The Acai Berry - Super Fruit Or Super Hype?
A few decades gone, the acai berry was little more than obscure fruit consumed in the rain forests of Brazil. But today, it is one of the most sought after and expensive fruits on the market. How did acai achieve celebrity status apparently overnight?
As you would expect, the introduction of acai berry to most north Americans was on TV. In a 2007 episode of the Oprah Winfrey show, the world famous host extolled the advantages of the berry along with expert guests who claimed the fruit couldnot only help people shed pounds, but also slow the process of aging.
The Acai Berry Today
A simple Google search on acai berries will yield hundreds and thousands of results and introduce you to countless products, all of which claim that acai is a super, miracle food. Some people even posit that the tiny berry can cure cancer.
The berry itself is dark purple in color and looks a lot like a red grape, only a bit smaller. It is native to the Amazon rain forest where ithas been consumed for centuries by native Brazilian clans. Actually, it is said that the acai berry is eaten with such frequency that it comprises over forty percent of their total consumption. These tribes also harvest the berry to sell them to local fruit companies.
Coming to America
right after the fruit appeared on the Oprah show, requirement for the acai berry went through the well-known roof. Supermarkets across the country announced that they were snowed under with requests for the little miracle berry.
With this fame, the market demand spawned many acai related products. Currently, the most popular product is acai berry juice, which can be discovered in most supermarkets and health food stores. Many products can also be acquired over the Net.
In the next few paragraphs, we intend to attempt to separate the grain from the chaff, fact from fiction. We will start by having a look at some of the commonest claims of acai berry buyers.
The Claims
One of the commonest claims of sellers and clients alike is that acai can essentially rev up your constitution and cause your body to use more calories. This has inspired the diet-crazed Yankee public to snap up the juice and similar products whenever and where ever they’d find them.
It’s also said that the fruit helps cure sleeping disorders like sleeplessness and may even work as an aphrodisiac and increase sexual desire and performance. Many folk also claim that it can improve psychological lucidity, very like Ginkgo Biloba.
What we do know
There is no doubt that acai is one of the most antioxidant-rich foods on the face of the earth. This is critical because antioxidants help the body fight off free radicals that can cause damage to the DNA and can also clog arteries. However , in spite of reports by many eager users that the wonder berry can basically reduce the aging process, it hasn’t ever been proven that elevated amounts of antioxidants can reverse, stop or perhaps slow aging.
But we do know that antioxidants increase LDL, the good cholesterol, while reducing HDL, the bad cholesterol. And in lab tests, analysts have proved that the berry has 10 times the antioxidants of grapes and double the antioxidants of blueberries.
The fruit is also claimed to be the ideal mix of antioxidants, essential greasy acids and amino acids. This has helped make it a rapid success with sportsmen and other health-conscious people. Itis no ask why pro South Yankee football players frequently break on acai berries before any large game.
But how can they taste? Many clients respond that the berry reminds them of an exotic mix of berries and chocolate. Maybe that it is why the fruit is used to flavor cocktails, make smoothies and as a topping for ice cream in its native Brazil.
The Hype Machine
like lots of things in a consumer society, people have a tendency to get carried away, particularly when dealing with an efficient product. It is clear that the acai berry is indeed one of the healthiest fruits in the world today, and it can offer users an abundance of amazing health benefits. But nothing we have seen has proven that it is a miracle fruit, and claims that this little berry can reverse or halt the process of aging or maybe cure cancer is a little more than wishful thinking.
