Acai Health Benefits
What Is Acai?
Pronounced ah-saw-ee, the purple-fleshed acai fruit has a long history of use in South America, but is just now gaining popularity worldwide because of new scientific research supporting its health benefits, particularly its antioxidant properties. Besides being touted by the famous Dr. Nicholas Perricone in his book on health and aging, The Perricone Promise, the fruit has also been discussed on Oprah, NBC’s Today Show and on Steve O’Brien’s CBS-FM New York radio show. In addition to its inclusion in several nutritional supplements, the little fruit from the Amazon has even made its way into a fruit smoothie available from the popular national chain, Jamba Juice. The egg-shaped acai fruit, approximately 1.5 centimeters in size, got its name from Brazilian locals along the Amazon River, who call both the palm tree and its fruit “acai”. The palm tree consists of numerous usable parts, including roots, stems, leaf fronds and clusters of the actual fruit with its deep purplish-red pulp and very large seed (so large that it makes up 80 percent of the fruit’s size). This health-promoting fruit is highly valued in trade along the border between Colombia and Brazil, where it has a long history of use: it can be made into a drink or added to other foods, such as breads and seafood dishes. But in all inhabited regions around the Amazon River and its tributaries where the tree grows in abundance, residents make use of all parts of the palm. Acai is now a very popular fruit in South America, and it has made its way into hair care products and trendy ice creams, but its potential health benefits are giving it a new kind of renown around the globe.
Acai Health Benefits
Interesting Acai Facts
• The U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) began looking into traditional uses of the fruit in the 1980s. Researchers noted that the fruit was highly sought-after by young and old of all economic classes for its strength and energy-promoting properties and was usually consumed at each meal. It is such a mainstay of the local diet that the typical individual is known to consume up to two liters a day of acai fruit. • The most desirable variety of acai liquid is purple in color, called acai preto. • Most people who try acai find it to be delicious. It has been described as a completely unique flavor—a sort of chocolate and berry mix. • The seeds constitute about 80 percent of the acai fruit. Once removed from the pulp and skin, these seeds are an important source of food for livestock. Another use for the seeds is as a source of organic soil to grow plants. The soil is formed after composting the seeds until it turns into a rich, dark brown moist composition. In large population centers, one may find large bins full of the seeds or organic soil produced from these seeds sold to city dwellers. • The first studies undertaken to evaluate the nutritional value of acai fruit were completed in the 1930s and 1940s, and were often of French or Portuguese origin. These studies tended to focus on major vitamin content and sometimes mineral content. • More recent research, from the 1960s to the present, has examined the full scope of macronutrients, trace minerals and other bioactive compounds that make up the acai fruit. Newer studies have also reported on the little fruit’s lipid, carbohydrate and protein content.
Acai Health Benefits
• With the growing popularity of acai liquid and its byproducts, there is a growing appreciation for the palm’s value, not just as a commodity food item, but also as a highly nutritious and phytonutrient-rich food source for people around the world. • A research institute, AIMBR Life Sciences, found through extensive research, that the acai fruit contains many nutrients including: B-vitamins, Folate, Potassium, Betacarotene, Iodine, Selenium, Boron, Iron,Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Chromium, Manganese, Vitamin E, Copper, Molybdenum and Zinc. • ORAC ASSAY One way of measuring the antioxidant capacity of a food is the oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) assay. The ORAC test looks at how much a particular food inhibits free radical activity. There are several different ORAC assays, each of which had been conducted on freeze-dried acai. A scientist at the National Institutes of Aging and United States Department of Agriculture developed the ORAC assay in 1992. This assay was declared to be one of the greatest technological developments ever made by the USDA in more than 120 years. The ORAC assay has been repeatedly validated as a reliable method for antioxidant capacity determination. USDA has tested all of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the United States for their antioxidant activity via the ORAC assay. The USDA reports that the highest average ORAC of any of the foods they tested was for cranberries, which had an ORAC score of 95. A sample of freeze-dried acai fruit pulp underwent the ORAC assay and it was determined the total ORAC value was 1027. This makes acai the star of well-known antioxidants, the highest fruit and vegetable ever tested by the ORAC assay.
Acai Health Benefits
Acai History
Acai is usually found growing along and near numerous tributaries that feed onto the Amazon River system, and along the mighty river itself. The acai fruit is found on three species of South American palm trees, known in scientific circles as Euterpe edulis, Euterpe oleracea and Euterpe precatoria. The acai palms can also grow outside of the Amazon and are found in surrounding areas of South America, from Atlantic coastal forests to the banks of the Amazon River and mountainous regions thousand of miles inland. The most prominent spot to find the coveted acai palm is near the city of Belem, where several rivers meet in northeastern Brazil and the tropical forests and floodplains are filled with acai palms. Palms vary in size from six feet to over 100 feet in size. Harvesting usually takes place in the drier months, July and December, when the fruit is ripe. Although documented history surrounding the fruit is limited, the acai fruit appears in manuscripts from early Portuguese explorers of the eighteenth century. Obviously, generations of natives of the region have long harvested the fruit and plant; they have used all parts of the palm for hundreds of years, as a food source or a natural health remedy. Fifty years ago, very few people outside the Amazon knew about the acai palm and fruit. Travel in and out of the area was difficult, and transporting produce overseas had its own set of problems. Although once restricted to South America, this little fruit is now widely available in North America, Europe and Asia—thanks to advancements in freeze-drying technologies and an increased demand for acai fruit outside of Brazil.
Acai Health Benefits
Weight Loss
Acai has taken the west by storm as an effective, all-natural weight loss supplement. Every celebrity is endorsing one form or another of this wonderful little fruit. But beyond the marketing and the star power, how can this tiny berry from the Amazon help you to lose weight and stay healthy while doing it? Here is how: Acai contains a whole lot of fiber: This fiber is not digested by the body. It travels through your system acting as a tidal wave that cleans out years of toxins that have been stuck in the digestive tract. This has several benefits for the dieter (and for everyone else too). The first benefit is that the fiber takes a while to travel through the body and since it is not digested, it gives you a feeling of being full for a longer time. This cuts down on the feeling of hunger that is the number one enemy of diets. The second way it helps is by eradicating harmful toxins from the digestive tract. This allows the body to be purer and healthier. More importantly, it allows the body to process nutrients much more efficiently. Acai Increases your Metabolism: Basically, you burn more calories while at rest than you did before. Combine this furnace that is working overtime with a few intense workout sessions and watch the pounds melt away. Acai is full of anti-oxidants: These anti-oxidants are very important in fighting the free radicals that cause disease, aging, wrinkles and a whole host of other undesirable effects. But just as importantly, these anti-oxidants have been shown to promote a healthy cardiovascular system. Acai increases your energy level: After a long day, we seldom have the energy for a
Acai Health Benefits
workout session. Acai will give you the energy to make it through your day and maybe even have some left over for a workout. Regardless of what you do with this newfound energy, your days will become much more pleasant. While other fruits may have the benefits of Acai, you will have a hard time of finding one that has them all. With today's technology, we are able to capture all the goodness of this amazing berry in a supplement form that is easy to purchase and easy to use. Acai has received so much praise because it is indeed an amazing help to people trying to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Acai Health Benefits
Bodybuilding
A little-known benefit of the acai berry diet is its assistance in muscle building. Most of the acai berry diet reviews speak about how an acai berry diet can help in weight loss, antiaging, good vision, cardiovascular health and so on. But very few reviews and articles speak about the bodybuilding benefits of the acai berries. Acai berries are good for bodybuilding, but you cannot depend on them solely. Probably that's the reason why there is less information in this area. Acai is not as beneficial for building muscles as it is for some other things, but it does speed up the process all the same. You need proteins in order to build muscles. That is the reason you see all professional bodybuilders consuming a diet that is rich in proteins. However, proteins are not introduced in the body directly. They are introduced in the form of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks for proteins. Now, acai berries have a very significant amount of amino acids. Hence, when consumed in the form of a diet, these simple-looking berries can actually produce chains of protein molecules in the muscles of the body. There is more than 7.5% of amino acid content in acai berries. That's a significant amount. Also, since acai berry diet products are available in different concentrated forms, such as pulps, juices and powders, you can get a very good amount of protein through this food. Also, the fact that acai berries remove bad cholesterol from your body helps. Acai berries are rich in antioxidants, which assist the digestive process and remove the harmful LDL cholesterol from the body. The result is a trimmer figure, and it is easier to work on building a trimmer body than a flabby body.
Acai Health Benefits
And it is not just about building your muscles. Check out the vast amount of acai berry diet information that is so freely available on the Internet. You will find out that this diet does not just pump up those muscles but ensures good overall health. A sound constitution in a great physique - that's what regular consumption of an acai berry diet can give you.
Acai Health Benefits
Acai Detox
To understand the role of acai in a detox diet, it is important to realize why you would perform a body detox to begin with. Body detoxification is important because it removes artificial substances or toxins from your body. These toxins actually consume nutrients that your body needs to stay in good condition and strengthen your immune system. What happens when your immune system is weak? You get sick. This is why it's important to use a good body detox product to keep your immune system healthy by removing toxins. The popularity of body detoxification is growing as people are becoming more educated and are researching their body's health and illness. If you want to target a pure body and system, then performing a body detox is the answer. In addition to selecting a cleansing product, you'll want to start eating organic foods and keep a regular exercise regime. It is important to change your diet, because the goal is to keep foreign particles out of your system. So many foods these days are packed full of preservatives and other artificial products that could potentially destroy your immune system. This is where the high fiber content and massive anti-oxidant properties of the acai berry come in. The fiber aids in cleansing solid waste from your digestive tract while the antioxidants bind to and flush various other toxins from your bloodstream. Since acai berry has the highest anti-oxidant content of any fruit or vegetable, it is the ideal supplement for any body detox program. And since acai detox supplements are all natural, they allow you to detox without the risk of adding any further preservatives or toxins to your body.