Wellness drinks are another tool in your pursuit of Healthy Aging!
Read on to learn all about these trendy, health-boosting beverages.
What are Wellness Drinks?
Wellness drinks are beverages that provide an extra health benefit beyond basic nutrition. “Functional Beverages” is another term for wellness drinks.
Consumers are more aware of health and wellness than ever! This has created a demand for products with added nutritional benefits.
Potential Benefits of Wellness Drinks
- Increased energy
- Improved immunity
- Mental & brain health
- Improved gut health
- Skin health
- Stress relief
- Restful sleep
Concerns with Wellness Drinks
Wellness drinks, aka “functional beverages”, are generally considered safe. The added sugar and calories in some of these beverages may contribute to weight gain, and other chronic diseases.
In addition, many of these beverages contain added caffeine. This can be an issue for those who are sensitive to the effects of caffeine.
Other potential concerns are the ingredients that claim health benefits, such as adaptogens, probiotics, and collagen. These claims are not supported by the FDA.
Any supplements or herbs should be discussed with your physician prior to you adding them to your wellness routine.
Options for Wellness Drinks
Walk into any convenience or grocery store, and you’ll see a plethora of ready to drink beverages!
Below is your complete guide to wellness drinks.
Beverage Categories
I’ve created 9 wellness drink categories to help you best navigate this guide.
- Coffee
- Tea
- Fermented wellness drinks
- Energy drinks
- Enhanced waters
- Sports drinks
- Functional beauty beverages
- Wellness/Immunity shots
- Alcohol alternatives for the “alcohol occasion”
1. Coffee
Our beloved “cup of Joe” is one of the original functional beverages. The caffeine in coffee promotes energy and focus. In addition, coffee has several other evidence-based health benefits.
Health Benefits of Coffee
- Increased energy
- Improved brain health
- Weight management
- Lowered risk of Heart Disease
- Longevity
- Decreased risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Nitro Coffee
Nitro coffee contains approximately 30% more caffeine than its’ traditional counterpart.
This cold brew is infused with nitrogen, and is described as sweet, creamy, and refreshing!
This super-caffeinated beverage offers the same benefits as coffee (see above), plus added caffeine.
While caffeine has its’ health benefits, too much caffeine can cause side effects. These include trouble sleeping, nervousness, headaches, and increased heart rate.
Check out “How to Easily Make Nitro Cold Brew At Home” from Perfect Brew. to make your own nitro coffee.
Mushroom Coffee
Mushroom coffee, promoted as a healthier alternative to traditional coffee due to its’ lower caffeine content. An average cup of Joe has about 100 mg of caffeine, while Starbucks has closer to 200 mg (per 8 ounce serving).
Mushroom coffee contains ~50-60 mg of caffeine per 8 ounce cup. This is a result of combining a non-caffeinated mushroom powder with the coffee beans.
This mushroom powder comes from Adaptogen-containing mushrooms. Adaptogens are thought to improve your body’s response to stress.
Potential health benefits for Adaptogens, including mushroom coffee, require more research.
2. Tea
Like coffee, tea is an original functional beverage. Tea contains antioxidants which reduce inflammation in the body. Therefore, tea may aid in the prevention of some chronic diseases.
A “Functional tea” is customized for an intended wellness benefit. You’ll find an abundance of teas that offer a specific benefit such as promoting sleep, reducing stress, and improving digestion.
Check out the Age-Defying Dietitian’s previous blog post on the health benefits of collagen tea for Healthy Aging.
3. Fermented Wellness Drinks
The process of fermentation involves bacteria breaking down sugar. Fermented drinks can increase the amount of Probiotics, or good bacteria, in your gut.
Probiotics may improve digestion, increase immunity, and potentially support weight loss.
Kombucha
Kombucha is a fermented tea that has been around for thousands of years. It contains tea, sugar, bacteria, and yeast.
It has the antioxidants from tea that reduce inflammation, plus the digestive and immune benefits of probiotics.
The nonhuman literature claims numerous health benefits of kombucha.
Kombucha contains small amounts of sugar and caffeine, as well as alcohol from the fermentation.
The alcohol content can vary significantly, therefore you should always get Kombucha from a trusted brewer.
A potential risk of Kombucha is foodborne illness due to the live, active bacteria cultures. Proper storage and handling are essential!
Avoid Kombucha if you are pregnant or breast feeding, or have a weakened immune system.
Kefir Wellness Drinks
Kefir is a fermented drink prepared with cow or goat’s milk. It is made by adding Kefir grains to the milk.
These grains contain yeast and lactic acid bacteria, which multiply and ferment sugars in the milk. The result is kefir which is described as a “drinkable yogurt”.
Yogurt and kefir provide similar nutrients, however kefir is a much more potent source of probiotics.
Touted health benefits include improved digestion and increased immunity, along with improved bone health/decreased risk of osteoporosis.
You can find ready to drink kefir products both online and at your local grocer.
Check out this blog post by Two Peas and a Pod – “How to Make Kefir” to make your own!
Prebiotic Sodas
Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that essentially work as food for Probiotics.
The best sources of prebiotics are found in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
The combination of prebiotics and probiotics aid in the growth of healthy bacteria in our gut, improving the health of our gut microbiome.
In addition to prebiotics, these beverages contain carbonated water and fruit juice. They are sweetened with sugar or a sugar substitute like Stevia.
Currently there is no standard or recommendations around prebiotics and probiotics.
Soda, like Poppi or Olipop contain prebiotics, and can be a healthier alternative to traditional soda.
However, it is best to get prebiotics from whole foods like fruits and vegetables, rather than processed foods like soda.
4. Energy Drinks
Energy drinks are defined as over-the-counter commercial beverages with high caffeine content that are advertised as boosting energy including mental alertness and physical performance.
Effects from energy drinks include: increased alertness, attention, energy, as well as increased blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing.
Potential dangers of energy drinks are dehydration, anxiety, sleeplessness, and heart problems.
These dangers are of particular concern for children, teenagers, and young adults.
The caffeine content of energy drinks can vary significantly and manufacturers are not required to list the amount of caffeine on the food label.
The high sugar content is also a concern in some energy drinks.
There is some evidence to support that energy drinks may improve physical endurance.
Popular brands of energy drinks include Red Bull, Monster, and NOS.
Energy Hybrid Drinks
Energy hybrid drinks are a result of merging energy drinks with a beverage that has a different health benefit.
An example of this is True North’s Pure Energy Seltzer, an energy drink combined with sparkling water. The product claims it can boost energy and provide immune support.
We are sure to see more of these hybrids as consumers search for beverages with multiple health benefits!
5. Enhanced Waters
Enhanced waters contain added functional ingredients. The most common additions are vitamins and minerals.
Additional ingredients may include natural or artificial flavors, along with sugar or artificial sweetener.
More premium enhanced waters may contain protein or other functional ingredients like caffeine.
Popular brands of enhanced waters include Vitamin Water and Hint.
Make your own Vitamin Water with these 6 Delicious Vitamin-Infused Waters from Hello Glow.
6. Sport Drinks
Sports drinks replace water, electrolytes, and energy that is lost with exercise.
Common electrolytes in sports drinks include sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphate, and magnesium.
These drinks also contain carbohydrates in the form of sugar. There are also brands that substitute some or all of the sugar with artificial sweeteners.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that individuals engaging in vigorous exercise for one hour or longer consider drinking a carbohydrate-based sports beverage, especially if they are sweating heavily.
Some common sports drink brands include Gatorade, Powerade, and Bodyarmor.
You can make your own budget-friendly sport drink. Check out Sports Dietitian Nancy Clark’s recipe for a homemade sports drink.
Recovery Drinks
Recovery drinks replenish electrolytes, and help your muscles repair after exercise.
A balanced meal or snack after a workout will also support recovery from exercise.
Chocolate milk is the original sports recovery drink! It contains the optimal ratio of carbohydrates and protein to support exercise recovery.
Fairlife’s Ultra-filtered chocolate milk and Muscle Milk Collegiate are great ready to drink options for your post-exercise beverage.
7. Functional Beauty Beverages
Functional beauty beverages, also known as “ingestible beauty“, contain beneficial ingredients for skin, hair and nails.
These products typically contain Biotin, Collagen, Fish Oil, and Vitamins A, C, & E.
Skin Te is a sparkling water that contains Collagen, herbs and Antioxidants.
Another option is Hum’s Collagen Pop tablet with Collagen & Vitamin C. Collagen Pop comes in a tablet that you dissolve in 8 ounces of water.
Make your own beauty beverage with the Age-Defying Dietitian’s recipe for this anti-aging drink with peanut butter and bananas.
8. Wellness/Immunity Shots
Wellness, or immunity shots, are a concentrated source of nutrients in a small portion size.
They typically contain juice, herbs and spices, and claim to boost immunity.
There currently isn’t enough evidence to say that these shots boost immunity. However, the nutrients in wellness shots do have numerous health benefits.
Wellness/Immunity shots are considered safe, however some contain herbs that can interact with medications.
Always talk to your physician before adding any supplement to your wellness routine.
You can find wellness/immunity shots at your local grocer. They come in 1-3 ounce bottles. Amazon offers a number of ready to drink wellness shots.
Another option is to make your own immunity shots. Check out the Age-Defying Dietitian’s blog post “5 Wellness Shot Recipes that Taste Good’.
9. Alcohol Alternatives for the Alcohol Occasion
With Dry January upon us, and the Sober Curious Movement in full swing, you may be searching for an alcohol substitute with added health benefits.
An alcohol free lifestyle is no longer just about alcoholism. The market value of No and Low-Alcohol drinks is up to almost $10 billion in 2021 from $7.8 billion in 2018.
Alcohol alternatives may contain CBD, Adaptogens, Kava, and even THC in States where Cannabis is legal.
To learn more about alcohol alternatives, check out the Age-Defying Dietitian’s previous blog post “Alcohol Alternatives: A Buzz Without The Alcohol Or The Hangover”.
An example of an alcohol alternative is Recess Sparkling Water. This sparkling water contains calming hemp & balancing Adaptogens.
Adaptogens are herbs, botanicals, and mushrooms that may help your body adapt to stress.
Takeaways for Wellness Drinks
There are numerous wellness drinks on the market. Touted benefits include gut health, immune support, brain health, stress relief, and improved energy and sleep.
Wellness drinks, aka “functional beverages“, are generally considered safe. The added sugar and calories in some of these beverages may contribute to weight gain and other chronic diseases.
Additional factors to consider are added herbs and Adaptogens. Some may interact with medications.
Always consult your physician before adding any supplements to your wellness routine.
There is some scientific evidence to support the benefits from wellness drinks. However, the products’ claims are not supported by the FDA.
Wellness drinks are another potential tool to support longevity and healthy aging!
Kathryn is a Registered Dietitian and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. She is also Certified through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in Weight Management.