![In the mood: Foods and beverages to help us feel better In the mood: Foods and beverages to help us feel better](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/blt89dc201d3c2b9954/64ff19094cded7a6ef75f862/food-for-your-mood.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
These aren’t the mood-altering beverages of old. No alcohol here. Just benefits that purport to be felt, as consumers demand today. Here energizing vitamins, minerals and herbals play starring roles. Medicinal mushrooms and adaptogens round out these formulas in formats aplenty. Note: We’ve noted in italics ingredients some retailers stock with caution.
A blend of L-theanine, PharmaGABA, passion flower, lemon balm, kava kava and more in a rich, fair-trade chocolate bar. SRP: $7.49
750 milligrams of wild-foraged chaga, organic Peruvian cacao and organic Ceylon cinnamon power this wellness-enhancing coffee powder to mix hot or cold. SRP: $29.99/10-pack
750 mg of kava kava root extract and 100 mg of L-theanine power this chillaxation beverage—two years in the making and for the over-18 crowd. Contains citric acid and natural flavors. SRP: $4.67
This libido-awakening beverage with a clean and refreshingly short ingredient list that includes a dose of 500 milligrams of maca root and zero sweeteners. SRP: $2.99
USDA Organic tea that helps combat stress and embrace calm with a blend of turkey tail and reishi mushrooms and ashwagandha with rooibos tea. SRP: $3.99
Anxiety Stress Free Mellow Mint Truffle Chocolate features a blend of L-theanine, PharmaGABA, passion flower, lemon balm, kava kava and more in a rich, fair-trade chocolate bar. SRP: $7.49
Amazing branding aside, Toodaloo could enhance consumer trust by including how much of each adaptogen (reishi, lion’s mane, mucuna to name a few…) is found in this clean-ingredient trail mix. Contains natural flavors. SRP: $9.75
This multi-use adaptogen-cacao powder with maca, mucuna pruriens, reishi, he shou wu and cacao promises to soothe the soul and promote calm and relaxation. SRP: $35.99
This multi-use adaptogen-cacao powder with maca, mucuna pruriens, reishi, he shou wu and cacao promises to soothe the soul and promote calm and relaxation. SRP: $35.99
While it might be too soon to predict the long-term effects of the past couple of years on our psyche, our bodies and how we approach our overall wellness, it seems a safe bet that consumers will continue to look for ways to get more benefits out of the foods and beverages they consume. Where supplements may have once been the go-to for mind-body support, natural food brands have moved squarely into the #swellness space with assurances that we can be better—with the help of better sleep, better energy, focus, relaxation and more—thanks to what we eat.
As more functional ingredients move into the food and beverage spheres, the line between these and supplements has blurred. The appearance of a Nutrition or Supplement Facts panel increasingly doesn’t matter, and some types of products (we mean you, powders!) straddle the line so adroitly between food, beverage and supplement that their definition (and perhaps where to merchandise them) might fluctuate depending on how individuals opt to consume them: added to water, blended in a smoothie, sprinkled over cereal or included in baked goods.
What’s important, however, is what these products increasingly have in common: ingredients that offer relief for what ails us (stress) and what eludes us (sleep, relaxation, concentration, memory, even bliss…); that bridge the gap between body and mood; and that, thankfully, are being added mindfully and in more transparent and efficacious doses.
Functional mushrooms and adaptogenic botanicals such as ashwagandha, tulsi, maca, rhodiola, kava kava, CBD and others are joined by mood-boosting vitamins and minerals in functional fare that can include anything from coffee and tea to RTD beverages, snacks, bars, sweets, and more.
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