Acai Berry Benefits
Acai berry benefits.. A Brazilian palm berry widely known as a ‘superfood’, acai berry is claimed to have many health benefits from cleansing your body to improving your immunity towards illnesses and weight loss.
Nutritionists consider the Acai Berry to have the best nutritional value over any other fruit on earth. Main concern is that it is sold as the best food that is a solution to everything.
Although it might be an exaggeration to call the Acai Berry the ‘number one super-food’, we can’t deny its great attributes as it contains a lot of free-radical fighting oxidants, amino acids, fibers, and healthy omega fats. It should just be part of a well-balanced and healthy diet.
Acai Berry Facts:
• The Acai Palm belongs to a family of over 1200 species comprising 32 distinct generic groups and are widely regarded as one of the most useful plant families in the world.
• Acai berry grows as a wild plant on top of many native palm trees in theAmazon rainforest, with the fruits of the plant being harvested by local farmers and used to make a nutritious fruit pulp.
• In Brazilian herbal medicine, the oil of the Acai fruit is used to treat diarrhea; an infusion of the grated fruit rind is used as a topical wash for skin ulcers; and the fruit seeds are crushed and prepared in an infusion for fevers.
• Acai is naturally low in sugar, and the flavor is described as a mixture of red wine and chocolate.
Acai Berry Benefits:
• Acai berry is a good source of fibre, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins B, C, D and E.
• Acai has 44 grams of fibre in every 100 grams. As well as promoting regular digestive transit, dietary fibre may help prevent certain types of cancer.
• High fiber content in acai berry is one of the reasons why it may help you lose weight, by making you feel full.
• It has high protein levels. Unlike other foods high in protein that have high levels of fat and cholesterol, acai berries are low in fat and calories.
• Acai berry is known to contain ten times as many antioxidant vitaminsas grapes and twice as many as blueberries.
• Very high antioxidant levels may help slow the aging process andprevent metabolic diseases from occurring.
• Acai, as a rich source of glucosamine, may help ease the pain of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
• Anthocyanin compounds in the fruit offers strong cardiovascular health benefits. Same compounds are found in red wine in lower concentrations and wine comes with health risks associated with alcohol.
• Strong antioxidant content and the high levels of anthocyanins make it one of the best great anti-aging foods.
• Acai berry’s Vitamin C content matches that of the blueberry. Vitamin C is essential in helping the body fight everyday infections such as colds and flu.
• Acai berry, fortified with vitamins and minerals, will give you a high amount of energy. That’s why more and more people started taking Acai in the morning instead of coffee.
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References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acai_Palm: Acai Berry Benefits .
http://health.learninginfo.org/herbs/ acai-berry.htm.
Brazilian Acai Berry Antioxidants Absorbed By Human Body, Research Shows, http://www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/2008/10/081006112053.htm. Adapted from materials provided by Texas A&M University – Agricultural Communications. Original article written by Kathleen Phillips.
Acai Berry: What Can This Super Food Do For You? http://www.acaiberry.org.
The Acai Berry Diet an American Obsession?As part of a new series: “Diet Trends: A look at America’s Top Diets”, http://www.tophealthnews.org.
Silva, S. & Tassara, H. (2005). Fruit Brazil Fruit. São Paulo, Brazil, Empresa das Artes.
