The tiny, little acai berry can offer you a wealth of health benefits. It is loaded with antioxidants, essential fatty acids and amino acids. It is also delicious with a taste similar to a cross between a grape, a blueberry and a raspberry or maybe even berries covered in dark chocolate.
The acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) berry is one of the healthiest nutritional discoveries of this century. It has one of the highest antioxidant levels of any food, a collaborative combination of healthy fats and next to perfect essential amino acid complex. Even so, it is rather rare as it can only be grown in the Amazon rainforest.
Antioxidants are molecules that are capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is imperative to life but in excess it can damage our cells which in turn turns into many diseases, premature aging and even being overweight. Nature has provided an abundance of nutritious foods that are packed with antioxidants. The acai berry has been proven to have one of the highest antioxidant levels of any food ever found.
The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) is a method of measuring the antioxidant capacities of different foods. The acai berry has the highest ORAC of any berry, at 10 times more than grapes, twice as high as blueberries and even 10 to 30 times more than red wine.
It is unlikely for a fruit but the acai berry also contains essential fatty acids. The acai berry is rich in monounsaturated oleic acid, which is similar to olive oil. Oleic acid helps make the cell membranes more supple, thereby helping all of the hormones, neurotransmitters and insulin receptors throughout our bodies work more efficiently. Poor insulin receptivity has been linked to many diseases, most notably of course, diabetes, but also cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome and the related afflictions caused from that.
All of the research being done on acai berries point to the fact that this tiny little berry is a nutritional powerhouse. It has been dubbed a superfood. The term superfood is used to describe a food with a high phytonutrient content that is believed to confer health benefits as a result.
The acai berry has been proven to be advantageous in weight loss, the protection against decline from aging and the protection against diseases. The acai berry is definitely a superfood.
You can only enjoy these benefits from the acai berry by including the processed forms of the berry in your diet because the berry is extremely perishable. However you can enjoy the processed forms, including juices, supplement, extracts and more.
