Is it just me or do the shelves at your favorite grocery stores don’t look like they used to? I've shared some of my views on the ever so popular, trendy machine that is Los Angeles. My home town away from home. Once upon a time, there was water. Nowadays, it's water, juice, seltzer water, water that has benefits, sodas for your gut, sports drink pretending to be something better, and the list goes on an on. Every can has a thesis. Every bottle a manifesto. Drinks don’t just quench your thirst—they promise to change your life.
Enter the age of functional beverages, and if you’re paying attention, it’s not just a trend. I like to call it a shift. A rebellion against sugar bombs and empty calories. People are tired of drinks that fill but don’t fuel. Sure, nothing wrong enjoying a sugary drink—from time to time! Personally, I can't do it. I don't have the tastebuds for it. But it's clear to see that consumers have spoken, they want more! Secret benefits—not secrets anymore, really, just benefits hiding in plain sight.
Lately, drinks are packed with magnesium to calm you, adaptogens to ground you, nootropics to focus you, and electrolytes to bring you back to life after the third coffee failed. And then there’s the stuff you can’t pronounce but still want—ashwagandha, L-theanine, lion’s mane, 5-HTP. Ingredients your grandparents never heard of, but your body seems to recognize.
The branding’s evolved too. These aren’t health tonics in brown glass anymore. They’re sleek, matte-finished cans with names like Recess, Kin, Poppy, Kulli or Olipop. Minimalist designs and a touch of irony, if you asked me. They feel like wellness with edge, like something a smart friend told you about before it hit the shelf at Erewhon.
But here’s the thing that I found surprising: some of them work and some don’t. And you have to learn which is which by drinking your way through the hype. Some drinks offer barely-there doses of supplements wrapped in sparkling water and $5 price tags. Others deliver a real punch—relief from brain fog, calmer moods, better digestion. The secret benefit of it all, ironically, is that even the placebo might help if you believe in it enough. At the end of the day, intention matters.
But among the noise, there are a few that stand out. Quietly. They don’t have to scream. They’re rooted in old wisdom, not just new data. Kulli, for example, doesn’t need buzzwords. It’s a soon-to-launch drink made from purple corn, a sacred Incan crop rich in anthocyanins—compounds known to fight inflammation, support heart health, and protect cells from oxidative stress. It doesn’t shout, it remembers. It remembers what food used to be before marketing turned it into a performance.
There are also trade-offs. Price, for one. These drinks aren’t cheap. Many sit at $3 to $6 per can, which makes wellness feel gated if you’re not watching your wallet. And then there’s the question of bioavailability—are you actually absorbing all these benefits or just paying for the idea of them? But still, the industry moves forward. People are curious. People are trying. And curiosity is always the beginning of better.
So here’s what you do: start slow. Read the label. Learn the herbs. Sip with purpose. Not every functional drink will change your life, but some might help you sleep a little deeper. Laugh a little easier. Wake up with a bit more clarity. That’s worth something.
In a world that’s constantly pushing more, faster, louder—the secret benefits lie in the quiet things. The morning routines. The small shifts. The first sip that reminds you: I’m doing something for me.
And that, in itself, is a benefit worth chasing.