Heard recently that research that diets high in fruit and vegetables and other plant foods are associated with better health and lower mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and cancer? It has been said in literature around the world. Now take this new super food, acai. It is not your average fruit, as it contains very high levels of antioxidants.
This is partly due to the high level of antioxidants in fruits and vegetables, which can protect against chronic disease by reducing free radical oxidative damage. The body is constantly being attacked by free radicals, which result naturally in the body due to metabolism.
Think of free radicals as individuals with too much energy and no where to put it, so they are extremely active and attack everything in their path. In our bodies, this translates to the damage of cells and genetic material. In the long term, this may cause permanent damage that is irreversible (such as cancer).
Throughout each day people are further exposed to free radicals through pollution, stress, exercise, chemicals and toxins. Antioxidants, which are consumed in the diet, act like scavengers which seek and relax them. Once they have been relaxed, like those young children, they dont cause any more damage.
So what kinds of antioxidants are in the Acai berry?
Acai berries are rich in anthocyanins, compounds that provide colour to fruits and serve as natural antioxidants. Those are the same compounds found in red wine. However, Acai berry pulp has 10-30 times more. Pure Dried Acai berries contain even more, 70-210 times more! The richer the pigment colour of the fruit, the more antioxidants it generally has.
One way to help achieve a high antioxidant diet is to make sure your plate is very colourful. Ensure that plenty of fruits and vegetables are eaten at main meals, and Acai smoothies or other fruits and vegetables are snacked on instead of lollies or chocolate.
The royal purple pigment that is characteristic in Acai berries not only makes the fruit appealing to eat, but it has been shown in studies that berry anthocyanins are beneficial in reducing age-associated free radical damage. If premature aging can be combatted by berries with 25 to 40 times less antioxidants than acai berries, then just imagine what pure dried acai berries can do!
Antioxidants in food are now being labelled by the US food industry with ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). Data from the USDA (United states department of agriculture) suggests that the average serving of fruit and vegetables has 890 to 2,500 ORAC units. Just one 5g serving of organic freeze dried acai berries will provide you with around 2,670 ORAC units!
