The Acai Berry – What’s The Truth?
Some 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 wanted and pricey fruits on the market. How did acai achieve celebrity status apparently overnight?
As youmight expect, the arrival of acai berry to most USA citizens was on TV. In a 2007 episode of the Oprah Winfrey show, the famous host extolled the benefits of the berry with expert guests who claimed the fruit couldn’t only help folks shed the 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 brilliant, miracle food. Some people even posit the small 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 indigenous to the Amazon rain forest where it’s been consumed for hundreds of years by native Brazilian tribes. In fact, it is said that the acai berry is eaten with such frequency that it comprises over forty percent of their total consumption. These clans also crop the berry to sell them to local fruit corporations.
Coming to America
shortly after the fruit appeared on the Oprah show, demand for the acai berry went thru the familiar roof. Supermarkets across the land announced that they were inundated with requests for the little miracle berry.
With this celebrity, the market demand spawned countless acai related products. Now, the hottest product is acai berry juice, which can be discovered in most supermarkets and organic food outlets. Many products may also be purchased over the Net.
In the following few paragraphs, we intend to try to separate the grain from the chaff, fact from fiction. We will start by looking at some of the commonest claims of acai berry buyers.
The Claims
One of the most common claims of sellers and clients alike is that acai can really rev up your metabolism and cause your body to use up more calories. This has inspired the diet-crazed American public to snap up the juice and suchlike products whenever and where ever they’d find them.
It’s also said that the fruit helps cure sleeping aberrations like insomnia and will even work as an aphrodisiac and increase sexual need and performance. Many folk also claim that it can improve psychological clarity, very like Ginkgo Biloba.
What we do know
There’s 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 may cause damage to the DNA and can also clog arteries. However , in spite of reports by many eager users that the wonder berry can actually reduce the process of aging, it hasn’t ever been proved 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, researchers have discovered that the berry has 10 times the antioxidants of grapes and double the antioxidants of blueberries.
The fruit is also said to be the perfect blend of antioxidants, essential fatty acids and amino acids. This has helped make it an immediate success with sportsmen and other health-obsessed people. It’s no question why pro South American soccer players often snack on acai berries before any giant game.
But how will they taste? Many consumers respond 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 most things in abuyer society, folks have a propensity to get carried away, especially 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 a myriad of amazing health benefits. But nothing we have seen has proven that it is indeed a miracle fruit, and claims that this little berry can reverse or halt the aging process or maybe cure cancer is a touch more than wishful thinking.