For all those you have internet or a TV, we know Rachel Ray loves Acai. Acai is the new superfood promoted by Rachel Ray, Oprah, Dr. Perricone and Dr. Oz. For those who haven’t heard of it, the acai berry is dark purple or green in color. This berry grows naturally and without cultivation at the crown of fast growing palm trees which dominate the rain forests in the Amazon, particularly in parts of Brazil. Every six months, the local population harvests the berries and uses them to make a fruity pulp which flavors a variety of different foods. In its raw form this berry pulp has a short shelf life and needs to be used quickly. If not used immediately after harvest the pulp needs to be flash-frozen in order to prevent spoilage.
Scientific teams have discovered that the acai berries are a wonderfully rich source of an antioxidant nutrient called anthocyanins. This is the exact same substance that provides red wine with it’s the antioxidants. Acai Berries are also rich in protein and fiber and also provide essential fatty acids, vitamins B and A, and omega-9 and omega-6.
Acai has gotten a lot of press since being introduced to us by Dr. Nicholas Perricone on the Oprah show. He wrote a book in which he states acai berry is the most perfect food in the world. Acai Berry ranks among his top ten superfoods and if these superfoods are taken regularly they are supposed to make a person feel significantly younger within 10 days. Acai berry has captured the imagination of many celebrities. Rachel Ray drinks acai berry juice daily and speaks about it on her own television show.
It is commonly known that antioxidants are essential for good health. They help us fight the on-going threat of disease and the deteriorating effects of aging. We are regularly hearing that we should eat more foods rich in antioxidants such as raspberries and blueberries and spinach. Antioxidants have long been recognized as an essential and critical part of a healthy diet.
I have always respected Rachel Ray and her opinions on food. I wanted to learn more about Rachel Ray and acai berry. I was interested to read that recently a team of investigators decided to research just how much antioxidant power was in commercially available acai juices. Three store bought and readily available acai juice blends containing varied but unspecified percentages of acai juice and/or acai pulp were compared for in vitro antioxidant capacity against other well known and common antioxidants such as six types of pure fruit juice, tea, red wine and pomegranate juice. The antioxidant capacity of the acai juice was actually ranked lower than that of Concord grape juice, pomegranate juice, blueberry juice, and red wine. The average antioxidant capacity was approximately equal to that of black cherry or cranberry juice, and was higher than that of apple juice, orange juice, and tea. So what does this mean for Rachel Ray and acai? Simply put it means that commercially available acai juice blends are good for you and provide a health benefit. They are significantly better for you than orange or apple juices, but not as good antioxidant-wise as red wine or pomegranate juice.
I have seen these blends and there is no telling whether they are 90% acai or simply apple juice with a splash of acai. The problem with this study is that it uses juices with unspecified quantities of acai. The above experiment was done on commercially available acai berry juices. In fairness to Rachel Ray and acai she promotes a specific type of acai juice which might have a greater concentration of acai.
