Rachel Ray promotes acai berry. Oprah Winfrey promotes acai berry. Acai is also one of the 10 superfoods promoted by Dr Perricone. Plenty of experts believe that this berry is the new wonder food.
Acai berries taste like an intoxicating blend of chocolate and berries. Acai berry is chock full of essential fatty acids, amino acids, and antioxidants. Although acai may not yet be available in the average Safeway, you can easily find it in several health food and gourmet stores.
One of the benefits of acai is that it can reverse signs of aging. A potent mixture of antioxidants that can help combat premature aging including 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and 10 to 30 times then the proven benefits of red wine. These antioxidants keep your skin soft and smooth and supple and can actually eliminate some pre-existing wrinkles.
Acai also contains an effective combination of dietary fiber, monounsaturated (healthy) fats, and phytosterols to help promote cardiovascular and digestive health. Phytosterols from plant sources have been found to be beneficial in treating many conditions, such as the immune system deficiency, arthritis and high cholesterol. The plant sterols compete for absorption sites with those of cholesterol (an animal sterol), they thus reduce the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the body. Total and LDL (low-density lipid) cholesterol levels can be reduced by the consumption of phytosterols.
These berries also contain an almost perfect essential amino acid complex in conjunction with valuable trace minerals which are vital to proper muscle health contraction and regeneration.
The benefits of acai berry are vast and wide. The fatty acid content in acai berries resembles that of healthy oils such as olive oil and flax seed oil. It is also full of monounsaturated oleic acid.
Oleic acid is critical to good health for many reasons. Oleic acid helps make cell membranes healthier by making them more flexible by allowing for the penetration of omega-3 acids. By making our cell membranes flexible, our cells can function optimally. This benefit really can’t be exhagerated as high insulin levels create an inflammation and inflammation causes all sorts of problems. Oleic acid also exhibits other health benefits. It has been shown to prevent the development of heart disease which is a major concerns amongst adults.
An interesting use of oleic acid which is found in acai berry is its use as an ingredient in Lorenzo’s oil made famous in a TV movie of the same name. This medication was developed to prevent the onset of adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a condition effecting boys that attacks the myelin sheaths of the body, causing debilitating symptoms similar to those in multiple sclerosis. Though Lorenzo’s oil does not cure the condition, it can delay onset or progression of the disease in those who are not yet symptomatic.
The health benefits of acai are varied and truly compelling. You owe it to yourself to take the advise of Rachel Ray and give acai berry a try.
