The acai palm tree is one of eight palm species classified under the genus Euterpe. Pronounced “ah-sigh-ee”, acai grows abundantly in the floodplains and swamps of Central and South America where the tropical climate is friendly to this blackish purple drupe.

Acai palm trees are grown for their fruits and hearts. While it has been a staple food for many years in Brazil, the acai berry has become extremely popular in the US in recent years that global demand has gone through the roof.

Similar to grapes, the acai palm tree produces berries in bunches, going from a green color to a dark rich purple as they ripen. Acai fruits are round, with a single large seed enclosed in a fibrous pulp covered with an oily skin coating. One acai palm tree can produce four to eight bunches a year, with each bunch weighing up to 6 kilograms.

For hundreds of years, Brazilians have been using oil from the acai fruit to treat diarrhea. They also add shredded acai rind to topical wash solutions for skin ulcers. In Peru, acai seeds are ground, toasted and applied to fevers. In Colombia, the acai, also called naidi, is a very popular gastronomic delight.

Along the banks of the Amazon River, natives consume acai like water. They extract the juice by first soaking the fruit in water. Once the skin is softened, the acai is squeezed and strained to produce a dark purple liquid. Acai extracts are consumed as fresh fruit juice or added to ice cream, liquor and sweet snacks. Amazonians drink up to 2 liters of acai juice per day.

From the time of tribal wars among Amazon warriors to modern Rio de Janeiro, juice from the acai berry has been and remains an important part of South American diet.

The secret behind those beautiful Brazilian bodies is bunched up there in the acai palm tree.

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Getting pure acai to your doorstep can prove difficult. With the acai fruit going bad in as fast as 24 hours from the time it was picked, only inhabitants of the Amazon region have access to fresh, all-natural berries.

Where fruits and vegetables are not available raw, it is recommended to consume them in juice form. Squeezing out extracts from grapes, pineapple, orange, apple, or tomatoes require minimal processing, so you’re essentially getting the same nutrients as they were in their natural state.

The past few years, acai has gained superstar status in the United States, thanks to TV icon Oprah Winfrey who endorsed the berry on her popular talk show. Oprah featured a book written by renowned dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone proclaiming the acai as the number one super food on the planet.

Now the acai is getting the recognition it truly deserves. More and more health-conscious citizens are realizing the potential of

acai as a dietary supplement. And distributors are finding more innovative ways to bring its weight loss and anti-aging benefits to your homes. One such technique is through acai preserves.

Manufacturers maintain that acai preserves contain around 99% of pure acai fruit. Spread them like jam on bread and pancakes and enjoy the delicious taste of fruit combined with chocolate syrup, without the negative side effects of sugar.

Other forms of acai such as energy bars do not afford the same benefits as juice or preserves would because many of the nutrients are lost in the processes applied to produce them.

With hundreds of acai products readily available on the Internet, there’s no need for you to hop on a plane to Brazil to gain the disease-fighting and health-boosting benefits of the acai berry.

Pure acai is just a click away from you.

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You are able to purchase acai juice and other acai products on the Internet, but should you purchase it at your local supermarket?

Acai is a grape-like berry that is found deep in the Amazon forests. Labeled as the number one superfood, acai berries have the highest and richest amounts of antioxidants a natural food-product can contain. They are known to provide significant health benefits to those who consume its extracts in liquid, pill, or powder form.

Although acai products are generally purchased on the Internet, some local grocery stores and supermarkets stock on frozen berries and even frozen concentrate. Beware of products that claim to be “fresh” acai berries. The acai fruit is so fragile it has to be processed within 24 hours of being picked, so transporting it fresh is close to impossible.

Whether you’re buying online or from the grocer, it is imperative to look for these important things to ensure that you are getting the highest quality acai:

1. Freeze dried and not spray dried acai. Freeze-drying preserves important nutrients while spray drying, which uses high heat, strips the acai of some of its nutritional value.

2. Maltodextrin, dextrose, soy and other fillers. Many manufacturers use additives when extracting the acai pulp from the large berry seed. Although they may not be harmful to your health, they are not supposed to be mixed with the acai powder.

3. Sweeteners such as sugar or fructose. Acai has a great chocolatey flavor on its own, so sugar is an ingredient you shouldn’t be taking in with your acai juice, especially if you are trying to lose weight.

4. ORAC test results. One of the major benefits of acai is its high level of antioxidants, and the ORAC rating will indicate the amount of antioxidants in the acai juice after it is bottled.

5. Chemical preservatives. Acai is a natural health supplement not to be mixed with chemicals and artificial flavors.

Add these five tips to your checklist when making your acai purchase.

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