Acai Berry - A New Superfood?

Lately when you go into the supermarket or health food store, a lot of items containing Acai Berry juice have started to be commonly seen. This berry, which is found in Central and South America, has recently started to be very popular in the United States. It has been used for many years in food in the areas where it is harvested, but is just being discovered here.

The Acai Berry Benefits

One of the main products you can find drinking the Acai Berry is in the form of juice, either pure Acai juice or mixed with other juices. You can locate juice blends with this type of juice in the regular juice section of the supermarket it is becoming so common. You can also find this berry in energy drinks and bars as well as in powdered form.

The Acai Berry looks sort of like a darker purple grape, but is made up mostly of a large seed with only a small amount of fruit. They grow in large bunches on palm trees and can be harvested twice a year. One of the reasons that you don't commonly see these berries in their fresh form is that they have a large fat content, which means they do not last long in this form. They must be either used or processed quickly before they spoil. That is why the fruit form is mainly seen only in the countries where these berries grow. Though they are high in fat, the fat that they contain consists mostly of the healthier omega fatty acids.

One of the main health claims for the Acai Berry is that it is high in antioxidants. Although it looks similar to a grape, it's antioxidant capacity is cvloser to that of cranberries and cherries. Since eating antioxidant rich foods is recommended for optimum health, this juice makes a nice addition to any diet.

Some of the products made from the Acai Berry make various health claims in regard to their products and this berry. The health breakdown of these berries includes their having high antioxidants, high fiber, lots of vitamins and minerals, and good fats. They say that these berries help improve digestion, fight free radicals, improve the look of skin, help maintain heart function, help prevent atherosclerosis, improves energy levels, and helps to increase digestive function. Although not all of these claims have necessarily been studied, many of the health claims are based on the healthy characteristics of these berries and the health issues these characteristics are known to support, such as high antioxidants and helping to fight free radicals.