goal—it keeps you feeling both full and energized throughout the morning. And while many cereals supply fiber, few pack protein, and even fewer manage to include both. Shredded Wheat does a great job of cutting sugar, and just one bowl of FiberOne’s Honey Squares comprises roughly 40 percent of your day’s worth of fiber. Kashi ultimately wins though—each cup contains as much protein as two eggs and as much fiber as 2.5 bowls of oatmeal!
Cereal Runners Up:
FiberOne 80 Calories Honey Squares (1 cup)
107 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
13 g fiber
4 g sugars
Post Shredded Wheat Spoon Size Wheat ‘n Bran (1 cup)
160 calories
1 g fat (0 g saturated)
6 g fiber
NATURAL DISASTERS: Find out which grisly ingredients can be found in the 9 Natural Cereals That Aren’t.
Best Direction from an Ice Cream
Breyer’s Blasts! Oreo Cookies and Cream Chocolate (1/2 cup)
130 calories
5 g fat (3 g saturated)
13 g sugars
And the award goes to: Breyer’s! Edy’s light, Slow-Churned ice creams keep fat down, but the sugar levels sometimes stray a little far north. One scoop of this French Silk packs as much sugar as 12 Nilla Wafer cookies. And while Turkey Hill’s ingredient list is commendably short, it’s Breyer’s that does the best job of producing a decadent scoop without unnecessary calories or added sugars.
Ice Cream Runners Up:
Edy’s Slow Churned French Silk Ice Cream (1/2 cup)
130 calories
4.5 g fat (3.5 g saturated)
16 g sugars
Turkey Hill Banana Split (1/2 cup)
150 calories
7 g fat (4 g saturated)
15 g sugars
DIET-FRIENDLY DESSERTS: Why derail an entire day of eating with a restaurant dessert? Indulge in one of the 9 Dessert Recipes for Weight Loss instead.
Best Beverage in a Supporting Role
Honest Tea Jasmine Green Energy Tea (16 fl oz)
34 calories
0 g fat (0 g saturated)
10 g sugars
And the winner is: Honest Tea! Tea is a fantastic source of antioxidants that may prevent disease and help you burn calories. Problem is, bottled varieties tend to contain more sugar than you’d naturally add yourself. Teas’ Tea Low Calorie Blueberry Green Tea is far better than most, but it still contains 18 grams of sugar, which is as much as some candy bars. Inko’s tea is even better, but still contains more sugar than a scoop of Edy’s Slow Churned Butter Pecan ice cream. The clear winner is Honest Tea’s Jasmine Green Energy Tea. Not only does it have the least amount of added sugar, but it also saves you cash—15 to 25 percent over the other two bottles here. And get this: In a Men’s Health analysis, Honest Tea was discovered to contain more antioxidants than any other bottle tested!
Beverage Runners Up:
Inko’s White Tea Original (16 fl oz)
56 calories
0 g fat (0 g saturated)
14 g sugars
Teas’ Tea Low Calorie Blueberry Green Tea (16.9 fl oz)
80 calories
0 g fat (0 g saturated)
18 g sugars
FAUX HEALTH FOODS: You think you’re doing everything right, yet you’re still packing on pounds. Why? Well, you could be a victim Diet-Food Rip-Offs.
Best Dairy Effects
Fage Total 2% Greek Yogurt, Peach (150 g)
140 calories
2.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
16 g sugars
12 g protein
And the award goes to: Fage! Greek yogurt delivers as much as three times the protein of traditional varieties, which makes it the clear victor of the dairy aisle. But even among the Greeks, there’s variance. A little yogurt fat is good because it helps the body absorb nutrients, but Dannon’s Oikos line supplies a little more than necessary. Chobani’s yogurt keeps the fat in check, but it lets in more sugar than you need. That makes Fage the clear winner. It contains just enough fat to break down fat-soluble nutrients, and just enough sugar to keep your taste buds happy. (Remember: dairy contains natural sugars, so more than a third of Fage’s sweetness comes from all-natural lactose.)
Yogurt Runners Up:
Chobani Low-fat Greek Yogurt, Mango (170 g)
160 calories
3 g fat (2 g saturated)
20 g sugars
13 g protein
Dannon Oikos Traditional Greek Yogurt, Raspberry (150 g)
160 calories
4.5 g fat (3 g saturated)
17 g sugars
11 g protein
FOOD FICTION: Not all nutrition tips are created equal, and in fact, some might be causing you to pack on pounds. Don’t believe any of these 15 Biggest Nutritional Myths.
Best Live Action Energy Bar
Kind Bar, Almond Walnut Macadamia + Protein (1 bar, 40 g)
210 calories
15 g fat (2 g saturated)
2.5 g fiber
7 g sugars
10 g protein
And the award goes to: Kind Bars! The best nutrition bars blend fiber, healthy fats, and protein, without being too calorie-dense. Larabar does a great job of keeping the ingredient list short (most bars contain fewer than 5 ingredients, and all of them are easily recognizable), but it favors sugar over protein. The Clif bar brings the protein level up, but it also delivers a heavy dose of brown rice syrup, which is essentially sugar. Kind takes the trophy by delivering 10 grams a protein and a decent hit of fiber without blasting your body with sweeteners.
Energy Bar Runners Up:
Clif Bar, Chocolate Chip (1 bar, 68 g)
240 calories
4.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
5 g fiber
23 g sugar
10 g protein
Larabar, Cherry Pie (1 bar, 48 g)
200 calories
8 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
4 g fiber
23 g sugars
5 g protein
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