acai berry weightloss

Archive for September, 2009

The Acai (pronounced ah-SAH-ee) berry is the latest super antioxidant food sweeping the world. This small round fruit is produced by the Acai Palm which is native to Central and South America floodplains and swamps. The fruit is rich in anthocyanin / anthocyanidin phytonutrients which are members of the flavonoid class of antioxidants. The dark purple berry, which tastes something like a blend of berries and chocolate, supposedly contains 10 to 30 times the flavonoids contained in red wine. The pulp is also rich in B vitamins, minerals, protein, Vitamin E, caffeine, fiber and essential fatty acids (such as Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9). This wonder food is purported to fight cancer, control cholesterol, increase energy, improve your sex life and help you lose weight. The University of Florida is studying its cancer fighting properties and Dr. Nicholas Perricone has recommended it as one of his top 10 superfoods for age-defying beauty on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, and in an article in Oprah magazine and also in his book The Perricone Promise. This little berry has been touted as one of the most nutritious and healthy foods in the world.The acai berry is a small dark blue fruit, similar in size to a blueberry or small grape but with less pulp, that grows in clusters or panicles of approximately 800 berries on Acai palm trees. The tribes of the Amazon knew of the health properties of this fruit for centuries and traditionally pulped it to make wine. The berries contain a thin layer of edible pulp surrounding a large seed. These palms are extremely prevalent in the floodplain areas of the Amazon River and are easy to cultivate as a replacement tree in areas where the rain forest has been destroyed. The slender palms grow from 40 to 80 feet tall and have leaves up to 10 feet long. Each palm can produce more than 50 pounds of berries annually. The harvesting of this powerful antioxidant rich product has become a major industry in Brazil and employs up to 30,000 people on a daily basis to harvest and process the product. Unfortunately the fruit deteriorates rapidly after harvesting (active properties can disappear after 24 hours) and so it is restricted to being eaten in the growing region or being processed and shipped as juice or frozen pulp. This industry has become an economic and environmentally-friendly alternative to unsustainable harvesting of hearts of palm, logging and conversion of the rain forest to farming or ranching. During the last decade in Brazil, acai has become a major food fad and Brazilians consume the frozen pulp alone or in yogurt, ice cream, smoothies, drinks, fruit or as a cereal topping. The frozen pulp tastes like a blueberry sorbet or ice cream with a hint of chocolate.

Acai can be difficult to find outside of South America although the frozen pulp and juices are starting to be imported into the US and Canada. Your best chance of finding the product is in health food stores or the health food section of your supermarket. Make sure that the acai berry is wild harvested and quickly frozen to retain its maximum nutrient value. Also in the US, acai is being sold as an ingredient in a number of beverages, and as frozen fruit that can be added to home-made smoothies as well as in health food extracts and supplements.

Of course you know that the Acai palm tree (aa) is a 6-24 meter tall, fruiting palm that grows in Amazonia, mostly in the wetlands of Brazil.

It was named by the native people there as i-ai, which roughly translated is: the fruit that cries.

Its an unusual name, but it has a story. An Acai-obsessed Brazilian told this one to me.

(Youll have to judge yourself how factual it is.)

Many moons ago there was an Amazon Indian girl named Iaca, whose father was the tribes chief. His tribe had outgrown the local food supply and there was no longer enough food for everyone.

The chief decreed that all newborn babies must be killed until food supplies are sustainable again. (Pretty drastic, I know.) When Iaca, his own daughter had a child herself, the chief had his one grandbaby killed in order to not appear two-faced.

Iaca naturally wasnt too happy, mourning her babys death alone in her hut for days.

Then she heard a baby crying outdoors, and followed the sound into the Jungle. After a little while she came across a very tall palm tree, covered in purple fruit.

Seeing all the food that could have saved her daughter was too much for Iaca, so some say she died right there against the trunk of the tree.

The next morning the other tribesmen found the new tree and Iacas body. The trees fruit satisfied their hunger and renewed their energy, making them stronger than ever before. The chief lifted his harsh ruling and declared that the fruit would be named for his daughter, and named it Acai, because acai is Iaca spelled backwards.

So with plenty of food for all, the tribe grew and is still there eating Acai berries three meals a day to this day.

One very interesting thing to note about that story is that very few of the native Indian tribes from before Columbus had survived in South America Most were wiped out, not by conquistadors, but by European germs.

But not those who lived on the Acai berry. Their numbers never dwindled!

In modern times, Acai has been eaten daily for decades by people across Brazil.

A cold bowl of Acai is usually eaten in the morning for breakfast. (I eat one of these myself each morning Yum!)

In the 1950s, local doctors began to notice the health benefits of Acai.

In the 1980s, refrigerated trucks were able to get the first frozen berries from the rainforest to Rio, where it has flourished as a very popular smoothie, ice-cream, and even cocktail ingredient ever since. They eat it many times a day down there and almost always eat it with dinner when they stay out late to party all night.

Only recently, since late 2000, have a few small start-up companies attempted to bring it to the United States and other countries. One of the first companies was Sambazon, and they are to this day the largest supplier of Acai berry pulp outside of Brazil.

Since it started showing up in supermarkets across the country, new medical studies have popped up and researchers are founding out about all of the exciting health benefits of Acai on a daily basis.

Dr. Andrew Schuass was the first to perform an ORAC analysis on the Acai Berry, and since has inspired many, many other doctors and scientists to run their own tests.

To date, none have ever failed to be amazed.

Most have been highly localized and, until recently, not readily available to the public. Times are changing. The opening of world markets has made these rare products more widely available.

Consumers concerned with health and wellness are looking for natural foods that control free radicals, contain antioxidants, taste great and are organic. Health conscious individuals look to foods ones containing high vitamin and mineral content as well as high Omega and essential fatty acids. Exotic plants, fruits and berries provide low calorie, great tasting supplements with major health benefits. Let’s explore a few of these “superfoods.”

Fertile coastal regions of South and Central America harbor a wonderful palm tree known as the Acai Palm (pronounced asa’i) with excellent nutrients to be reaped. The palm hearts from the saplings of this species (Euterpe oleracea) are used widely in salads. They are very similar to those so common in oriental cooking. The large fronds of older palms are used to make roofing materials, clothing and fan blades.

The most important part of this palm, however, is the humble 1 inch round fruit. This berry looks like an oversized blueberry and has been described by many to taste like blackberries with a hint of chocolate. Yum! The Acai berry has a thin, dark purple skin and an extremely juicy inside, much like a grape. It surrounds a large, hard seed similar to that found in an olive. Acai berries are used locally as additions to cereals, eaten raw, or used in juices and teas. Berries shipped outside of local regions are generally available as ingredients in healthy juices.

This berry contains Omega-6, Omega-9 and nearly all other essential fatty acids that decrease incidents of cancer and cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks. Other benefits include a bolstered immune system and general good health. In addition, one serving of Acai contains protein equivalent to one egg.

Another important emerging berry is the Goji, or Chinese Wolfberry, which has been considered both a nutrimental food and a medicinal plant in Asian cultures for over 1900 years. The Goji berry is dried and eaten as a snack food or used in cooking. The Tibetan or Himalayan Goji is the most sought after and claimed to be picked only in the wild.

With the emerging emphasis on organically grown foods, China has implemented an organic growing program. Commercially grown Goji berry prices are beginning to come down while quality remains high. This makes them an excellent choice for people on the go who want to have healthy snacks at hand.

The pomegranate is probably the ugliest fruit on the outside and the most beautiful on the inside. The leathery red/brown outside holds small fruits resembling fields of rubies mixed with honeycombed inner passages. Many a child has sat for hours extracting the jewel-like seeds for their amazing flavor. A native of the tropical regions, this fruit is probably the best known of the exotic fruits. Its antioxidant properties have taken a back seat to its wonderful taste. Pomegranate juice tastes a bit like sweet ripe cherries, and the concentrated juice has been widely used in tropical drinks. Only recently have studies been done that show the incredible powers of this fruit in reducing health risks.

All fruits, berries and vegetables have great nutritional and food value. For people on-the-go who want to maintain the 5-8 servings of antioxidant foods per day, exotic berries, including Acai berry supplements, are a good snack choice. They contain up to five times more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable, including much touted prunes and raisins.

The aa berry has been shown to produce important health benefits associated with reducing ones risk or prevention of cancer, diabetes, chronic inflammation, heart and vascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, high blood cholesterol, stroke, bacterial infections, urinary tract infections, age-related visual deterioration and premature aging. Acai is constantly used topically as a strong antibacterial mix in Brazil.

In a recent study have revealed that acai antioxidants could kill off leukemia cells in vitro. The study showed that the acai berries triggered a self-destruct response in up to 86% of leukemia cells tested. Because acai is one of the richest fruit sources of antioxidants, the study was an important step in learning what benefits may be derived from using beverages, dietary supplements or other products made with the berries. In addition, this research indicates a possible anti-cancer effect of anthocyanins and other pigments in dark berries like the blueberry and black raspberry.

What are anthocyanins? Anthocyanins are some of the more potent forms of antioxidants. We have all heard of the “French Paradox”, how the people of France with their high fat diets and not uncommon unhealthy lifestyles, are still below the percentage of related deaths from cardiovascular disease than many of the populations which exist today. One reason may be that they consume large amounts of red wine. Wine made from grapes has very high levels of the antioxidant anthocyanins. The polyphenols in red wine, therefore, are believed to diminish the effects of a fatty diet and smoking. Anthocyanins found in various fruits have a unique chemical structure that makes them more potent than vitamin C. Acai contains the most highly concentrated forms of anthocyanins. The anthocyanin content in the acai is proven to be 3.5 times the amount of that present in a glass of red wine. It makes sense, therefore, that the properties in acai may help protect against a myriad of neurological diseases; arteriosclerosis; diabetes; and improve eyesight.

Further research on the acai berry has shown that the antioxidants are known to fight and regulate cholesterol levels in the body. The reason for this is that acai has two essential fatty acids known as Omega 6 and Omega 9. While Omega 6 helps lower LDL, Omega 9 fatty acids not only lower LDL, but maintain HDL levels. The acai berry plays a large role in maintaining the vascular cardiac system, which is important for better blood circulation.

Acai is widely used in energy drinks, ice cream, energy bars with granola, and now it is in its best form, is used as a powder extract that is more powerful and yet convenient to take. In addition, acai can be found in Forte Juice, which has now become a most popular drink for those who wish to enhance their overall health. In fact, this drink is promoted as the ultimate super juice with the power to provide a world of health benefits.

With antioxidants derived from natural substances to help fight the damaging effects of free radicals in the body, the acai berry can help boost your bodys immune system and defend against free radical damage.