With baby boomers seeking out foods and beverages that promise good health and a long life, manufacturers are busy formulating products that attract this financially stable consumer segment. These consumers are willing to dip into their pockets for products and services that assist in flouting the aging process.

Various cereal marketers have managed to enhance grains with healthful ingredients. Leading this movement is Kashi Co., La Jolla, Calif., with Heart to Heart™, a toasted oat cereal containing soluble fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and botanicals.

One serving of Heart to Heart cereal contains 1g of soluble fiber, which is recognized as helping reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol when included in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Unlike other oat cereals, Heart to Heart combines nature and science by including beta-carotene, lycopene, folic acid, green tea, grape seed extract and vitamins E, C, B6 and B12. These “added value” ingredients not only help reduce cholesterol but also hold promise for additional heart health benefits.

Also from Kashi is Good Friends™. A single serving of Original provides 8g of fiber, while a serving of new Cinna-Raisin Crunch provides 10g.

Executives at French Meadow Bakery, Minneapolis, have developed breads for the sexes. Formulated with assistance from cereal scientists at Minnesota’s Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, as well as with input from dieticians and health practitioners, the breads contain flax, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sprouted quinoa, amaranth and other grains. The breads are high in protein, fiber, omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, and folic acid.

Woman’s Bread™ with Soy Isoflavones is intended for women’s changing needs throughout menopause and the postmenopausal years, with two slices providing the suggested amounts of natural soy isoflavones. The Men’s BreadTM is said to support long-lasting energy and physical endurance. It includes ginseng for rejuvenation, energy and building immunity. Some added saw palmetto is said to support a healthy prostate.

Though the namesake brand Seeds of Change® originally defined the Vernon, Calif.-based company’s mission—to preserve biodiversity and promote sustainable organic agriculture—the name also implies products for enhancing health and wellness as one ages. The company’s spaghetti sauce, in particular, is promoted as being either a good or excellent source of vitamins A and C (antioxidants), and of course, high in lycopene, thanks to the tomatoes.

Juices such as 100% blueberry are naturally loaded with antioxidants. Some manufacturers such as Langers Juice Co., City of Industry, Calif., add extra goodies to their 100% juices. For example, Cranberry Grape 100 includes vitamins A, C and E. The label explains that research suggests these antioxidants may play a role in slowing the changes that occur with normal aging. Also, a serving of Cranberry Grape 100 provides 50mg of grape seed extract, which contains flavonoids. Flavonoids are recognized as having anti-inflammatory properties.

Akron, Ohio-based Country Pure Foods Inc., markets Fruit Well™ 100% orange juice with added ingredients. For example, the Brain Power formulation includes choline, while the Eye Power is boosted with lutein.

In the tea aisle, Golden Temple of Oregon Inc., Eugene, Ore., markets Yogi Tea® Green Tea Super Anti-Oxidant, which is defined as an anti-aging formula. The tea is formulated to combat the effects of free radicals in the body, at the same time it rejuvenates. It is made with epigallo-catechin-3 gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant that is said to be about 100 times more powerful than vitamin C and 25 times more potent than vitamin E.

For as many folks as there are who doubt the benefits claimed by marketers of such punched-up foods and beverages, there are just as many, if not more, that do believe foods and specialty ingredients possess the power to defy aging. Dairy foods formulators start with one of the most nutritious bases—milk—to formulate foods and beverages that are attractive to baby boomers, which puts dairy products at an advantage to other baby boomer foods. Go for it!