Health
Benefits of Acai
This
describes the many health benefits of this unique fruit and
berry. The açaí berry or fruit grows on palm trees in the Amazon
rainforest. A 1999 study of three Amazonian populations found that acai
made up as much as 42% (by weight) of the people's diet.
The health benefits of the acai berry
include increased energy levels, improved sexual performance, improved
digestion,
high fiber content, improved skin appearance, detoxification, improved
heart health, improved sleep, and reduction of cholesterol levels.
These are opinions about açaí.
Here
are the facts about health benefits of acai. Protein is made up of a
combination of amino acid in different ratios. The most ideal amino
acid profile
is in eggs. They used to have ads that say "the incredible edible egg."
But
each egg contains 250 mg of
cholesterol. By dry
weight (fruit contains a lot of water) the acai fruit has the same
amount of
protein as eggs. Also the amino acid profile of açaí berries is almost
identical to eggs. Plant foods
contain no cholesterol.
You
have probably heard about how healthy olive oil is. The olive oil is
made up of
different essential fatty acids. It is mostly omega-9, with a good
amount of
omega-6 essential fatty acids. It only has trace amounts
of omega-3 so you still need to get omega-3 fatty acids from great
sources like
chia seeds, flaxseed or blue-green algae. The oil in acai has an almost
identical essential fatty acid profile to the oil in olives so it has
the same
health benefits.
Oleic
acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid, and linoleic
acid, a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid, help lower LDL, and
maintain healthy HDL levels. They also increase the absorption of
fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, E, D, and K, which are essential
to good health. Research has even suggested that oleic acid may prevent
against cancer and hypertension.
The
açaí fruit contains polyphenols (that are phytochemicals) such as
procyanidin oligomers and vanillic acid, syringic acid,
p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid, and ferulic acid.
For more information on why berries like acai are the best food group
for
cardiovascular health, see my other webpage-- The
Best Food Group for Cardiovascular Health.
Mayoclinic.com says "Acai
berries are a good source of antioxidants, fiber and heart-healthy
fats."
Webmd.com says
"Anthocyanins are responsible for the red, purple, and blue hues
[colors] in many fruits, vegetables, and flowers." Acai berries are a
dark
purple color from the anthocyanins in them. They also say "Some studies
show that acai fruit pulp has a very high antioxidant capacity with
even more antioxidant content than cranberry, raspberry, blackberry,
strawberry, or blueberry."
Also
webmd.com says "Anthocyanins and flavonoids are
powerful antioxidants that help defend the body against life's
stressors. They also play a role in the body's cell protection system.
Free radicals are harmful byproducts produced by the body. Eating a
diet rich in antioxidants may interfere with aging and the disease
process by neutralizing free radicals. By lessening the destructive
power of free radicals, antioxidants may help reduce the risk of some
diseases, such as heart disease and cancer."
I am a distributor
in a company that has an all organic blend of juices from foods from
the Amazon
rainforest like acai, camu camu fruit, cacao and dragons blood (sangre de
drago).
The dragons blood is the sap of a tree that looks just like blood. It
is 95%
OPCs that they also get from pine bark and grape seeds. OPCs
(oligomeric
proanthocyanidins) are phytochemicals that strengthen the walls of
blood vessels
like cappilaries and also make the walls of the blood vessels more
flexible. So
this makes it great for cardiovascular health.
Plant foods
contain thousands of phytochemicals that have different health
benefits. Some
famous examples of them are lycopene in tomatoes, resveratrol in
grapes,
curcumin in tumeric and sulfurophane in broccoli sprouts. Over 900
different
phytochemicals have been identified.
John Hopkins Medical School has broccoli
sprouts that are sold in supermarkets. They have a patent for being
bred to be
very high in sulfurophane.
Camu camu fruit is a nutritional
powerhouse that has 30 times the
vitamin C content of
oranges plus lots of phytochemicals with health benefits. See
this webpage for more information on this all Amazon
rainforest, all organic
delicious juice blend. The name of this product is not allowed to be
mentioned
on a distributor's websites but it is the reverse of 'umaz'. Just 2
fluid ounces
of this drink have 100% RDA of vitamin C from these juices (no added
vitamin C).
Also this website
has the name of this and the very famous celebrity that is half owner
of this
company (female star of Grease) that is helping to
save the rainforest. The owners have talked about
this drink on TV talk shows.
See
our privacy policy.
Copyright 2010 by Chuck
Bluestein
