Wellness Gifts from the Amazon - Part Two: Acai – An Antioxidant Rich Palm Fruit
Where we left off…
The first post of this series focused on the importance of the Amazonian rainforest, the vital role it plays on the planet and a bit about a particular palm tree that grows there. I concluded the post with this fact:
“These same trees also yield the dark purple Acai berry (pronounced ah-SIGH-ee), which has high nutritional value and antioxidant benefits.”
In this post, you’ll be learning more about Acai — a true Wellness Gift from the Amazon.
Acai – What’s the buzz about?
Everywhere you look you see something compelling about Acai. Oprah.com lists Acai as “the world’s No. 1 superfood”. The London Times says, “Acai (has) the nutritional content that makes other fruits blush with inadequacy.” Every major juice company is on the bandwagon and you even see Acai juice blends for sale at Costco. But how do you get to the heart of the matter? How do you learn about the berry itself?
From confusion to clarity
My intention in this post is to help you sort out the facts about the powerful nutritional implications of that small purple berry — the Acai berry!
In putting the following section together, I got information about Acai from naturalstandard.com (a scientific subscription service), scoured my notes from nutrition school, dissected Wikipedia’s entry on Acai Palm, and read the book “Acai—An Extraordinary Antioxidant-Rich Palm Fruit” by Alexander G. Schauss, PhD., FACN. I hope what I’ve uncovered and synthesized helps increase your understanding of Acai.
Acai and Antioxidants 101:
17 Facts You Need to Know1. The Acai berry grows on a palm tree in the Amazon, known by its Latin name as Euterpe oleracea. The indigenous people living in the Brazilian Amazon call the berry and the palm tree, “Acai”.
2. Acai pulp is mixed into numerous foods by indigenous peoples of the Brazilian Amazon, and consumed at almost every meal. Additionally, these native people drink up to 64 ounces of fresh Acai juice/pulp daily, a practice that has been documented to go back at least two centuries.
3. The dark purple pigmented Acai berry is packed full of antioxidants, amino acids and essential omega fatty acids.
4. The Açai berry’s fatty acid profile is similar to olive oil. Specifically, its essential fatty acid & omega profile includes:
• 60% Oleic (omega 9) - a monounsaturated essential fatty acid which helps to lower LDL (harmful cholesterol), while maintaining HDL (beneficial cholesterol).
• 12% Linoleic (omega 6) - a polyunsaturated essential fatty acid which has also been found to lower LDL, while maintaining HDL.
5. Acai has a protein profile similar to an egg.
6. Acai contains the leading source of anthocyanins–often reported as 30 times that of the protective potential of red wine.
7. Anthocyanins are known for their strong anti-inflammatory qualities.
8. Acai is an excellent source of dietary fiber.
9. Acai has a low glycemic index.
10. Acai contains large amount of trace minerals (Co, Cr, Cu, Mo) and macro minerals (Ca, Fe), and generous amount of vitamins including vitamin E.
11. Acai has more than 16 phytonutrients and antioxidants. A strong concentration of antioxidants helps combat premature aging.
12. Antioxidants help eliminate free radicals in the body. Free radicals are produced by the body in response to oxidative stress. These free radicals react with proteins, lipids and DNA in the body and cause oxidation. Oxidation of these biomolecules can cause damage, disrupt function, lead to aging and/or lead to disease.
13. The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capaciy (ORAC) assay measures the antioxidant capacity of a food for its ability to manage the peroxyl radical, which is the most dominant free radical produced in the body.
14. The higher the ORAC score, the stronger a food is in its antioxidant capacity. Dr. Alexander Schauss, PhD, FACN says we could just call the units of ORAC the “anti-aging points”.
15. The USDA has analyzed the antioxidant capacity of 278 fruits, vegetables, nuts, and plant foods, including Acai, using the ORAC.
16. Freeze-drying is the superior method of preserving the nutritional, phytochemical and antioxidant capacity of Acai.
17. At an ORAC score of 1,027 units per gram, freeze-dried Acai is the highest reported ORAC of ANY food reported in the scientific literature. (Blueberries and cranberries, well-known antioxidants, score 90 ORAC units by comparison.)
Freeze-Dried Acai boosts nutritional wellness
When I wrote a product review back in February about the Republic of Tea’s® Green Tea with Acai, I reported about my limited experience with the tea blend. I hadn’t yet explored the specific world of Acai to the extent I have now. I knew that Acai was considered to be a superfood and knew it was high in antioxidants, but I hadn’t been a consistent consumer or done any extensive research. Well, things are different today. I have done the research on Acai, and I am a grateful and much-benefited consumer.
I can say now that we are indeed blessed. We are lucky to be able to consume the freeze-dried pulp and juice from the powerful little purple Acai berry. With advances in technology and distribution, we are able to do so just as the indigenous people of the Amazon have been doing for ages. This powerful antioxidant is just what we need to boost our nutritional wellness levels.
Next Post
Tune in for Part Three of this series later this week and I’ll tell you about my personal experience with Acai.
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