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Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Learning All About Acai Berries
Researchers intent on learning all about acai berries consistently reach the same conclusion. Not only are the small berries that grow near the top of acai palm trees in Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest an extremely healthy food source, but the high level of antioxidants they contain can help combat cancer cells, some heart diseases, contribute to weight loss, and generate energy boosts in humans.
Often consumed as a juice or thick pulp, acai has been proven to elevate antioxidant levels in a person’s blood or urine significantly within 24 hours after being taken into the body.
Some facts about the acai berry include:
* Acai berries are about the size of a grape
* Acai is said to taste “like a vibrant blend of berries and chocolate”
* Acai berries are royal purple in color
* The pulp surrounding its seed is the edible part of the acai berry
* Acai berries contain healthy Omega fatty acids like those found in fish oil and olive oil
* Acai berries include oleic acid, a component along with Omega fatty acids that penetrate cell membranes, making them more pliant, hence more efficient in promoting the function of hormones, neurotransmitters, and insulin receptors
* Acai berries include amino acids, which are keys to proper muscle contraction and regeneration
* Acai berries include monounsaturated (healthy) fats, dietary fiber, and phytosterois that help promote cardiovascular and digestive health
* Acai often is sold in supplement form
* It’s recommended that acai products have no preservatives included in them
* Unfiltered acai juice or pulp is recommended to maintain the product’s organic wholeness
* Glass bottle containers are recommended for acai juice or pulp products; leeching will occur in plastic bottles; and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandates that acai berry products be pasteurized
* Be wary of “free trial” internet scams for acai products; providing such companies with credit card information to pay for shipping can open doors to unwanted further purchases
* Before accepting free trial samples, read any contract’s fine print; many advertisers include in their contracts the stipulation that billing will be continued if you don’t cancel your agreement in fourteen, or even thirty days
Although Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) scores have been around since 1992 and are widely accepted as the best available measure of the antioxidant capacities of different foods, the scores still aren’t defined and regulated by the FDA.
However, many doctors recommend a daily intake of the equivalent of about 1,750 ORAC units per day to maintain health. And ORAC scores for acai products nearly are off the chart.
An ORAC score for 100 grams of food places acai powder (freeze dried from acai pulp puree) well at the top of the ORAC fruit chart with 90,000 ORAC units. Second to it is Goji berries at 25,300 ORAC units.
It’s possible that learning all about acai berries could, at a future date, open doors to new health discoveries.
By Rocky Wilson author of Sharene -- Death: A Prerequisite For Life
