In the early days of soda, no one paid much attention to the drink’s nutritional value (or lack thereof) listed on the back label. Artificial ingredients and 30+ grams of sugar? Sounds good to me! But now people are wondering: why am I settling for carbonated sugar water?

Consumers today want more than just a sweet taste when it comes to their beverage of choice. We crave drinks that enhance our daily life or health in some way and feature science-backed ingredients. In other words, what can this drink do for me?

This paradigm shift shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when you consider the increasing attention given to diet-related health issues like diabetes and heart disease. Not to mention the fact that general health has become top of mind thanks to the spread of a global pandemic!¹

And the beverage industry is paying attention. This craving for better-for-you alternatives has led to the rising popularity of a new category of drinks: functional beverages.

What Are Functional Beverages?

Functional beverages are drinks that promise a delicious flavor with functional benefits from  ingredients like antioxidants, probiotics, caffeine, electrolytes, fiber (hint OLIPOP!), and so on.¹

Functional beverages are a loosely defined and incredibly broad category of drinks. They include everything from energy and sports drinks to kombucha to our very own OLIPOP. But here’s the problem: sometimes you have to be a bit of a detective to decipher the difference between a good-for-you functional beverage and a beverage whose main “function” is to load you up with sugar.

Be Mindful of These 5 Functional Beverages

To help you navigate some hidden pitfalls, take a look at these five beverages that may fall in the functional beverage category. While they may be great for an occasional treat, we recommend taking a hard look at the back label before you enjoy these on a regular basis, and here’s why:

Fruit Drinks

In theory, fruit drinks should be the healthiest of beverages. After all, what could be healthier than a juice made out of fruit? But occasionally, hiding behind this healthy-sounding label is not much more than a sugar-sweetened beverage.

For one, not all fruit juices are actually made of 100% fruit juice. Fruit juice cocktails and fruit-flavored beverages often contain very little actual fruit juice. When looking at the back label, you might find that, in fact, your “fruit drink” only contains about 5% actual juice. And the rest is essentially water, sugar, and flavorings.²

Surprisingly, some fruit juices contain as much sugar as a can of traditional soda! While the juice might offer some nutrients, this high-sugar content could outweigh the benefits.

But what about 100% fruit juice? While those are often a better choice than other fruit drinks, certain varieties may have over 30g of sugar. Having said all that, keep in mind that many fruit juices provide antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, which can make them an important part of a healthy diet when enjoyed in moderation.

Sports Drinks

After a high-intensity workout where you lose a ton of sweat, a sports drink could be a great way to restore your glucose, electrolyte, and fluid levels. And some sports drink brands even offer additional vitamins and minerals like B vitamins for an extra health boost.⁵

However, if you’re not working out or sweating profusely, a sports drink can often be no different from any other sugar-sweetened beverage. Some 12-oz sports drinks contain over 20g of sugar.⁵ While that may be less than a can of soda, that’s still a lot of sugar to be consuming in one sitting or on a regular basis.

Electrolytes include potassium and sodium. They’re positively or negatively charged substances that help maintain a balance of fluid in and outside your cells.⁶ They’re definitely important! But most people don’t need the over 100mg of sodium that many sports drinks offer. Not to mention all that added sugar!

Energy Drinks

As the name implies, energy drinks give you a boost in energy. But that energy can come at a cost. Many energy drinks contain anywhere from 50 to 60g or more of sugar—more than double the sugar you’ll find in a can of traditional soda!⁷

In addition to sugar, the high levels of caffeine are also a major cause for concern. Energy drinks can have anywhere from 70 to 500mg or more of caffeine.^{8 9} To give you perspective, a cup of coffee has 80 to 100mg, tea has 30 to 50mg, and our Vintage Cola has 50mg of caffeine from green tea.¹⁰

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it’s safe for most adults to consume up to 400mg of caffeine per day.⁴ But if you’re throwing back multiple energy drinks a day or drinking an energy drink that contains nearly 500mg of caffeine, this could put you well above that threshold.^8 9 Not to mention all that could result from all that added sugar…

Coffee Drinks

But caffeine is not all bad when enjoyed in moderation! The caffeine in your cup of coffee, tea, or OLIPOP Vintage Cola could offer possible benefits. For example, research suggests that caffeine could have positive effects on your cognitive functions like thinking, focus, and attention.¹⁴ 

But there’s a big difference between the cup of black coffee you brew at home and the sugary coffee-flavored beverage you buy at the store or coffee shop. One is coffee, and the other is essentially a sugar-sweetened beverage with a coffee-like flavor.¹²

Many of these drinks contain very little to no real coffee at all and can have insanely high levels of sugar.⁵ If you want to skip all this extra sugar, go for an actual cup of coffee or tea. If it’s a frappuccino or anything flavored, frozen, blended, or covered in a chocolate drizzle or whipped cream, it’s probably not a healthy beverage. The same goes for many of the pre-made coffee drinks you’ll find in the refrigerated aisle of the store.

Smoothies

There’s a big difference between store-bought smoothies and the smoothies you blend up at home. Like coffee, packaged smoothies can get out of control when it comes to high levels of sugar. Some pre-made smoothies have anywhere from 200 to 400 calories and 30 to 60g of sugar per serving.¹³

Like fruit juices, a lot of this sugar comes naturally from the fruit. But store-bought smoothies may also add extra sugar and preservatives on top of the naturally occurring sugars you’ll find in your bananas, apples, strawberries, and so on. This added sugar serves to preserve the smoothie flavor so it can last longer on a shelf.

But when you make your smoothie at home, you have control over the ingredients you use and the amount of sugar in your beverage. For example, you can swap in veggies or unsweetened Greek yogurt to help reduce your sugar intake.

However, even homemade smoothies can put you into a sugar overload. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy a homemade smoothie! But be mindful of the ingredients you put in your blender. And make sure you’re also regularly enjoying raw fruits and veggies too.

Functional Beverages: The Takeaway

As you can see, not all functional beverages are good for you. And some are worse or no better than a sugary can of soda! The key is to keep an eye on that back label, checking for sodium and added sugar levels. And if you are enjoying any of these beverages, do so in moderation. 

As for OLIPOP, we're joining this functional beverage category by redefining soda with 6-9g of fiber and 2-5g of sugar. We've got all the flavor and fizz of the soda you know and love, but with fiber and prebiotics to support digestive health. Don't believe us? Take a look at the back label of any of our beverages! You’ll find ingredients like Cassava Root Fiber, Guar Fiber, Jerusalem Artichoke Inulin, and more that work hard with every sip to fuel your microbiome. Ready to give us a try? Head to our shop page to order your favorite flavors, and they'll be on your front doorstep before you know it.

Sources:

1. InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd. (2022, January 25). Functional Beverages Market worth $265.9 Billion by 2030 - Exclusive Report by InsightAce Analytic [Press release]. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/functional-beverages-market-worth-265-9-billion-by-2030---exclusive-report-by-insightace-analytic-301467892.html
2. Mikstas, C. (2020, May 29). Best and Worst Juices for Your Health. WebMD. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-juice-wars
3. Apples vs. Apple Juice. (2021, July 20) Newbridge Health & Wellness. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://newbridgewellness.com/apple-vs-apple-juice/
4. Good Food Is Good Medicine. (2019, July 19). Is fruit juice bad for you and your children? UC Davis Health. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/good-food/is-fruit-juice-bad-for-you-and-your-children/2019/07
5. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (2019, September 23). Sports Drinks. The Nutrition Source. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sports-drinks/
6. Electrolytes: Types, Purpose and Normal Levels. (2021, September 24) Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/21790-electrolytes
7. Energy Drinks. (2018, July) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/energy-drinks
8. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (2020, July 30). Energy Drinks. The Nutrition Source. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/energy-drinks/
9. Risks of Energy Drinks. (n.d.). Sutter Health. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/nutrition/risks-of-energy-drinks
10. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2018, December 12). Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much? Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much
11. 9 Reasons Why (the Right Amount of) Coffee Is Good for You. (2021, October 28) Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/9-reasons-why-the-right-amount-of-coffee-is-good-for-you
12. Smith, D. L. (2021, June 8). 20 Coffee Drinks with More Sugar Than a Can of Coke. Eat This Not That. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://www.eatthis.com/sugar-in-coffee-drinks/
13. Heimsoth, A. (2016, June 20). A Ranking of Bottled Smoothies, Strictly By Nutritional Content. Spoon University. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/a-ranking-of-bottled-smoothies-strictly-by-nutritional-content
14. National Institutes of Health. (2020, November 3). Tired or Wired? NIH News in Health. Retrieved December 8, 2021, from https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2020/10/tired-or-wired

Meet our Expert This article is reviewed by Lauren Manaker MS, RDN, LD. Lauren Manaker is an award-winning registered dietitian, book author, and freelance writer. Her work can be found in many major media outlets and on her women’s health nutrition-focused Instagram account @LaurenLovesNutrition. Raised in sunny South Florida and now living in Charleston, South Carolina, she has a love for the ocean and would be living on a houseboat if she had her way. She currently lives with her husband, young daughter, and 70-pound rescue pup.