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Sunday, January 11, 2009

The TRUTH about Acai Berry

By Bob Parkins

The most powerful antioxidant on earth is the Acai berry.

Acai (ah-sigh-EE), is a fruit of the palm berry plant, and has been reported to contain more antioxidants than red wine, while boasting 10 times the antioxidant benefits of grapes and 2x that of blueberries and has a beguiling berry-like flavor and a strong chocolate overtone.

Acai berry is a very strong antioxidant, and many television shows, including Oprah, have praised it for the natural remedies that it offers, including weight loss.

Acai is a Brazilian berry original from the Amazon Region that is considered to be one of nature's most complete and healthy foods, and has been used for generations. Acai berries are produced by a palm tree known by it's scientific name Euterpe oleracea. Acai is common in floodplain areas of the Amazon River, only grows in the Amazon Rainforest and is very perishable.

Acai users report the Following Health Benefits:

Weight loss

Helps Relieve arthritis pain

Helps to clear skin of warts

Has been reported to reduce the occurrence of seizures

Helps to reduce physical injuries & speed up recovery

Will help stabilize normal blood sugar levels

Reported to improve patients suffering from leukemia

Fights depression and increases general wellbeing

Improves upon your overall physical strength

Is an extremely powerful free radical fighter

Acai has very high levels of fibers

Cleanses and detoxifies the body of infectious toxins

Strengthens your immune system

Enhances sexual desire and performance

Fights cancerous cells

Promotes healthier and younger-looking skin

Promotes healthier and younger-looking skin

Alleviates diabetes

Normalizes and regulates cholesterol levels

Helps maintain healthy heart function

Minimizes inflammation

Improves circulation

Prevents arthrosclerosis

Enhances visual acuity

In a study of three traditional Caboclo populations in the Amazon region of Brazil, aa palm was described as the most important plant species because the fruit makes up such a major component of diet (up to 42% of the total food intake by weight) and is economically valuable in the region .

It is said that beverages containing aa are more popular than milk in the southern hemisphere. The juice and pulp of aa fruits (Euterpe oleracea) are frequently used in various juice blends, smoothies, sodas, and other beverages. Take a trip to your favorite smoothie place and you might find Aa as one of the add-in ingredients available to you. In northern Brazil, Aa (or jussara, which is one of the fruit's common folk names) is traditionally served in gourds called "cuias" with tapioca and, depending on the local preference, can be consumed either salty or sweet (sugar, rapadura and honey are known to be used in the mix). Several companies now manufacture juices, health drinks, yogurts, and sorbets made from Aa berries, often in combination with other fruits.

As the high fat content of Aa indicates it would deteriorate rapidly after harvest, its raw material is generally available outside the immediate growing region only as juice or fruit pulp that has been frozen or processed as a pulp powder or freeze-dried powder.

Not only are consumers finding the benefits of aa to their interest, but researchers and the media are amazed by the power of this small berry. NBC's Today did a feature story on aa in 2004, and more recently researchers at the University of Florida tested the attributes of aa to discover it actually destroyed cultured leukemia cells. Acai's high vitamin C content also relieves symptoms of asthma according to the University of Florida News.

Aa has been around for ages, and current research indicates no known side effects to taking Aa in any form.

The Bottom Line on Acai is that while the claims made about Acai often might seem too good to be true, this is quite possibly the magic bullet to problems that ail us all!

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