Acai Berries: Delicious Berry or Health Miracle?

By James Perron


The probability is, you have already some biased notions about acai berries from all of the media coverage they have been getting lately. While acai berry products and supplements have been primarily promoted as weight loss aids, the stuff that no one's talking about are all the other benefits you get from consuming acai berries.

Acai berries are not a new phenomenon. They have been growing in the floodplains of the Amazon river in South America for centuries, and have been consumed by locals of the region for similarly long as a natural part of their diet. The reason they have not been heard of until recently is because of their extremely perishable nature, which means that they need to be consumed fairly quickly after they are picked.

The berries themselves are small, similar in color to blackberries but about the dimensions of a small cherry. They grow on a tree called the Acaizeiro, a name which means 'tree of life'. Find out more.

Now that we've established that acai berries aren't some new concoction thrown out by the health foods industry to con gullible shoppers into spending large quantities of money, here are some of the advantageous aspects of including acai berries in your diet:

- Acai berries have a highly anti oxidant property, even more so than other fruits known for their antioxidising properties, and nearly 30 times as much as red wine!
- Acai berries are historically used as a source of fibre in the Amazon. They are given to new mothers after childbirth to help them thru the period of nursing.
- The reason why acai berries have been talked about so much in the area of weight loss and nutritional supplement products is they are believed to raise the metabolic rate that fat is converted to energy by the body. While this has clear benefits, it is one effect that is not straight away observable and must be taken with a touch of salt.
- The berries contain the essential trans-acids Oleic acid (Omega 9) and Linoleic acid (Omega 6). The reason why these are vital is because firstly, they are not produced naturally by the body and must be consumed in one's diet. 2nd, Omega 6 is necessary to maintain the skin's health and pliability and also has a role to play in augmenting sexual performance, and is also thought to lower the risk of heart problems. Omega 9 is what is in olive oil, and is a healthy metabolism booster.

Acai berries therefore , have more benefits than their standing as a weight control product implies. They are a good addition to any healthy, nutritious diet if consumed carefully and in their natural form or in any other form that's both recognisably qualified by a standards body as containing natural acai berry extract.




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