Functional Beverage Trends: Better-For-You Beverages

Sales in the functional beverage market have been steadily increasing in recent years, largely because consumers are searching for beverages that can not only quench their thirst but also include functional ingredients to support better health. Better-for-you beverages are the latest craze in the wellness world, with new trends sparking daily.

What Is Considered a Functional Beverage? 

Functional beverages, also known as better-for-you beverages, are refreshing non-alcoholic drinks that include beneficial nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and probiotics, to support better health. Often, functional beverages are consumed as supplements to fulfill dietary needs that one may not receive from whole foods, and they target different areas of health, such as immune support and cognitive, gut, and heart health. Examples of functional beverages include the following:

• Coffee
• Teas
• Smoothies
• Fruit and vegetable juices
• Flavored water
• Functional mushroom drinks
• Tonics
• Wellness shots 

Functional Beverage Market: What You Need to Know 

Today’s consumers are focused on two things when searching for a functional beverage: taste, convenience and nutrients. The desire for an all-in-one drink is steadily increasing. Consumers want more in a beverage than just the recommended serving of fruits and vegetables, and they’re willing to pay more if a drink offers significant functional ingredients that can contribute to better health. Ingredients such as nootropics, amino acids, and antioxidants are reinventing the functional beverage market. Additionally, consumers typically strive for only organic and non-GMO products. 

Businesses are catching on to these consumer demands and are seeking new and innovative ways to develop functional beverage products. This interest sparks new research, providing the functional beverage market with new growth opportunities. The functional beverages global market is already experiencing significant progress, with projections expected to reach $173.23 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 7%.

Functional Beverage Trends 

While better health has always been desirable, functional beverage trends emerged around the height of the pandemic, as many people had time to reevaluate their wellness routine and prioritize their health. Better-for-you beverages are now exploding as the general population strives for low-sugar, low-calorie drink options with few or no preservatives. 

A healthy lifestyle produces positive long-term effects, and functional beverages are a simple way to contribute to better health conveniently. 

The latest functional beverage trends include: 

• Increased energy without caffeine: Many consumers search for ways to increase energy and focus without consuming large amounts of caffeine. Functional beverages such as teas, natural energy drinks, and functional mushroom beverages may offer sustainable energy without the crash and anxiousness often brought on by consuming too much caffeine.^‡ 
  
  
• Improved cognitive health and focus: Daily life comes with distractions that may cause you to lose focus. Functional beverages designed to improve focus often contain nootropics–ingredients that help enhance cognitive function. 
  
  
• Adaptogenic beverages: These healthy drinks are gaining popularity, especially as a new year begins and wellness resolutions are prioritized. Consumers are seeking beverages that provide a relaxed, calming feeling without alcohol content. Om Mushroom’s functional beverages and Master Blend Plant-Based Protein® powders are filled with adaptogens, vitamins, and antioxidants, which are favorable alternatives to support stress and achieve mindfulness.
  
  
• Immune support: Additional immune support is a strong desire for many. While taking vitamins and supplements can help you achieve better immune health, it’s more appealing to consume beverages with all the nutrients required for a better immune system. Smoothies rich with leafy green vegetables and naturally blended juices offer large servings of antioxidants–compounds that neutralize free radicals–enhancing immune health. Further, mushrooms contain beta-glucans, which are polysaccharides that modulate the immune system, making functional mushroom beverages a top choice for immune support.^‡ 

Functional Mushroom Beverages: The Ultimate Better-For-You Drinks

Functional mushrooms contain beta-d-glucans, prebiotics, antioxidants, and many bioactive compounds that contribute to better health.^‡ Today, you can find many mushroom supplements in a powdered, tinctured, or capsuled form for easier consumption. Many functional mushrooms are dehydrated and milled into powders. This process enables consumers to mix the recommended serving into recipes, drinks, and smoothies. Additionally, there are made-to-mix beverages that already contain the essential nutrients you desire in a convenient packet, requiring only water to mix. 

Om Mushroom Superfood® creates such products and much more to support immune health, cognitive health, and energy support.^‡ Whether you desire a morning coffee without the crash or a drink to help your body cope with stress better, we offer an array of functional mushroom beverages that are sure to remain on trend with your wellness desires. 

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^‡These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Functional mushroom products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Functional mushroom products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.