In today’s world, more and more people are searching for ways to improve their health and well-being. Many global consumers are turning to functional foods as a means to achieve this. This has led to the rise of some interesting functional food trends.

With all the hype around healthier products, it can be tough to know what’s really worth trying. Some functional food trends sound too good to be true. So, how do you separate the facts from the fads?

This post breaks down everything you need to know about today’s top functional food trends.

Table of Contents:

Boosting Your Well-being: Exploring Functional Food Trends

The global functional food market is booming. The nutrition business journal projects that it’s set to reach a whopping $441.66 billion by 2028. This shows a clear shift in consumer behavior and demand.

Self-Defense with Food

Consumers are looking for food and drinks with added health benefits, such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This demand is driving sales of food and beverages featuring ingredients such as ashwagandha and elderberry.

Products supporting gut health, particularly those containing probiotics, are seeing tremendous growth. Probiotics support gut health and play a crucial role in a range of functions including immunity.

They also offer mood and energy-boosting benefits. For example, Danone North America’s Activia+ Multi-Benefit Probiotic Yogurt Drinks contain vitamins known to help immune function.

Fit and Ready Foods

The active lifestyle market sees significant interest in functional foods designed for hydration and improved physical and mental performance. Brands like Hostess and Del Monte have recognized this trend.

Hostess Brands released caffeinated Boost Jumbo Donettes. Del Monte released its Boost Me fruit cups. Both products are enhanced with coffee extract as one of the many energy enhancers available.

Protein continues to be popular. Consumers demand higher digestibility and a better amino acid profile. Whey protein, sought after for its increased benefits, is in high demand. This leads companies such as the Whey Better Cookie Co. to provide more options.

Sustainably Healthy Choices

Ethically and sustainably produced foods appeal to today’s health-conscious consumers. This interest stems from a greater appreciation for healthier and more ethical sourcing methods.

These range from free-range eggs and grass-fed meat to sustainably sourced seafood. Many view foods from regenerative agriculture techniques, which boost soil health, as better for both their bodies and the planet.

Other sustainable practices include hydroponics and utilizing the regenerative crop known as hemp for its protein content. Many innovative products using healthier products make up these food trends.

Managing Conditions Through Functional Food Trends

Consumers are taking their health issues head-on. They’re actively finding and utilizing food to alleviate many health conditions. With age-related concerns like mobility loss and mental acuity among top priorities, particular food trends emerge.

These food trends focus on areas like bone health, oral health, and joint support. Functional foods target heart and gut health and cognitive support, too. These can also be applied to conditions impacting those under thirty with back and neck pain.

Weighing in on Weight Management

Weight management remains a major driver behind functional food trends. Many consumers turn to particular types of dieting to manage their weight. This contributes to trends seen with athletic performance.

The popularity of diets such as keto, paleo, and intermittent fasting (IF) underscores consumers’ dedication to weight loss. Low-carb, low-sugar, and low-calorie products, meal replacement options, and even “candyceuticals” cater to this growing market segment.

These approaches often involve exploring functional foods with added weight loss benefits or low caloric impact, such as those found in the best-selling foods.

The Plant-Based Movement

Consumer adoption of plant-based protein isn’t slowing down. However, we’re seeing increased consumer mindfulness regarding its nutritional profile and processing.

These critical factors shape this market category within functional food trends. Companies like NotCo emphasize offering true nutritional parity for its dairy milk alternative, NotMilk.

The Clean Label Craze within Functional Food Trends

Consumers demand transparency. This means clean labels, touting non-GMO ingredients and avoiding hormones, allergens, and pesticides.

Clean labels top many ingredient lists as a selling point. Brands are innovating non-allergenic foods designed to help support people with sensitivities.

Hershey’s a2 milk is specifically designed for sensitive people whose stomachs react negatively to traditional milk.

Functional Cooking

People are becoming more adept in the kitchen, taking food matters into their own hands in creative ways that support better well-being. Ingredient manufacturers support consumers by offering at-home chefs easy meal and food prep ingredients.

This includes spices and healthy cooking sprays. Brands are helping everyday cooks easily blend and create healthy dishes tailored to various dietary needs and goals.

Some functional food enthusiasts might want additional physician support. For tailored wellness plans, consider working with functional doctors like HML Functional Care. Their services include chiropractic treatment and functional neurology as alternatives or complements to standard physicians for wellness.

Mainstream Niches: Specialized Diets

Mainstream markets cater to niche demographics with increasingly specialized functional foods. These foods help support specific dietary concerns, from babies with allergen issues to pets with medical conditions. This targeted focus is growing in importance.

Mainstream recognition of healthier fats is emerging. The trend toward incorporating these fats back into diets should be specifically supported.

Mental Wellness and Functional Food Trends

Functional foods play an emerging role in supporting cognitive function, stress management, anxiety reduction, and mood improvement. Beverages with adaptogenic mushrooms and targeted ingredients are increasingly common.

Some prefer alternative medicinal paths. However, a Mediterranean diet is still a commonly accepted, researched, and suggested approach by health professionals.

It helps manage high blood pressure and falls under these trends.

Conclusion

These functional food trends demonstrate how consumers are driving dietary changes. They demand healthier and tastier food and increased focus on self-care.

Trends encompass better management and prevention related to digestive and metabolic health. Heart health often plays an underlying factor in functional food trends.

Many conditions see improvement after adding neurologically supportive exercises and foods that boost brain function. For concerns beyond physical and dietary needs, consulting a neurology doctor is advisable. HML Functional Care can be a good starting point for further guidance.

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