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The acai berry has been a well-known rich source of proteins and nutrients of Brazilian jungle dwellers for generations. It is just recently that North America is learning about all the health benefits of this small but powerful berry, due largely to the efforts of nutritionists and the media.
Although acai has been available for over a decade in North America, it wasn't until around 2005, that the berry entered the mainstream health product industry with word that the Brazilian fruit's juice was especially high in antioxidants. A further push happened in 2008, when Dr. Mehmet Oz mentioned the berries during a segment on the Oprah Winfrey show.
Like most things that are mentioned on Oprah, everybody wants to get their hands on them now.
About Acai Berry
The acai berry is the fruit of eight different species of palm trees that are found in Central and South America. Growing up to 40-100 feet (15-30 metres), the acai palm tree will produce its fruit twice a year in branched panicles of about 500 to 900 fruits.
The fruit is dark purple in colour and approximately the size and shape of a grape, but with less pulp. The seed makes up 80% of the berry and since they will spoil within 24 hours of being harvested, the pulp is immediately separated from the seed. The resulting product is an edible puree, which has the slight taste of berries with a hint of chocolate that is either frozen or freeze dried for export.
Acai Berry Nutrients
A common perception about the colour of fruits and vegetables is the darker it is the better it is for you. In this instance, acai berries do not dispel that perception. Packed with antioxidants, amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, this little berry really is good for you.
A recent test of 100 grams of freeze-dried acai was shown to contain:
· 533.9 calories
· 52.2 g carbohydrates
· 44.2 g of dietary fiber
· 8.1 g protein
· 260 mg calcium
· 4.4 mg iron
· 1002 U vitamin A
· vitamin C
· aspartic acid
· glutamic acid
· oleic acid
· palmitic acid
· linoleic acid
· beta-sitosterol
· procyanidin oligomers
· vanillic acid
· syringic acid
· p-hydroxybenzoic acid
· protocatechuic acid
· ferulic acid
Remember, this was a sample of freeze-dried acai powder, just imagine how many nutrients a fresh berry would contain. Unfortunately the only way to get your hands on a fresh berry would be to move to Brazil.
Health Benefits of the Acai Berry
There are many health claims circulating around the Internet about the miracle properties of the acai berry. For many of them, you have to adopt the old adage, "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."
To date there has not been a single clinical study that has proven that the acai berry will help you to: lose weight, increase your libido, or cure cancer.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, through exercise and diet, is the only way to insure your overall health. And although the acai berry is a fruit just like any other, with the exception that being dark in colour it contains higher levels of nutrients and antioxidants then most fruits, there is no doubt that it is actually good for, its just not the miracle cure that some have made it out to be.
Article Source: http://www.everyonesarticles.com
Corey Rozon is a freelance writer from Ottawa, Canada. GojiBerries.us is the makers of healthy acai products, such as acai juice, which actually is good for you.
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