What is acai berry?
Everyone’s seen the word, maybe heard it on the television, radio, and even on billboards. The acai berry and the diet associated with it. But what is it exactly and why is there a huge fuss about it?
First of all, the acai berry has been used by native Brazilians for hundreds of years. It is a small round berry, purplish-black in color, which looks like a smaller version of a grape or blueberry. It has a large seed with minimal pulp and provides maximum juice. The acai fruit grows on palm trees which can reach 82 feet in height in the Amazon rainforest. Unlike cherries and most other fruit however, it grows in bunches, much like bananas, instead of individually. On average, each tree can yield anywhere from three to eight bunches of acai berries.
What’s so great about this small berry and why has it become a huge name in the diet industry? The Acai berry has been labeled as an antioxidant. It is rich in vitamins A, E and B1, omega fats, protein, electrolytes, amino acids and antioxidants. It’s been recognized for the health benefits it gives including management of digestive challenges, insomnia, skin issues and even sexual dysfunction. As word travels about this phenomenal berry and its benefits, people are finding out new and exciting ways that the berry can help them in daily life. Consuming it helps people feel more energized and healthy. Not only that, researchers have found that acai berries actually destroyed leukemia cells in an experimental culture. It remains to be seen that the acai berry will get rid of cancer altogether, but the studies have been promising so far.
Not only has the Acai berry become famous all over the world for ground breaking new researches, but it’s also great tasting. It has been incorporated into so many dishes since it’s discovery that it’s common knowledge to see it on menus in most places. Used as sweet berries on top of ice cream, in smoothies, shakes, breakfast bars, it is also used for flavoring in meat and fish dishes along with other entrees. However, the fact that most people find so surprising is that the berry itself should not be picked and eaten just as it is. The berry is harvested, processed and the acai comes from the pulp of the berry. Although not common here, it is surprising that acai drinks and juice are more popular than milk below the equator. This is due largely to the fact that the South Americans know they’re getting a healthy, nutritious drink that will give them energy and alertness throughout the day. Another great benefit of this berry is the fact that there are no known side effects reported. It hasn’t been completely studied and being a relatively new product in the United States, it is still being experimented on. But most reports returned are that this is a very promising good.
Acai is available in all different forms all across the globe. The world wide web has become a hot spot to purchase the popular berry and it’s many varieties. It is in very high demand as people become more aware of its benefits, but when shopping for it, make sure you are getting the real thing. Labels are very important, check them carefully.
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