Chocolate covered berries. What a great combination? Do you know that there is a berry that has a cocoa flavor to it? Introducing............
Chocolate covered berries. What a great combination? Do you know that there is a berry that has a cocoa flavor to it?
Introducing............
The extraordinarily nutritious berry,
the acai berry.
The phonetic pronunciation for Acai is ah-sah-EE. More commonly pronounced ah-"sigh"-EE. Although it does not taste like pure chocolate, so to speak, the intense flavor of the of the acai's berry does indeed incorporate the bitterness of cacao.
The flavor of the acai berry is really hard to pinpoint though, some have compared the taste of its juices to that of raspberries. Flavor is not the only part of acai berry that makes it unique. The acai berry will "only" grow in the rain forest of the Amazon. The Brazilians’ have actually been enjoying the health effects of the of the acai berries for centuries. But more recently these grape size berries of the South American palm trees have been making their way into juice bottles and supplements going worldwide.
With a label of "antioxidant super food", it is recognized by the vast quantities of antioxidants and nutrients that it possesses. Acai berries have been shown to have as much or more than the level of antioxidants found in blueberries. The antioxidant power of the berry is what fights of free radicals. Free radicals are what cause cancer and other health problems. Consumption of the acai berries not only helps fight off cancer, it also boost energy levels as well as over all immunity.
The list of validated benefits, not to mention supposed benefits of the acai berry is virtually endless. A few include improved digestion, better circulation and better sleep.
Acai berry has been referred to as "the most healthful fruit in the world", bases on its benefits. In many cases most juice producers looking for that next niche, have over capitalized on the healthful fruit. Even though the trend is fairly recent, you can find grocery shelves stocked with organic acai juices, yogurt, smoothies and even teas. Every one of these products makes a promise of some sort or another. Take for instance the "Organic Acai Antioxidant Super food Smoothie" it has a claim on it that it is sufficient for a meal replacement.
I am going to play the devil’s advocate here for a second. Can this statement in fact be true? By the looks of the nutrients on the Nutritional Facts Label. It seems as though one will get proper nutrient amounts of protein, carbs, fat, potassium and even some fatty acids. Actually by the nutritional facts it does supply everything that an individual would need in a meal. Now that does not mean that acai berry smoothies are the only thing you should take in for the day. But it does mean that it is a good supplement to what you are taking in during the course of a day.
Acai berries or acai juice have also shown benefits of preventing heart disease, the phytochemical called anthocyanin the antioxidant known to fight heart disease, is 10-30 times more prevalent than found in red wine. These phytochemicals are often spoke of in the same sentence as the "French Paradox" which is the rarity of the occurrence of heart disease in France despite how much fat is ingested on a daily basis.
This concept basically summarizes that the phytochemicals in the red wine give the French, their continued health. With all these benefits of acai. The acai berry sounds like the berry to end all troubles correct? I am not going to tell you that it isn't one of the best berries or juices on the market today. But I will tell you to be careful in the amount of acai or any other antioxidant that is consumed.
There is a safe level of any antioxidant consumption because the reality of the inner workings of antioxidants is this. In short how they fight free radicals is they give an electron from themselves to the free radicals causing the free radicals not to be free radicals. But in fact changing them over to a free radical only having one electron now. This changes their chemical composition. This is why there is a therapeutic level established for all antioxidants. Some adverse side effects from too many ingested antioxidants are weakness, fever and toxicity.
Seeing that the acai berry is so packed with antioxidants, one must always be careful. Always consult with a physician about the optimal dosage requirements of any and all antioxidants.
