Oversugared and artificially flavored drinks will be over for good soon. Now people tend to choose drinks with beneficial effects. The increase in health consciousness is a major booster to the functional beverage market. If you haven't heard about functional drinks yet, keep on reading and discover more about functional drinks and what brands are worth trying.
What are the Functional Drinks?
Functional drinks are low and non-alcoholic beverages containing non-traditional ingredients that are beneficial for our mind and body. These elements are vitamins and minerals, amino acids, probiotics, raw fruits, etc. Such drinks provide your body with elements beyond their nutritional value, they positively affect human health and well-being.
Why do people choose functional drinks more often? Well, the new reality turned our normal life upside down. Now we work from home, can't travel the world, and should keep the distance when meeting with friends in favorite bars. Stress has occupied a great part of our lives and if we don't care for our mind and body properly — we will feel tired, depressed and burn out.
Functional drinks are one of the ways to pamper yourself and enrich the body with good stuff. That's why now we tend to choose drinks with benefits rather than sugary and artificially colored beverages that don't have any positive impact on our body.
What Makes a Drink Functional?
The key to each functional drink is a selection of ingredients that are good for our physical and mental health. These include probiotics, CBD, milk thistle, turmeric and other spices, collagen, fruit, herbs, adaptogenic mushrooms, the list goes on. Once these elements were used in cooking or medicine, and now they are becoming the essential ingredients in our drinks. It's genius!
There are beverages to help you wake up or relax, boost your immune system, deal with daily stresses, improve digestion or help your body recover from exercise. In the end, functional drinks are all about receiving positive effects from the products we consume without any negative outcomes.
Our Top Picks of Functional Drinks
There are many brands producing functional drinks and creating something more than just eye-catching packaging and delicious taste. These are our favorite picks of drinks providing health benefits and functionality.
Fungtn — Non-Alcoholic Beer Brewed With Functional Mushrooms
A premium craft beer range, brewed to 0.5% that complements daily routine, using healing adaptogens for a beer with added benefits.
The mushrooms used in Fungtn beer are a superfood style of fungi. No, they won't get you high and no, your beer won't taste like mushrooms but their adaptogenic properties will help keep your mind and body in good form.
Functional mushrooms are a natural solution to the daily stresses of our hectic lifestyles. They are non-intrusive and act to support the body in performing at its best.
Nonsuch Shrubs — All-Natural Alcohol-Free Drinks
Made from nothing but cider vinegar, fruit, and botanicals, shrubs are delicious sugar-free drinks. In the 15th century, shrubs were often used in medicine. People believed that fruit-infused vinegar can cure heart diseases and scurvy, lack of vitamin C as they contained many vitamins and antioxidants.
Nonsuch Shrubs re-imagined the shrub for a 21st-century audience, addressing such preoccupations as alcohol consumption, ingredients and authenticity. The result is an amazing choice of versatile shrubs that are non-alcoholic and contain zero sugars, artificial colors and flavors.
Whisp Drinks — Refreshing Hard Seltzers With Milk Thistle
Whisp is a refreshing, low-calorie, lightly alcoholic sparkling water — the perfect accomplice to a balanced lifestyle. Whisp was the answer to enjoying a few drinks the night before and still being fresh-eyed and bushy-tailed the next morning, — says Harriet Cunning, the founder of Whisp Drinks. She is convinced that in today’s world, people are more and more interested in what goes into their body and creating a drink with minimal ingredients that is delicious and healthier than a lot of other alcoholic drinks is just the right thing to do.
Whisp doesn’t use sweeteners or preservatives, they even add milk thistle into their drinks. This is our secret detox hero to help tackle inflammation and liver function, — says Harriet.
Served Drinks — Pure Hard Seltzers With Raw Fruit
Served hard seltzers contain nothing but their own ServedPure™ spirit, sparkling spring water, and wonky fruit. The producers are convinced that the better the quality of the raw ingredients, the better the final recipe will taste.
They use Tahiti limes grown in the Catanduva region of Brazil. These limes have a high content of vitamin C and antioxidants and minerals that have a positive impact on our body. The other beneficial ingredients are fresh wonky raspberries from Scotland. They are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber. Amazing choice for those who are looking for something light, refreshing, and natural.