The Acai Berry

The Acaí (ah-sigh-ee) berry has been around for thousands of years and was first used by the tribes of the Amazon jungle as a source of food and cure for various ailments.  In Belem (the northeast most province of Brazil at the mouth of the Amazon), Acaí has been a staple of the diet for hundreds of years.

The Acaí berry comes from the Acaí palm that has a long thin trunk up to 25m high with a group of branches at the top. Acaí berries hang from these branches in clusters. Local Brazilians shimmy up the trees and cut the short branches from the top rich in berries.  Acaí is both incredibly powerful yet delicate. It must be consumed or frozen within 24-48 hours after picking or else the berry loses most of its strong antioxidant power. So while locals eat the fruit every day, Acaí wasn’t introduced to the western world until fairly recently. Now in Belem, Acaí picking and processing has become a top industry supporting tens of thousands of local workers.

Acai palm branches

In the 90’s, the Acaí berry made its way down the coast in Brazil and first became a popular natural energy food among the surfer community. The Acaí berry was pulped and frozen to keep it fresh and became a natural part of smoothies and granola bowls eaten at the beach.

As its popularity grew, scientists got a hold of the Acaí berry and began to discover its amazing antioxidant properties, and rich composition in healthy Omega’s (similar profile to Olive Oil) and amino acids.  News spread quickly of this antioxidant-packed superfruit and Acaí can now be found in delicious juices and smoothies in the US, Europe and Asia.

And just recently Acaí was proclaimed the #1 super food on the Oprah Winfrey show.  Not bad for a berry that was unknown to the world outside of the Amazon just a few decades ago!

Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce free radicals (by-products) which can cause damage to our cells. Plus, every day we are exposed to lots of harmful substances (polluted air, junk foods we eat) that produce free-radicals inside our bodies.  Health problems such as heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, and cancer as well as short-term damage to our immune systems are all contributed by oxidative damage caused by free-radicals. 

Antioxidants act as “free radical scavengers” and hence prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals.  Antioxidants safely interact with and neutralize free-radicals, slowing and preventing the oxidative stress they can cause to our cells. 

      
Yellow sphere represents the space-filling properties of an antioxidant

So which foods provide us the antioxidants we need to maintain healthy cells?  The most commonly used antioxidant capacity test is the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) and consistently the food with the highest ORAC scores is the Acai berry.  Acai has an incredibly diverse set of antioxidants, including anthocyanins, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, plant sterols (proven to lower the risk of heart disease) and other phytonutrients.  It is the ultimate antioxidant super food. 

Every morning and evening, I drink a small glass of Acai juice from a great product called MonaVie.  It uses 100% unfiltered pure Acai sourced directly from the Amazon and surrounds the Acai with 18 other high-antioxidant fruits giving us the strongest and most diverse set of antioxidants out there.  Where can you get some MonaVie?  Email me at superacaijuice@gmail.com to find out. 

Acai blog

There are a lot of reasons Acai is considered the World’s most nutritiously perfect food or why numerous people have named it their #1 Super food.  So here’s my list top 5 reason to consume Acai: 

1. Acai has the highest antioxidant and phytonutrient density of any food ever tested.  To protect yourself against against all those harmful free-radicals in your body, you need antioxidants.  And Acai has the most concentrated and diverse source of antioxidants found in any food
2. Acai is very rich in Omega 3, 6, and 9 healthy fatty acids our bodies need to maintain healthy cholesterol levels and lower our risk of heart disease
3. Acai is the only fruit in the World to contain all of the different amino acids found in the human body and is a great source of natural, non-meat protein
4. Acai is incredibly rich in fiber, which we now know has a range of important health benefits for our digestive and cardiovascular systems.  Plus its chalk full or a range of vitamins and minerals found in other fruits and vegetables.
5. Acai comes from the Acai palm found only in the Amazon.  Traditionally locals would chop the palms down for the ‘hearts of palm’ killing the trees for a generation. Now locals can make a better living picking the Acai fruit instead of killing the trees for the hearts of palm.  So every time you consume Acai, you’re supporting the local economy in Brazil and helping save the rainforest.  Not a bad combo…eat the world’s most perfect food while saving the environment!

There are a lot of good Acai products out there that I enjoy. But my favorite is MonaVie as it’s the only non-clarified source of Acai, and its mixed with 18 other exotic fruits giving it the most diverse set of antioxidants in any juice.  I just recently found this product as its only offered through the direct sales channel, so if you’re interested in learning more about Acai or MonaVie or want to figure out how you can get some of this amazing super juice, please email me at superacaijuice@gmail.com