Taking
the world by storm is a newly-found Amazon
berry, açaí. The açaí’s antioxidants are what
really make this berry stand apart from the rest
of the fruit in the world.This amazing Brazilian berry has twice
the antioxidants of blueberries, which was
previously one of the best antioxidant
providers.It also has 10 times the antioxidants of
grapes and as much as 30 times more than some
types of wine.
Per
gram, the açaí berry’s pulp, which is really
all that is used of the berry, has an
antioxidant potency of 167 while pomegranates
have 106 and blueberries have 32. The high levels of açaí’s
antioxidants contribute to fighting premature
aging, cancer and other health related issues.
Much like the French attribute
their low rate of cardiovascular diseases to red
wine, the people of South America can contribute
their low rates of disease to the açaí berry. The fatty acid ratio is also a
contributing factor for lowering the risk of
heart disease. Native Indians around the Amazon have
relied on this berry for hundreds of years. They even refer to the açaí palm tree,
which bears this fruit, the “Tree of Life”
because it offers such a vast amount of berries
with each plant.
In
addition to açaí’s antioxidants, these
berries contain an almost perfect essential
amino acid complex, monounsaturated fats,
dietary fibers and phytosterols. Several health drink and juice products
are sold over the internet. Some can even be found in health stores
in the United States and Europe. The popularity of this super berry has
been increasing rapidly. Since the berry itself cannot be
transported from Brazil (it must be harvested,
pulped, frozen, and then shipped), a convenient
powder or purée form is available. Be careful which products you choose. Not all of them are 100% açaí based and
therefore, their nutritional value varies.
I
bet by now you are curious just how you would
use this new fruit and gain some of açaí’s
antioxidant power in your daily life. Any way
you want. Try
it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or a
snack during the day. Just like with blueberries, it is a great
addition to starting your day and it can be
added as a juice, powder, purée, or even in a
capsule form with your daily multi-vitamin. Amazingly, freeze-dried berries will retain their
nutritional value for up to three years.
If
you buy it in powder form, all you have to do is
mix the powder with water or add to your
smoothie for a health and energy boost. A
purée can also be added to a smoothie or used
as a condiment. One of the first uses for the açaí berry by the natives was
to warm it and use it as a sauce over meat or
fish entrees or to freeze the purée and serve
it as a sorbet. These alternate forms of the berry seems
like a much better option for everyone outside
of the Amazon region considering a berry that
sits in the hot sun for a day will cause the açaí's
antioxidant levels to decrease by almost 40
percent. That
takes a lot of power out of the açaí
antioxidant punch.
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