Acai - The Big Picture
In this article we will start at the top and describe exactly what Acai is, where it comes from and why everyone
wants Acai. If you already know the basics about Acai you may want to skip this article and move on to our next article -
Acai, ORACS, Omegas and Anthocyanins
What is Acai?
Acai (pronounced ( ah-sigh-EE ) is a fruit that grows on the Acai Palm Trees in the
Amazon Rainforest of Brazil. The Acai berry is small in size (smaller than a grape) and is
dark purple in color. Acai is mostly seed, covered in a small amount of pulp. In fact, about 90% of
the Acai berry is seed - it is important to note that no one eats the Acai berry seed.
What makes Acai so special?
While Acai may be small in size, it packs a nutritional punch unlike any other food
in the world. While we get more into the specific benefits of Acai in
our Acai health benefits article, here are a few highlights
to wet your appetite:
- Dr. Perricone, in his bestseller - "The Perricone Promise" picks Acai fruit as the #1 Super Food in the world.
- In 2005, Oprah name Acai the #1 Super Food, saying "This little berry is one of the
most nutritious and powerful foods in the world.".
- "Rich in antioxidants and amino acids, açaí is thought to be one of the
most nutritional fruits of the Amazon basin." New York Times, 8/4/2004
- Acai has 10 Times the antioxidant power of red grapes and twice that
of blueberries
While other sites make claims about Acai curing every disease known to man, we would never make
those claims. What is clear is that Acai has tremendous health properties and may be
one of the best possible foods you can eat to stay healthy. In our article -
Nutritional make up of Acai - we
get into more specifics of what makes Acai so healthy.
How Does Acai Taste?
Terrific! Acai has a berry flavor with a subtle chocolate after taste. Acai tastes so good, you would
never guess it is also great for you.
Great, can I buy fresh Acai at my local market?
Yes - if you happen to live in the middle of Amazon Rainforest! For the rest of us, fresh Acai is
not an option. Acai is very perishable and spoils within about 24 hours of being picked
from the Acai Palm tree.
So, how can I get Acai fruit?
Acai pulp from the Amazon can be frozen and shipped to the US. A number of juice bars do have
Acai smoothies - but this can get expensive.
Acai pulp can also be dehydrated into a powder and freeze dried. This powder can then be put
into capsules to make pure Acai supplements that maintain all the nutritional properties
of fresh Acai - just in a concentrated form.
Great, so I can just buy any Acai supplement?
Not exactly. There is a world of difference between the various Acai supplements on the market. Some are
made in such a way that they maintain almost NONE of the nutritional profile of fresh Acai.
We have found some quality Acai supplements and had them lab tested to make sure they were
pure and effective. We will discuss these more in a later article (if you are the type of person who reads the
end of a book first, click here to see our recommended Acai products).
Recap:
Okay, so this is our take on Acai - Acai is the #1 Super Food in the world, but it is not available fresh
outside of the Amazon Rainforest. Frozen Acai pulp is available, but it is expensive, found mostly in
juice bars and can not be shipped without special freezer packaging. While there are a few
quality Acai supplements, most the ones you see in a health food store are processed in
such a way that they maintain almost NONE of the nutritional benefits of fresh Acai.
All makes perfect sense, right? Don't worry, we know it is confusing, but this is just the
Overview of Acai. Stick with us and it will all become clear.
Let's move on to the article with the funny names...
and Anthocyanins
