The Health Must-Eat List

Food shopping is a daunting task these days, especially if you're trying to eat right. With supposed health benefits screaming from labels and the actual ingredients in mighty fine print, you practically need a PhD in nutrition to bring home the right mix.

To the rescue: the Health Must-Eat List. It's "designed to help you shop healthy in every aisle of the grocery store," says Caroline Kaufman, RDN, a family nutrition expert in San Francisco. Our guide will lead you to the best choices while helping you cut through the hype and make smart decisions about which foods are worthy of your grocery dollars. "The Health Must-Eat criteria aren't influenced by marketing claims on the label," Kaufman says. "They're based on how healthy the food is on the inside—what it's made of."

Of course, fresh fruits and vegetables are automatic must-eats. But let's get real—most of us rely on packaged products, too, from crackers to cups of yogurt to frozen dinners. That's where the Health Must-Eat List comes in. Together with a panel of leading nutrition and food science experts, the editors of Health came up with a detailed but simple formula to identify healthful fare that you can truly feel good about eating.

In order to qualify, a food must not only be free of all the bad stuff you don't want or need—trans fats, tons of added sugar, potentially harmful preservatives and the like—but also contain nutrients that enhance your physical well-being. For example, it might have calcium, which boosts bone health, or live active cultures, which promote digestive health. "Think of Must-Eat foods as junk-food antidotes—they help restore the dietary equilibrium," says expert panelist Adam Drewnowski, PhD, director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington.

To determine the criteria, our panel carefully reviewed years of health and nutrition research, looking at what the most scientifically sound studies have shown us over time. Once the formula was set, we dispatched a team of a dozen nutritionists and Health editors to scour supermarket shelves. We also put out an open call to food manufacturers to submit their newest and healthiest products for consideration.

The results: Of the more than 3,500 products that we reviewed, nearly 1,000 foods and beverages from 225 different brands made it onto our list. "It is encouraging that there are now many more healthy products available than there were a few years ago," says expert panelist Walter Willett, MD, Fredrick John Stare professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

On these pages, you'll find our best bets in four categories—frozen treats, nut butters, packaged fruit and snacks, cookies and crackers. (We'll cover more types of food in future issues of Health.) Whether you need a nutritious dinner staple or are looking for a power treat to tide you over until your next meal, each of these picks plays a key role in a balanced diet. Shop easier, eat better: It really is as simple as that.

Frozen treats
Watch out for added sugar here; we eliminated any product that listed it as the first or second ingredient. Also avoid foods that contain artificial sweeteners, which are used to sweeten products without adding calories—but can contribute to weight gain by training us to prefer their flavors over the natural sweetness of whole foods.

Nut butters
Nut butters are a delicious way to get protein and healthy fats. But sugar is a potential pitfall—many nut butters that didn't make our list had sugar as the second ingredient, after nuts. Also avoid partially hydrogenated oils (a source of unhealthy trans fats), which some manufacturers use to prevent separation.

Packaged fruit
It's best to eat fruit in as close to its natural form as possible. That means saying no to fruit packaged in gels or syrups that contain lots of sugar or artificial sweeteners. Canned, jarred or cups of fruit in 100 percent fruit juice, or dried or freeze-dried fruit with no added sugar, were the only kinds that made our list.

Snacks, cookies, and crackers
Look for snacks made primarily from whole grains (popcorn counts!) and choose one that, when combined with your other choices throughout the day, keeps you under your daily sodium limit. Steer clear of snacks that are made only from refined grains, contain partially hydrogenated oils or shortening (sources of trans fat) or are loaded with sugar—again, an easy trick is to skip any product that lists sugar as the first or second ingredient.

Cheese
Cheese gets a bad rap, but it can be nutritious (in addition to delicious). For one, it's a good source of calcium, which helps build bone and plays a role in muscle function, nerve transmission and regulating blood pressure. It also fuels your body with protein, vitamin D, phosphorus, and zinc.

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