The word “superfood” has been thrown around a lot lately in health circles. A superfood is usually a fruit or vegetable that comes from an exotic location, such as the mountains of China or the Amazon rainforest. These foods are usually said to contain a special blend of nutritional value that make them incredibly powerful for our health. These superfoods are often rumored to have been used by the local people for decades to get some very special results. One of these fruits that is growing more popular by the week is the acai berry superfood.
The acai berry is a small, dark purple, berry that grows on an acai palm tree in the Amazon rainforest. The berry first started making its way to the United States in the early 2000s when a few business men learned about its amazing health benefits during trips to Brazil. They tried it for themselves and decided that they needed to share this berry with the rest of the world. These companies started off very small in the beginning, and the use of the acai fruit as a health supplement stayed under the radar, mostly within as few elite health circles, and other people “in the know”.
One of those people was Dr. Nicholas Perricone, who has often referred to the acai berry as the number one superfood on earth. When he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, he told her audience just that, and the acai berry craze was born. Anything mentioned on Oprah’s show instantly gains popularity, especially when it has real life health benefits. Since this show aired there has been a frenzy of people trying to get their hands on this Amazonian superfood.
So, why does Dr. Perricone consider the acai berry the best superfood? Well, first of all its antioxidant content is off the charts. Antioxidants are one of the best ways to help protect our bodies from the free radicals that cause many of the problems we face as we get older. Free radicals contribute to wrinkled skin, weak hair, heart disease, dementia, and even cancer. Antioxidants seek out these free radicals and word to neutralize them before they can do any more damage.
This alone would make one of acai an excellent addition to our daily diet, but it has some other traits that make it even more appealing. It is a good source of essential fatty acids, which help protect against heart disease and have been shown to improve the functions of our brain. It is also an excellent source of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. It contains 19 different amino acid chains, including all of the ones our bodies do not product on their own. This means that taking acai may help improve recovery time and overall athletic performance.
Surfers in Brazil swear by the acai berry as a natural energy source. Most energy drinks that are sold today are incredibly unhealthy, and cause a severe crash after their effects run out. This is not the case with acai. Instead of using caffeine or sugar to get a quick, but costly, boost , an acai supplement can help promote healthy and sustainable energy levels that last all day.
Comments on this entry are closed.