What is Acai Berry?
Understanding the basics of a fruitful fruit!
Introduction & background
The grape-sized, purple-green Acai fruit is known as a super food because of its higher antioxidant properties than most fruits and foods, beating out pomegranate, cranberries and broccoli. The scientific name for Acai Berry plant is Euterpe Oleracea. However, it is commonly known as the Acaí palm.
Acai Berry is grown on the tall trees of the Amazon rain forest in South America (mainly Brazil). Due to its quick spoilage rate, it is rarely found outside of Brazil. While it has been only recently introduced in the modern world, Acai Berry has been around for thousands of years. It is said to prevent various diseases and promote general health. The fruit is rich in antioxidants that allow for increased absorption of free radicals, prevent illness and help fight obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Acai Berry also has a high concentration of nutrients and vitamins which are known to help boost the immune and digestive systems, lower cholesterol, improve vision, aid with sleep and slow down the aging process.
Composition of Acai Berry
Acai Berry consists of about 90 percent seed and 10 percent skin and pulp, which is what you eat and where the nutrients are present. Nearly half of the Acai fruit is fiber and the rest is packed with amino acids, omega fatty acids and phytosterols. The fiber part helps move food through your digestive tract. Phytosterols help the body absorb nutrients better and the fatty acids boost metabolism, helping you lose weight.
Different forms of Acai Berry
Since Acai Berry goes rancid quickly, eating fresh Acai Berry is not a feasible choice. Therefore, Acai usually comes in four forms: freeze dried powder, capsules, frozen pulp or juice. As Acai Berry is often freeze-dried in order to keep all of its nutrients in the best form, it is one of the best forms of Acai Berry because of its potential for preservation and convenience of use.
Recommended dosage of Acai Berry
If you opt to take a supplement of Acai Berry, a dosage of 1000 to 4000 milligrams can be used. However, an optimal dosage of 1500 milligrams is known to work for most. As it is difficult to measure the exact quantity of the Acai servings in a juice, powder or pulp form, the “capsule” form offers an easy and accurate dosage option for all patients.
Acai Berry & weight loss
While Acai Berry has numerous other health benefits, it is best known for its strong weight loss effect. Adding Acai to a well-balanced diet is said to suppress appetite, boost the metabolism and lower body fat (blood cholesterol) by burning more calories and stored fat. According to another theory, the fiber in Acai prevents some hunger signals from reaching the brain. This helps to curb hunger and in turn is good for anyone looking to lose weight. It has been also noticed that when daily consumption pure of Acai Berry is paired with regular exercise, the combination results in significantly quicker and greater weight loss results. However, it should be remembered that Acai Berry may be an effective weight loss aid as part of an overall program that consists of a healthy diet and exercise. It has been observed that doing regular workouts or performing any other type of physical activity, in fact, accelerates the overall weight loss impact of Acai Berry.
Other health benefits of Acai Berry
In addition to its main weight loss effect, some of the benefits and antioxidant capacity provided by Acai Berry include:
- Protection against heart and blood vessel disease
- Improvement in immune system
- Anti aging effect
- Significant role in maintenance of blood pressure
- Improved digestion
- Reduced body pain and soreness
- Anti cancer effect
- Promotion of healthy, better and longer sleep
- Increased energy and stamina for physical activity
- Increased libido for sexual activity
Safety profile of Acai Berry (Are there any side effects)
People all over the world have been eating Acai fruit as a staple in their diet for many years without any side effects. There are no known reactions with medicines or preexisting health conditions. However, if you are concerned about interactions, consult your physician before eating any supplement. If you are allergic to pollen, berries or other berries, it is advisable to consume Acai in smaller doses.
All in all, if you are looking for something full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, pure Acai Berry supplement would be one of the best things to add to your diet.