​​Our Favorite Things We Tried in 2023

Our team is fortunate enough to try dozens of products each year—we’re so grateful!—which made this list extremely hard to narrow down.

As we only share the best of the best as it is, you can trust that these 12 items are our absolute favorites of the year.

We’ve got something for everyone on this list, including food, beverages, supplements, and skincare—we hope you love them as much as we did!

1. Four Sigmatic Think Coffee

Topping our list of the favorite things we tried in 2023 is Four Sigmatic Think Coffee.

Loaded with lion’s mane and chaga mushroom, this fair-trade and organic ground coffee enhances mental focus, energy, and mood without the jitters and can be made in a drip coffee maker, pour-over, or French press.

Four Sigmatic is the place to go if you want high-quality and bioavailable functional mushrooms—you also can’t go wrong with their chaga and lion’s mane elixirs and their reishi hot cacao.

2. ALOHA Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bar

Peanut butter and chocolate are a classic, tried-and-true, can-do-no-wrong combination. 

And when you mix in plant-based protein and fiber and keep the sugar content low, it’s kind of a dream come true—and that’s precisely what ALOHA’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bar is.

We love all of ALOHA’s products (truly!), but this peanut butter and chocolate chip bar is a repeat buy. 
If you’re somehow not a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, they have dozens of flavors to choose from, including two runner-ups, Lemon Cashew and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

3. Nordic Naturals Zero Sugar Melatonin Gummies

Everyone loves to take gummies rather than swallow horse-sized pills—but we don’t all love the sugar that can come with them.

Nordic Naturals Zero Sugar Melatonin Gummies are a top pick this year, not only because they have no sugar but also because Nordic Naturals is one of our top-rated brands for quality and purity. 

We also like the small melatonin dose found in these gummies (just 1.5mg per serving), as taking high amounts of melatonin every night isn’t always recommended. 

Plus, there are zero artificially derived colors, artificial flavors, or harmful preservatives, which is definitely not always the case with most gummies on the market.

4. Noocube Sleep Upgrade

While melatonin can be great in some circumstances, many people search for a high-quality sleep supplement that is melatonin-free—and Noocube Sleep Upgrade is the answer.

For people who want a good night’s sleep without relying on melatonin, this formula starring magnesium, lavender, and lemon balm is thought to support relaxation, restful deep sleep, and falling asleep faster. 

From personal experience, we can say that Noocube Sleep Upgrade helped us fall asleep significantly faster—and stay asleep.

Not only that, but our smart sleep trackers detected more REM sleep on Noocube nights—what more could you ask for?

5. The Organic Skin Co. Good Oil

Although you may think we only talk about healthy food and supplements on The Nutrition Insider, health is more than just food and drink—it’s also about what we put on our skin. 

One of our top skin care recommendations is The Organic Skin Co., and their Good Oil is a continual favorite.

Not only does it smell amazing (it’s that honeysuckle), but it also deeply nourishes the skin and does not leave an icky oily residue. 

Other ingredients include organic calendula, turmeric, apricot seed oil, jojoba, rosemary, and almond seed oil—most of which use “supercritical CO2 extraction,” a cleaner and alcohol-free process that increases the ingredient’s effectiveness.

6. Three Spirit Spark

As far as innovation goes, Three Spirit might be leading the pack—this UK-based brand has been crafting up adaptogen-loaded, flavor-filled, non-alcoholic beverages that are unlike anything the NA space has seen yet. 

We particularly loved Spark, their pink and bubbly non-alcoholic wine with a little caffeine boost—for a weekend brunch, a glass of Spark would eliminate the need for champagne and coffee in one go. 

The taste of Spark is on the fruity side—but not sweet—and has a slight bite from the cayenne pepper that lends to the complexity of the wine. 

We also loved that the cold brew botanical blend of teas contributed light acidity and tannins reminiscent of real wine.

7. Nature’s Sunshine Power Greens

Greens powders can vary widely in terms of taste—some taste like lawn clippings, while others can be highly bitter and earthy.

That is not the case with Nature’s Sunshine Power Greens, which almost tastes like a Creamsicle with its orange, lime, and vanilla flavors.

Plus, it’s got two full servings of vegetables, over 200 plant-based nutrients, prebiotic fiber, enzymes, adaptogens, nootropics, and immune-boosting herbs and vitamins for comprehensive, whole-body health.

8. Ora Organics Protein

Ora Organic So Lean & So Clean Superfood Plant Protein is great-tasting and loaded with nutritional benefits—no grittiness, weird aftertaste, or excessive sweeteners here. 

The 21 grams of plant-based protein in this protein powder comes primarily from organic pea and rice protein, but the organic quinoa, Sacha inchi, and amaranth also provide essential amino acids. 

Plus, you’ll find a beneficial blend of five digestive enzymes to reduce bloating and plenty of superfoods, including organic acai, blueberry, cranberry, blackberry, broccoli, turmeric, acerola cherry, pomegranate, and more.

9. Ancient Nutrition Multi-Collagen Protein

Collagen powders are now a dime a dozen, making it hard to know which ones are worth it—and we’ve got the answer for you: it’s Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Protein.

Where most other collagen powder supplements will provide a handful of forms of collagen at the most, Ancient Nutrition has fortified this supplement with a whopping ten types—and 20 total grams—of collagen per every two scoops.

To provide this much collagen, Ancient Nutrition created an innovative multi-collagen complex derived from bovine hide, fermented eggshell membranes, chicken bone broth, and fish—and, no, it does not taste like any of these things!

They also include vitamin C, a critical cofactor in the enzymatic breakdown of collagen in the body, and probiotics to aid digestion.

10. Dr. Kellyann Classic Chicken Bone Broth

Another one of our top-rated brands at The Nutrition Insider is Dr. Kellyann, a leading producer of bone broth and bone broth powders. 

One of our favorites this year was Dr. Kellyann’s Classic Chicken Bone Broth, which tastes delicious on its own after being warmed up on the stove and also makes for an excellent soup base. 

Unlike regular broth, bone broth is loaded with glycine and collagen protein, and this one from Dr. Kellyann has a whopping 15 grams of protein per serving to support gut, skin, and immune health.

11. Athletic Brewing All Out Non-Alcoholic Stout

We couldn’t have a list of our favorite products without mentioning Athletic Brewing.

Although we first reviewed them in 2022, they continually come out with new non-alcoholic beers that can’t be beaten, making it a no-brainer to include them on our 2023 faves list. 

In addition to some of their flagship brews that we love (like Run Wild IPA and Upside Dawn Golden Ale), a new fall and winter favorite is All Out, a non-alcoholic stout perfect for the chillier seasons. 

With notes of roasted nuts, dark coffee, and semi-sweet chocolate, this extra-dark NA beer is velvety, complex, and absolutely delicious.

12. Natural Stacks MagTech

Last but not least, our favorite magnesium supplement we tried this year was Natural Stacks MagTech. 

With three bioavailable and clinically studied forms of magnesium (glycinate, taurate, and L-threonate), Natural Stacks MagTech is an excellent supplement for relaxation, sleep, and brain health.

Specifically, magnesium L-threonate is the only magnesium shown to raise the brain’s magnesium levels by crossing the blood-brain barrier, making it a more effective form for cognitive function. 

That’s a wrap on 2023—can’t wait to see what healthy and innovative products we get to try next year!