The Acai Berry, which is commonly pronounced a-sigh-ee, is a rather small, round, and black-looking purple. It resembles a grape or a blueberry, but is yet smaller and darker. This fruit has a large seed and minimum amount of pulp. The acai fruit berry is now broadly used in energy juices, ice cream, certain energy bars with granola.
Acai has been used for many generations by the natives of Brazil. Acai boasts 10 times the antioxidant benefits of grapes and twice that of blueberries. Acai, some say, tastes like a cross between blueberry and chocolate.
ACAI BERRY: A SUPER FOOD!
What are Superfoods?
Superfoods are those foods that do such things as lower cholesterol and blood pressure. The Acai Berry is now one of those foods. It provides energy, helps you to lose weight faster, lowers cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, and helps to prevent several serious diseases like heart disease. Acai Berry is not the only superfood, but is part of a family of superfoods. There are several that you can take advantage of. See also: Acai Berry: A Super Antioxidant
If you want to get the benefits of Acai, we recommend Pure Acai Berry. They offer a capsule that contains 1500mg of PURE Acai Berry that is immediately vacuum sealed and not tampered with. That way you get the most out of this superfood without having to locate it and prepare it or worry about its losing its nutritional value. Throw in the other superfoods and you are in business. See also: Ten Super Foods
HEALTH BENEFITS OF TAKING ACAI BERRY
- Feel greater stamina
- Improves digestion
- Improves mental focus
- Enhances sleep
- Acai berries have more proteins than one average egg.
- Acai berries have essential minerals like potassium, iron, phosphorus and calcium. Also, Acai hasVitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E.
- Helps improve sexual drive and/or function.
- Acai berries have up to 33 times the Antocyanine as compared to red wine grapes.
- Acai has a high concentration of fibers which is very healthy for the elderly and for anyone experiencing digestive-related problems.
- Acai berries have fatty acids called Omega 6 and Omega 9. Research studies prove that these two fatty acids help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
- Acai’s Anti-Oxidant properties play an important role for maintaining the vascular cardiac system; this in turn is extremely vital for optimal blood circulation.
- Acai is being recognized as one of the richest nutritive fruits on earth.
- Because of the berry’s amino acid complex and valuable trace minerals, it contributes to proper muscle regeneration and contractions.
- It cleanses and detoxifies your body.
- It boosts your immune system.
- Fights cancer cells.
- Attacks premature aging.
- Promotes younger and healthier looking skin.
The acai berries are an excellent source of essential fatty acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6) plus oleic acid (Omega-9) and phytosterols (compounds of plant cell membranes), which, combined, reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol. The berries also contain amino acids and vital trace elements vital to muscle contraction and regeneration, as well provide a source of dietary fiber (excellent for dietary tract health). They possess high levels of calcium, vitamins a and e, and phosphorus, as well as high concentrations of polyphenols, making it an excellent source of antioxidants. In fact, it’s a much better source of antioxidants than foods such as blueberries, oranges, and even red wine.
Acai Berry Juices/Purees/Pulp
One of the newest health foods is acai juice (from the acai palm fruit). This deep purple juice has a number of health benefits, and can be used in a variety of ways, from syrups to flavoring and colorant in wines and liqueurs. Amazon Thunder is the best acai pulp on the market. There are no fillers or sugar, it’s completely organic and kosher, wild harvested and contains more health benefits than mangosteen, goji or noni.
Acai Berry Purees and Pulps are traditionally formulated using mashed acai berries. For this reason, there are no major side effects connected to Acai Berry Puree or Acai Pulp.
In the case of juices, manufacturers commonly mix acai berry with a mixture of other fruit juices and as a result it is possible that these fruit juices may cause minor side effects.
Acai Liquid is made from the finest, fresh acai fruit, harvested from the Amazon Rainforest. It contains no artificial ingredients, dried or powdered acai.
It is possible though by consuming too much of these acai berry juices to experience mild diarrhea; however this is no different from other fruit juices. If you are concerned, take no more than 4 ounces of Acai Berry Puree or 12 to 16 ounces of acai berry juices.
Comparing acai berries to milk, the berries provide four times as much energy, 3 times as many lipids, seven times as many carbohydrates, 118 times more iron, nine times as much Vitamin B1, and eight times as much Vitamin C. They have the same amount of protein and calcium, but only half as muchphosphorus as milk.
Keep in mind that acai should be kept cold in order to maintain its nutritional value. The anthocyanins in the juice (that provide the antioxidants) are unstable and degrade quickly, especially when exposed to heat. Thus, for maximum value, acai juice (and pulp) should not be cooked, and should be served as part of something cold (such as in smoothies or on top of ice cream). This also means that a number of recipes in which you would normally use berry pulp and juice (cobblers and pies, for example) are of debatable value when using acai juice due the possible degrading of its nutritional value. Keep in mind that this applies to jams and marmalades as well, as part of the jarring process involves heating the filled jars to ensure that the seals are tight.