The Secret Super Fruit Hidden in the Heart of the Amazon Jungle.
Posted by: Marcus C. Evans in Health, tags: HealthPerhaps the Acai berry isn’t such a secret anymore, not now that Dr. Nicholas Perricone has been on Oprah telling the world about its benefits. If you’re unaware of this fruit, Dr. Perricone has put the Acai berry in the number one slot of his top ten list of “super foods” - and the research on this fruit backs up his claim. This berry, just the size of a grape, is packed with nutritional punch.
The Acai berry is the fruit of the Acai palm (the c in Acai is pronounced as an s, by the way) which is a tree native to the Amazon region and is a staple of Brazilian food. The Acai boasts a delicious berry flavour with an aftertaste redolent of chocolate. Brazilians use both the juice of the Acai as well as the pulp in a variety of foods, including blends, smoothies, drinks and ice cream. It is also served both as a sweet or savory dish with tapioca or granola. The Acai is very perishable, spoiling within a day of being picked - which has kept this berry from being widely exported in the past, despite its nutritional value.
But now things have changed.
So what exactly are the health benefits of this fruit which have excited nutritional experts? To begin with, the Acai berry has 10 times the antioxidants of red grapes and twice the antioxidant content of blueberries. The effects of these compounds are more sustained than those found in other fruits too. The Acai contains a wealth of fatty acids, including oleic acid; which have been shown to reduce cholesterol levels. The University of Florida has conducted studies which have yielded data suggesting that the Acai berry also holds polyphenolics, compounds which can slow the spread of leukemia. In short, Acai berries are number one on the super foods list because they have anti-inflammatory properties, regulate metabolism, help the body burn fat, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, guard against heart disease and cancer, promote good digestion and even give you energy!
Simply eating the berries or using them in the traditional manner of the Brazilians has always been near impossible for people living far from the Amazon Basin. But now there are two ways that the berry is being transported. Firstly, Acai pulp from the Amazon is being frozen and shipped to the USA. Some juice bars now are beginning to have Acai smoothies - although they are often on the expensive side.
Read the fine print though, always. When you’re seeking out an Acai supplement, make sure that it is actually the skin and pulp of the Acai berry being used. Some Acai products contain only the seeds of the Acai berry, which are very low in nutritional value.
The benefits of the Acai berry are now available to all; you can enjoy the health benefits (and great taste) of this berry without having to book a flight to Brazil.
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