Posts Tagged ‘What is Acai Berry?’

Acai Anthocyanins: A Cure for Many Ills

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

The numerous health benefits of acai berries have cast this little-known fruit into the spotlight. And the most promising of them all could be powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins.

Have you ever wondered why France has a low incidence of cardiovascular disease with all that fat in French cuisine? The answer could be in the volumes of red wine they consume. Red wine contains anthocyanins – believed to negate the effects of a fatty diet and smoking. What you’re getting from the Brazilian acai fruit is 30 percent more anthocyanins than red wine, without the alcohol associated with it.

The Value of Anthocyanins

Chronic inflammation – anthocyanins can prevent inflammation by neutralizing the enzymes that damage connective tissue. The anti-inflammatory capabilities of anthocyanins can help lower the risk of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, atherosclerosis, diabetes and osteoporosis.

Neurological disorders – oxidative damage in brain cells can lead to brain damage and brain trauma. Anthocyanins in the acai berry known as Cyanidin-3-glucoside can help in reversing age-related neurological deficits.

Cardiovascular disease – one of the terrific benefits of acai is its ability to lower cholesterol levels. Anthocyanins prevent the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Elevated LDL levels can clog arteries and lead to atherosclerosis. Anthocyanins also prevent ischemia which increases capillary wall permeability, restricts blood flow, and often causes permanent capillary damage.

Blindness – retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes. When the body attempts to repair leaking capillaries, retinopathy occurs, which may lead to blindness. Anthocyanins prevent capillaries from leaking and control protein proliferation. Studies also show that anthocyanins can help you adapt better to light and dark as well as reduce eye fatigue.

Cancer – a recent experiment showed that anthocyanins from dark-colored fruits like the acai berry effectively halted colon cancer cell growth, killing approximately 20 percent of the malignant cells without damaging non-cancerous cells.

Anthocyanins are 6 to 8 times more potent than vitamin C. And the acai berry contains the most highly concentrated forms of anthocyanins among all other fruits and vegetables. Our ancestors knew then of the many benefits of acai – it’s time we make these berries a large part of our diets too.

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Acai Oil for Younger Looking Skin and Manageable Hair

Monday, February 9th, 2009

So much has been written about the healing powers of the acai fruit. Antioxidants, anthocyanins, vitamins and minerals in acai can significantly improve your health and protect you from chronic diseases. But what you don’t know is this miracle berry can do wonders for your outer beauty too – through acai oil.

Ushering in the year 2009 are cosmetic products that feature acai oil extract as a main ingredient. Lotions, topical creams, make-up, and hair care treatments made with acai oil are finding their way onto shelves of popular cosmetic brands.

Acai oil is rich in Vitamin C, B1, B2 and B3, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus. Oil is extracted from the acai fruit and mixed with other herbs to cure various skin problems such as psoriasis and eczema.

As an anti-aging medium, the acai’s real value lies in its rich natural vitamin E content which is essential for tissue regeneration. Acai oil has phytosterols that protect the superficial layer of the skin from wearing away, and essential fatty acids such as linoleic acid, Omega-6 and Omega-9 that nourishes the skin.

Can’t seem to get rid of wrinkles? Acai oil can help you. Acai berries contain high levels of anthocyanins that preserve connective tissues like collagen. Acai oil restores moisture to your face and body, making your skin glow and look several years younger.

Acai oil is good for your hair too. Renowned shampoo and conditioner labels are now offering products with acai oil, promising to deeply moisturize hair, add luster, and enrich hair color.

Ingesting acai is still the most effective way of absorbing its antioxidants and nutrients. But with skin and hair care products now offering the health benefits of acai oil, you can experience the rejuvenating capability of acai inside and out.

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The Acai Palm Tree: Brazil’s best kept secret

Thursday, February 5th, 2009

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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What’s Inside the Brazilian Acai Fruit

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

The Oprah Winfrey Show caused a massive furor around the Brazilian acai fruit. Ever since Dr. Nicholas Perricone talked about the acai berry on Oprah, this 2-centimeter purple fruit has sparked interest in every health-conscious American. What exactly is inside this berry that’s being hailed as the number one superfood on the planet?

Staggering antioxidant and anthocyanin levels
The antioxidant content of the Brazilian acai fruit is 10 times than that of grapes and twice that of blueberries. Anthocyanins in acai are up to 30 times more than that of red wine. The ORAC score for 100 grams of freeze dried acai is over 50,000 – a number that no other fruit or vegetable can even come close to.

A complete range of vitamins and minerals
The acai berry is a rich source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E. Potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc are also present in the acai fruit.

Healthy unsaturated fat
Almost 50% of the Brazilian acai fruit is fat - and 74% of that is Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9 fatty acid that’s good for your heart.

Strong fiber profile
For every 100 grams of freeze dried acai, your body receives around 14 grams of fiber.

Excellent source of amino acids and plant sterols

Acai contains 19 different amino acids, supplying your body with more than 8 grams of protein for every 100 grams of acai. Three plant sterols that maintain a healthy heart and digestive system can be found in the acai berry: beta-sitosterol, campesterol and sigmasterol.

The Brazilian acai fruit is 90% seed and 10% pulp. Only the pulp and skin are edible, but some unscrupulous manufacturers are adding crushed seeds to their acai products. Stay away from any acai drink, capsule or powder that has seeds in it.

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What the ORAC score means

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

Antioxidants help eliminate oxygen free radicals from the human body. This ability is measured through a test tube analysis called ORAC, or Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. The ORAC score is used to indicate the amount of antioxidants in one food source.

What are free radicals?
Free radicals are also called oxygen radicals. These are chemicals that form inside our bodies from natural processes such as digestion or physical activity. External forces such as pollution, solar radiation and rotten food also cause free radicals.

What do free radicals do?
Imagine rust forming on metal. As rust eats away the surface, the metal erodes and eventually becomes unusable. This is how free radicals attack our body – they weaken our cells, organs, tissue and other important parts, leading to diseases such as cancer, heart ailments, osteoarthritis and dementia.

The ORAC scale
Dr. Guohua Cao, a chemist-physician, is credited with the creation of the ORAC index. The ORAC test identifies and measures important antioxidants in a food source.

Foods with a high ORAC score can raise the antioxidant levels in the blood by up to 25 percent. Doctors recommend that we consume fruits and vegetables with a total ORAC score of 1,750 per day.

Because some plants contain more antioxidants than others, it is possible to achieve 1,300 ORAC units from seven kinds of vegetables or 6,000 ORAC points from just one type of fruit. Eight to ten servings of brightly colored fruits and dark green vegetables can give you an ORAC score of 5,000.

Acai tops the ORAC list
Blueberries, raspberries, grapes, broccoli, garlic, oregano and tomatoes rate high on the ORAC scale. But no single food source comes close to the ORAC score of the acai berry from Brazil.

A study done by researchers from the US Department of Agriculture, the University of Arkansas, Brunswick Laboratories, the National University of Singapore and the University of California confirmed that freeze-dried acai fruit pulp has the highest ORAC antioxidant values of any food.

Compared to blackberries (53), pomegranates (105), and blueberries (92), acai has an amazing ORAC score of 1,027 per gram. Some samples of freeze-dried acai turned out ORAC results of up to 50,000.

While these figures are impressive, they do not apply to all acai. Frozen, spray-dried and air-dried acai have lower ORAC values because many of the polyphenolics, enzymes and nutrients of the acai fruit are lost in the process.

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Acai and Caffeine: Do They Work Together?

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

Many acai berry products are laden with fillers that reduce the health benefits you’re supposed to be getting from this vitamin-packed fruit. Often these fillers can even be harmful to your body. Caffeine is a common ingredient that manufacturers add to what they label as energy drinks. Can acai and caffeine work together?

Caffeine is a logical choice because of the energy jolt it brings. It stimulates the central nervous system, warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. The high caffeine content in coffee is what makes it a very popular beverage among students and employees in highly stressful or monotonous jobs.

The problem with caffeine is it can be habit-forming, and caffeine withdrawal has unpleasant side effects.

Whenever there’s a huge task at hand, we drink coffee to stay awake. Before an important contest, we take a bite of chocolate to add a bounce to our step. As caffeine stimulates the adrenals, it weakens them and creates fatigue with chronic use. The more you ingest caffeine, the more cups of coffee you’ll need to stay alert. Before you know it, you’ve become a caffeine addict.

Caffeine overdose presents a gamut of side effects. The most evident is nervousness, heart palpitations and insomnia. Many people who overuse caffeine tend to develop a dependence on tranquilizers and sleeping pills to keep them calm or help them sleep.

Caffeine boosts stomach acid production, so high usage over time can lead to peptic ulcers and gastro-esophageal reflux disease. Headaches, diarrhea and uterine fibroids are also common with heavy caffeine users.

As with many addictive substances, caffeine withdrawal is no fun. Quitting cold turkey after developing a habit of guzzling three to four cups of coffee a day can make you feel restless and irritable.

Caffeine withdrawal symptoms include hand trembling, anxiety, fatigue, upset stomach, insomnia, flushing, urinary system disturbance, gastrointestinal irritation, muscle twitching, confused speech, poor concentration, irregular or rapid heart beat, high blood pressure, heartburn, agitation, depression, and in worst cases, delusions, hallucinations, and psychosis.

The acai berry is a great energy-booster on its own. Adding caffeine, and all its side effects, will take away the health benefits the acai promises. Clearly, acai and caffeine don’t mix. So when buying acai berry juice drinks, make sure the label says caffeine-free.

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Acai Berry: Weathering the Obesity Crisis

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

Obesity has become an epidemic in the US and is now the number one health threat facing America. Every year, obesity kills around 400,000 Americans and costs the nation nearly $122.9 billion in healthcare. The acai berry from Brazil can help weather this crisis.

About two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, putting them at a high risk for a wide range of chronic ailments, including:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Stroke
• Hypertension
• Congestive heart failure
• Osteoarthritis
• Gout
• Fatty liver disease
• Sleep apnea and other respiratory problems
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Psychological disorders
• Fertility and pregnancy complications
• Cancer of the kidney, endometrium, breast, colon and rectum, esophagus, prostate and gall bladder

Weight loss is an essential part of managing and reducing obesity. But corporate America keeps us pinned to our office chairs 10 to 12 hours a day, relying more and more on high-fat fast food diet and failing to exercise on a regular basis.

The best way to fight obesity is to stick to a program that will enable you not only to lose weight but maintain it in the long run. The problem with crash diets is that once you’ve achieved the weight you desire and stop the program, you gain back all the weight you have previously lost.

Exercise is an important component of any sustainable weight loss program. But most people will do anything to avoid exercise because it’s a lot of work. Here’s where the Amazon acai berry works wonders for you. Those who have taken acai swear by its amazing energy-boosting powers. Drinking just 3-4 ounces of acai juice per day makes them feel better, lighter, and more energetic.

The acai berry is a great detoxifying agent. It rids your body of harmful toxins way better than grapes or apples can. Without toxins, it’s all systems go for your blood circulation, digestion, respiration, and bones and muscles — supplying you with the energy and stamina needed to pursue a rigorous exercise regime.

Increase your chances of losing weight by taking acai berry juice. Unlike diet pills, acai berry juice is organic and all-natural so you need not worry about harmful side effects.

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Weight Loss: No to Diet Pills, Yes to Acai Berry

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

Diet pills can cause a plethora of side effects. Shed those excess pounds the natural way – by adding acai to your nutritional regime.

Acai berries are an energy booster, helping you keep going during those strenuous cardio workouts. Acai is also rich in essential amino acids, fiber, good fat, and antioxidants that keep your body in tip-top shape.

Amino acids are building blocks of protein that makeup muscles, tendons, ligaments, organs, glands, nails, hair, vital body fluids, and bones in our body. Amino acids found in acai berry helps in the development, recovery and regeneration of these protein substances. They also enable the body to properly use the vitamins and minerals it absorbs from food. Without the presence of amino acids, vitamins and minerals cannot be effective.

Fiber in acai helps your digestive system break down food faster. It eliminates unwanted food particles so they cannot be absorbed by the body and stored as fast. Fiber also clears your stomach and intestines of toxins.
 
Metabolism is crucial to weight loss. People with slower metabolism are unable to burn calories quickly, hence storing fat in the body. Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids in acai speed up the body’s metabolism. And high metabolic rates result in significant weight loss. These fatty acids, however, cannot be produced by the human body. It can only be obtained from food such as acai berries and flaxseeds. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in fish oil from salmon, mackerel, anchovies and sardines. Nuts, seeds, legumes, and vegetable oil from grape seed, sesame, soybean, canola, and walnut are rich sources of Omega 6 fatty acids.

With a healthy dose of fiber to aid in digestion, fatty acids to fire up your metabolism, and amino acids for building muscles, your body burns fat and increases energy at the same time.

Adding acai berries to your diet is probably the best way to lose weight, balanced of course with regular exercise and an adequate supply of fruits and vegetables. Acai gets rid of the fat, detoxifies your body, and tastes good too!

Acai is available fresh in Brazil, and in supplementary juice drinks and capsules outside of South America. Although acai berry juice is not as potent as the berry itself, pulp extracts have also shown excellent results as a weight loss aid.
 

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Keeping your colon clean and clear

Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States. And acai berries can help you fight it.

You may have received cold calls from telemarketers offering you colon cleansing products and services as a way to prevent this terrible disease. Don’t believe the hype! Colon cleansing won’t prevent cancer. It may even hurt you. The best way to get rid of toxins in your body is through natural means – filling your diet with fiber and getting rid of the fat.

The colon is extremely important in maintaining good health. A clogged colon can lead to bacteria buildup, which can result in a long line of digestive problems including bloating, constipation and diarrhea.

Colonic hydrotherapy poses three dangers:

1) Contaminated equipment used to flush out waste from your colon could cause bacterial infection
2) Your body might end up absorbing too much water, leading to chemical imbalance, heart failure and fluid in the lungs
3) Too much water could break the wall of your colon, which could be lethal

But with pure, all-natural acai berries, your digestive system can be a workhorse. The rich fiber content of acai will aid in pushing the hardened waste from your colon. Fat can clog up matter within the colon, but because acai berries can burn fat fast, it doesn’t accumulate in your body.

Other foods that can help keep your colon clean and clear are yogurt, grapes, flaxseed, cayenne, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, aloe vera, ginger root and peppermint leaves.

Your best bet in fighting colon cancer is preventing it. Visit your doctor for colon cancer screenings. Exercise regularly. Stay away from tobacco. Lay off the fat. And stuff your diet with fiber and vitamin D – nutrients that acai berries are loaded with.

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Pure acai is just a click away

Monday, January 19th, 2009

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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