Kefir is an ideal carrier for gut-health and «beauty from within» benefits — above all in drinks.

Gut health has become one of 2026’s top trends, and fermented dairy — kefir above all — is an ideal vehicle for that functional nutrition, Prepared Foods reports. The magazine looks at beverage formulation strategies and talks to Lifeway Foods’ CEO about a new probiotic kefir smoothie line with collagen.

Key points:

  • Innova Market Insights ranks gut health among 2026’s top trends; fibre and probiotics are the most common gut-health ingredients.
  • Per Lifeway Foods, kefir has more than double yogurt’s probiotics and is up to 99% lactose-free thanks to longer fermentation.
  • The new Probiotic Smoothie + Collagen line, made with kefir cultures, comes in four flavours with 5 g of collagen peptides, 13 g of protein and added lactase.
  • Lifeway CEO Julie Smolyansky: beverages are an ideal delivery system for functional needs, but the product must first taste good.

The «second brain» and the 2026 trend

The human enteric nervous system — two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells in the gut — is often called our «second brain» and underpins links between digestion, mood, health and cognition. Awareness of keeping it healthy is starting to spread: Innova Market Insights names gut health a top 2026 trend, noting that consumers see many links between gut and overall health, that gut-health claims are rising — an opening for brands — and that fibre and probiotics are the most common gut-health ingredients.

Kefir versus yogurt

Fermented dairy such as yogurt or kefir is an ideal carrier for gut health, though the two differ notably. America’s leading kefir supplier, Lifeway Foods, says kefir carries more than twice the probiotics of yogurt, and its longer fermentation makes it up to 99% lactose-free. Kefir is mostly a drink, and Lifeway sells a wide range of kefir drinks, plus kefir butter and ProBugs probiotic kefir pouches for kids. Its fermented dairy is now sold in the US, Mexico, Ireland, South Africa, the UAE and France.

Lifeway recently moved into targeted nutrition with Probiotic Smoothie + Collagen, made with its kefir cultures and sold in four varieties: Matcha Latte, Berry Blast, Tropical Fruit and Plain. The smoothies are boosted with 5 g of collagen peptides and 13 g of protein, plus a lactase enzyme to remove any lactose left after culturing.

Interview: Julie Smolyansky, CEO, Lifeway Foods

Prepared Foods spoke with Smolyansky about the new Probiotic Smoothie line and the link between gut health and «beauty from within». The following is an edited version of the conversation.

Is US consumer awareness of gut health changing?

Smolyansky says gut health has moved from niche to mainstream: it trends across media and social platforms, Google searches have risen sharply, and consumers increasingly understand that the microbiome connects to immunity, mood, energy, bone and skin health, not just digestion. Research, she says, is bringing the «food as medicine» movement to more people and turning terms like probiotics, fermented foods and the «gut-brain axis» into everyday vocabulary. Lifeway has led that effort for nearly 40 years and was among the first companies to print «probiotic» on a label.

Why are beverages a good format for functional products?

Drinks fit daily routines, she says: they are convenient and portable and work at breakfast, after a workout, as a snack or as a smoothie ingredient — an ideal delivery system for functional needs. But convenience is not enough: «if it’s not delicious, people will not keep coming back to it.»

How are gut health and beauty from within connected?

Emerging research links gut and skin health through the «gut-skin axis», she says, and consumers have been adding collagen to smoothies made with Lifeway’s products for years. She calls the intersection of beauty and «food as medicine» «on fire», recalling that Margot Robbie used kefir on the set of «Barbie» to keep her skin glowing and acne-free. Dermatologists and skin experts she has spoken to describe the research on collagen and skin elasticity as strong.

Why add a «lactose-free» label to Probiotic Smoothie + Collagen?

As consumers return to dairy, many look for lactose-free, she says. Kefir is already essentially lactose-free because its probiotics consume the milk’s lactose, so most lactose-intolerant people can drink Lifeway without trouble; stating it on the label simply validates and reinforces that message.

Can targeted, benefit-added products find broad resonance in the US?

Yes, she argues, because consumers increasingly have specific needs: someone building muscle who reads that creatine supports mental, gut and bone health; a teenager seeking collagen for skin; an older adult wanting it for bone health and skin elasticity. «We all have these various boxes that we’re trying to check.»

What else is new from Lifeway Foods?

Muscle Mates, its new creatine line, is rolling out across the country at Walmart and other stores. Lifeway also launched Kefir Butter — a European-style churned butter with probiotics — as more Americans embrace real butter, real fat and whole milk, and refreshed its Whole Milk Kefir with new flavours, since people love full-fat, creamy products. Finally, its 40-year-old Farmer Cheese line, one of its first products, is «finally coming into the mainstream». The full conversation is on the Prepared Foods Podcast page.

Source: Prepared Foods, October 2026, pp. 18–19 (by Douglas J. Peckenpaugh).