Sipping Smarter: The Functional Food and Drink Revolution
Smoothies and snacks have evolved far beyond basic nutrition, with brands now promising everything from glowing skin to hormonal balance. Beauty expert Madeleine Spencer explores whether we can eat and drink our way to better health
My stomach had been troubling me for days after I unknowingly ate celeriac (to which I’m intolerant) on Sunday. The persistent grumbling made work feel like a slog and sleep nearly impossible – like a washing machine churning deep inside me. By Wednesday, I was fed up and keen to speed my recovery.
The stomach is a troublesome organ to calm when bothered. My usual recourse has always been Diet Coke, which generally does the trick. But attempting to be wiser with age, I headed to the health food store expecting to find a ‘healthier’ version – something with fewer E numbers and fewer artificial ingredients.
What I found wasn’t a selection of fizzy drinks minus offensive ingredients. Instead, everything seemed to have additions, not subtractions. The aisle was stacked with drinks offering zen via adaptogens, faster recovery via magnesium and maximum vitamin absorption via liposomal spheres. I emerged with something containing probiotics and another designed to boost hydration with electrolytes.
At the till, I noticed souped-up snacks flanking the register. Like the drinks, I was astonished by their ambitious claims. Is it really possible to eat and drink your way not just to sustenance, but to a better self – sip by sip, chew by chew?
The billion-dollar wellness boom
The stats suggest that many believe it is. Protein shakes, collagen drinks, matcha coffees, CBD-laced smoothies and potions of many other varieties are now as fundamental to a day as meat and two veg used to be. What’s more, with Gen Z spending over £150 a month on wellness products, this is a trend that demands investment by adherents.
And speaking of investment: money is pouring into start-ups to fund this growth. Functional drinks brands like Trip, Puresport and Waterdrop have all raised millions in the last five years. Healthy snacks are exploding, too. Nourished, which makes personalised gummy vitamins that are 3D printed, had reportedly raised $13.5 million by 2024.
WelleCo, a brand founded by the model Elle MacPherson, which primarily makes health-promoting powders that are designed to be mixed with water, tell me that business is booming. The company has seen a growth of 600% in the last three years, 400% of which has happened in the past 24 months, with a 187% increase in customers year on year.
Little wonder, then, that brands offering increasingly complex drinks at aspirational price points are popping up like mushrooms. And on the subject of mushrooms, they’re currently a pretty big deal in this arena, too. DIRTEA lead the way in the UK and its co-founder, Andrew Salter, thinks the trend is here to stay. “Functional drinks are booming because people are done with short-term fixes,” he says. “They want energy, clarity and calm that actually lasts. It’s a shift from convenience culture to ritual culture, with people wanting to feel better every day, not just once a year on a retreat.”
There’s a status-symbol element at play here, too. Just as it’s a rare occurrence for someone to go to an elite retreat without documenting it on social media, so too is sharing details of daily wellness habits now the norm. The Health and Wellness category on TikTok, to look at one corner of social media, shifted an astonishing $2.5 billion in wellness products in 2024, influencers being a major driver in sales. Certainly, there was a time when anyone with a passing interest in health and wellness would open social media apps to be met with images of flush and trendy acolytes holding their Erewhon Hailey Bieber Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie, with a price tag of $20.
More than just marketing hype?
Is the hype around these sorts of products warranted? I asked the founders of credible brands who did their homework before deciding to launch functional drinks why they’ve steered away from traditional supplements in pill form. The answers were varied and, I have to say, persuasive. Cosmetic dermatologist to the stars Simon Ourian told me that “wellness should be simple, effective and enjoyable – and drinking your supplements is one of the most efficient ways to nourish the body. It’s fast, easy to absorb and fits seamlessly into daily life.”
Leila Martyn, founder of women’s hormonal health company MyOva, feels similarly strongly. “Functional drinks have seen such a surge because they offer a more holistic and enjoyable way to support your health, especially when compared to traditional supplements. The reason that botanical teas are so effective is because steeping them in hot water helps to release the active plant compounds in a way that’s easy for the body to absorb.”
Consider me – and my stomach, which, yes, calmed down after I gave it the various drinks I paid a handsomely for – convinced.
Madeleine Spencer is a journalist who covers beauty, wellness and travel for publications including The Times, Tatler, The London Standard and her podcast Beauty Full Lives. Follow her on Instagram at @madeleinelovesthis
Image sources: 1 – Midjourney, Mindstep, 2- Instagram, Instagram 3 – Instagram, 4 – Instagram, Instagram
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