Anna Hartz
Have you noticed that drinks today are more than just drinks?
Some supermarkets are full of mushroom coffees that promise focus, prebiotic sodas that claim to feed your gut bacteria, electrolyte mixes that say they boost hydration, and energy drinks that promise to burn fat. This isn’t a new trend. People have been fascinated by drinks with health claims for more than a century, writes EatingWell.
“Temperance Tonic”
Back in 1886, a pharmacist in Atlanta named John Stith Pemberton created a drink that contained cocaine and caffeine. He called it a “temperance tonic” and sold it as a cure for pain and digestion problems.
That drink eventually became Coca-Cola. The cocaine was removed, caffeine stayed, and it became one of the first energy drinks. Today, the beverage industry is worth over $200 billion, and the idea of a health-boosting drink continues.
Sports drinks are another early example. In the 1960s, researchers at the University of Florida noticed football players lost a lot of electrolytes during games. They created Gatorade to replace the sodium, potassium, and sugar lost in sweat. Even today, Gatorade remains the most popular sports drink in the U.S., and many other electrolyte and protein drinks have followed. Some are useful for hydration or quick protein, but whole foods are generally better sources of nutrients.
Health vs Joy
Recently, functional beverages have expanded to prebiotic sodas, kombucha, and drinks with adaptogens or nootropics. These may support gut health, stress management, or focus. Science on these newer drinks is still limited. Caffeine can provide short-term attention boosts, but adaptogens and nootropics are not proven to deliver the claimed effects in a drink-sized dose.
Functional beverages can offer some benefits. Electrolyte drinks help with hydration, and low-sugar options can reduce added sugar intake. Nonalcoholic drinks can support people trying to cut back on alcohol. But many claims are exaggerated. Drinks marketed as fat burners, brain fog cures, or digestion fixes rarely work as advertised. Some can even cause side effects, like bloating, sleep problems, or too much vitamin intake.
In the end, functional drinks are not a replacement for healthy habits. Eating well, exercising, managing stress, and sleeping enough remain the best ways to stay healthy. But trying a mushroom coffee in the morning or a fizzy adaptogenic mocktail in the evening is generally safe, and it might make healthy living a little more enjoyable.
Sources: EatingWell
