Mushroom boom hits your sips and snacks

State of play: "Mushrooms have such a health halo," says Chicago-based registered dietitian Janet Helm. Plus, they're versatile.

• "Particularly with Gen Z, if you put it in a beverage, they love it." That's largely because of sustainability and brain-boosting reasons.
• And mushrooms are a key ingredient for the emerging category of part-veggie, part-meat foods.

The big picture: "It's not just your white buttons anymore," Helm says. Specialty mushroom varieties have doubled in sales in the past decade, according to Mushroom Council president Amy Wood.

Between the lines: We're not talking about "magic" mushrooms.

• "Functional" mushrooms include lion's mane, chaga, reishi and cordyceps (something "The Last of Us" fans might be familiar with).

Zoom in: Mushrooms are a good source of the antioxidant ergothioneine and B vitamins, which could all support the brain, Helm says, referencing a growing body of research on mushrooms' cognitive health benefits.

• Yes, but: Mushroom products — particularly those with mushroom powders and mushrooms low on the ingredient list — can oversell their mood-lifting effects, which haven't been widely studied.

By the numbers: Sales of food and beverages with functional mushrooms are up over 450% in the U.S. since 2021, according to NielsenIQ.

• Mushroom coffee is one driver of that growth. Dollar sales are up about 55%, and with volume sales up 74% so far this year (through July 13) compared to the same time last year, that's a clear sign it's gaining momentum, according to Circana industry adviser Darren Seifer.

Reality check: Mushroom coffee is still a "very, very tiny" slice of the coffee market, making up less than 1% of sales, he says.

Catch up quick: After mushroom coffee company Four Sigmatic kicked off the trend about a decade ago, starting the day with a mug of mushrooms caught on.

How it works: To make the "coffee," mushrooms are blended with coffee beans or tea, or they're often used as part of a coffee alternative powder that might contain added caffeine.

• The drinks don't taste mushroomy, per se, but can err on the "earthy" side. Often, though, they're made with sweetener and prepared with milk, so the flavor is more "chai" or "mocha latte" than "topsoil."

💭 Carly's thought bubble: Consuming mushrooms is a vibe.

• I wrote this story from mushroom coffee brand MudWtr's cafe in Santa Monica, California, where they sell shirts reading, "It's not about feeling good all the time, it's about getting good at feeling."
• I embraced the whole smug mushroom-drinker vibe — and honestly, I enjoyed it. The next day, though, I was back to regular coffee.

Go deeper: Mushroom roots, called mycelium, are being used in innovative ways outside of food, like as compostable packaging and building insulation.