Archive for Acai
Acai Berries and Scientific Study Results From The University Of Florida
Posted by: | CommentsThis berry from the rain forests in South Brazil had demonstrated how its antioxidants destroy cancer cells of humans in experiments conducted using cultures containing cancerous human cells within the confines of its laboratories. Further experiments are on the drawing boards of this University to conduct more studies and tests into the overall aspects of the far-reaching effects that Acai berry as a whole has on human beings of average good health.
Although Acai berry is one of the fruits carrying the most plentiful resources of antioxidants ever found in any fruit, the University studies so far conducted are yet to confirm that this berry actually plays any positive role in the possible prevention of cancer.
Acai berries are the produce of a particular palm tree that is found abundantly in Brazil’s rain forests. It is notorious for its extremely fast perishing characteristics so that if you need to taste a fresh Acai fruit, you have no choice of finding one at any fresh fruit sales outlets, apart from eating one immediately after plucking off an Acai tree. Further research on the health benefits of acai berry is more or less restricted by the fact that it had not been in commercial production for more than about the last five years.
Delving into the history of this wonder berry, we find that South Brazilians had extensively used it in the treatment of various skin conditions and digestive disorders during quite a long period of time. The contribution that acai benefits make to our health and general well being is amply substantiated by several testimonies from people who had experienced the benefits of looking and feeling better in addition to weight loss as a result of taking Acai berry. However, it is felt too early to admit them as scientifically proven facts at this tender stage.
In the face of overbearing testimonials by people who claim to have received umpteen benefits to their health issues through the use of Acai berry, tests and research are continuing at the Florida University with a view to scientifically verifying the truth or otherwise of these claims.
While the research goes on into the properties of Acai berry, with the University of Florida taking it up in all earnestness, we wait in hope of new discoveries in addition to Acai berries and scientific study results of many existing claims of the super goodness of Acai that sometimes appear to border on myth and fantasy.
Acai Berry Capsules – A Convenient Way of Getting Acai Berry Benefits
Posted by: | CommentsAcai berry is the number one super food in the world. It is extremely nutritious, rich in fiber, contains several minerals and vitamins and is a very powerful antioxidant. And with its recent surge in popularity acai is the hottest diet in Hollywood and amongst general public. Unfortunately the berries themselves are 90% seeds and only 10% pulp, as such it is impossible to buy the berries themselves. That’s the reason why there are so many acai based products – as companies try to figure out the best way to get acai berry benefits, yet keep the price somewhat affordable.
Acai Berry Capsules are a great way of getting the benefits of acai without breaking the bank. The capsules are more convenient to use than powders and are also much cheaper than juices. The combination of convenience and affordability makes acai capsules a popular choice when it comes to getting the benefits of acai berries.
The other thing about capsules is that most of those products focus on weight loss. As such if you are after improved weight loss, or just trying to get in shape, the capsules make a better choice than other products. While acai juices are very nutritious and would make a great addition to any diet or healthy eating, they won’t really have much impact on weight loss beyond providing good nutrition.
Last but by no means last is that there are several free trial offers for the capsules, while none for powder or juices. Being able to try a product before buying it is always a plus, and it just adds to the other benefits that acai berry capsules provide.
Not sure which brand of capsules to buy? Check out this top acai berry capsules review. You can also learn more about various acai berry products available.
The Acai Berry To Become a Household Word
Posted by: | CommentsRecently, many people have ask what supplements am I familiar with, that not only promote good health, but also vitality and increase energy throughout the day. As a layman, I am not educated as a medical practitioner but do try to keep current with today’s trends and discoveries.
While managing my home based business, I come across thousands of new opportunities and products every day. Knowing the importance that besides financial security from building a home based business can provide, having the additional time to take care of one’s health is the second best benefit from the financial successes achieved working from home.
While sorting through the many programs, I stumbled across one product that really captured my attention immediately. The Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) berry has been around for hundreds of years, and was not introduced to western civilization until well into the 1990′s. It’s origin is the amazon rain forest and because of its incredible health benefits, has been used by the several of the indigenous tribes of the Amazon, including the Shuar Tribe to name one, for curing various ailments and as a medicine, for centuries.
The Acai berry has natural anti-oxidant properties and is a natural cholesterol controller. When ingested, it promotes good cholesterol in the blood stream and reduce the bad, also aiding the immune system, in fighting infection, protecting the heart, and controls prostate enlargement. It provided a great source as an energy food for the native tribes-people who would traditionally produce it to distill a chocolate tasting type of wine, rich in minerals.
It is harvested from a palm that has a long thin trunk which shoots up to 25 meters high, Acai berries hang from ribbon like branches that spout from the top. The harvesting of the berries is fastly growing to be one of the most sought after cash crop in Brazil.Each Acai tree produces approximately 20 kilograms, of fruit a year, becoming the second most important product in terms of finance after wood forest products.
Once available to the western world, researchers discovered the Acai berry to promote well being. It has a vibrant taste, with a hint of chocolate, rich in proteins, fibre, vitamin E minerals, and essential omega oils to reduce bad cholesterol. Fast becoming known as the miracle fruit, acai berries also helps in preventing cancers due to the antioxidant properties, and are five times more potent, than the commonly used herbal therapy product, Gingko biloba. Acai Berry is known to harness the following properties: Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Anti-Inflammatory, Antimutagenic, cardiovascular system.
Acai berries contain plant sterols including beta-sitosterol. Today, sterols are being used to treat associated benign prostate dyperplasmia. These plant sterols have also been shown to help control cholesterol as well as act as precursors to many important substances produced by the body. Acai Berries are also a remarkable concentration of Antioxidants to help combat premature aging. Acai Berry is a dense source of a particular class of flavonoids called anthocyanins. THE ORAC VALUE of Acai Berry is higher than any other known edible berry on the planet!
Acai also contains an amazingly high concentration level of Antioxidants which contribute to combat premature aging. The proanthocyanidin contents in Acai Berries are 10 to 30 times the anthocyanins of red wine per volume. Although the French have a high fat diet, they have a low incidence of cardio vascular disease compared to the western countries. They contribute this factor to their consumption of red wine. Acai Berries can help promote a healthier cardio vascular system and digestive tract, because it’s synergy of onounsaturated (these are the healthy fats), dietary fiber and phytosterols.
Dr. Nicholas Perricone, M.D., a recognized authority on anti-aging, in his book “The Perricone Promise” named the Acai berry as being the World’s #1 Superfood. He also called the Acai berry one of the most nutritious and powerful anti-aging foods in the world today.
In more recent history, this product has been endorsed by the world famous talk show host, Oprah Winfrey and has been featured on her show for its incredible properties and potential benefit to our society.
Acai Berry Products: 10 Things You Need to Know Before Buying
Posted by: | CommentsDoes it really matter where you buy Acai Berry products? Absolutely! Not all Acai products created equal! There so many factors that go into the processing of the Acai Berry, that customers should know what to look for before buying!


Given the sudden popularity of this purple gem, many companies are jumping on the band wagon to produce as many Acai products as they can. That means the consumer needs to do their homework to find a manufacturer that hasn’t taken any shortcuts in their processing and ingredients. If we are not careful, we could end up with a product that has lost its active properties, is full of fillers or has unwanted chemicals.

Before you purchase Acai products, make sure the product lines up with these standards:

1) Certified Organic Ingredients. When using non-organic fruits, you could be exposed to pesticides and other chemicals. A legitimate company will produce a certificate to prove their product is Certified Organic. Non-organic antioxidant products can contain chemical pesticides, herbicides and other toxins.

2) Acai Must Be Processed Within 24 Hours. Safely transporting this little gem, often called The Crown Jewel of the Amazon, across the world is not an easy task! This highly potent berry starts losing its active properties within 24 hours of being picked. As you can imagine, for companies that care about producing a quality product, this is no simple feat.

3) Acai and Other Ingredients That Are Not Processed in China. Many products on the market today are processed in China, where they are known for using harsh chemicals and they do not have any regulations for pesticide use, nor do they have organic guidelines. Acai processing plants in China often use unregulated soy, fillers and/or chemicals in the extraction process.

4) Freeze-Dried and Not Spray Dried Acai. To preserve the berry’s nutrients, Acai must be freeze-dried. Spray drying involves heating the berries at high temperatures, which destroys the active properties. In this process, they are also sprayed with a carrier such as maltodextrin to dry them out. When this occurs, a large portion of the resulting Acai powder is actually maltodextrin.

5) Acai Should Never Be Overheated. During normal pasteurization, high heat is involved. Any Acai juice product should only be flash-pasteurized, which does not harm the enzyme level of the berry and is FDA approved.

6) No Fillers Such as Soy or Maltodextrin in Processing. During the extraction of the pulp from the pit, fillers, chemicals and carriers should not be used. These items used in the manufacturing process remain a part of the end product, but are not required to be listed on the label because they are not considered to be an “added ingredient.”

7) No Fillers or Water Added to the Product. Adding fillers makes the Acai fluffier and bulks it up, so you are not getting as much Acai. Check the label for such fillers as soy, corn, maltodextrin, water and lots of other concentrated fruit juices. After all, when we buy Acai, we want Acai.

No Added Sugar, Artificial sweeteners, Fructose or Stimulants. Look to see that the Acai does not have added sugar. Sugar is not good for our immune systems, weight and it can cause inflammation. Also, some products may have added stimulants like caffeine or guarana.

9) No Chemical Preservatives. If we are seeking a nutritional product for our health, why would we want to consume chemicals along with it? For example, Sodium Benzoate appears in our soda and snack cakes, but why would we want it in our health foods? In 2006, the FDA re-opened their investigations into the use of Sodium Benzoate in soft drinks, because of the discovery of the breakdown into Benzene that can occur when mixed with ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

10) ORAC Lab Testing Done on Actual Product. Make sure the company’s reported ORAC (antioxidant) levels are based upon tests done on their actual Acai product and not just reports from Acai right off the tree. Just because Acai Berries have a high ORAC score when picked, does not mean it still does after the manufacturing.

As we can see, not all Acai products are created equal. In fact, a person will have a hard time finding Acai that can measure up to all 10 standards! So far, we have only found one Acai product line that passes all of these tests and that is Amazon Thunder!

Resources and Further Reading:

Amazon Acai Berry.net – All About the Acai Berry: www.AmazonAcaiBerry.net

FDA re-opens probe into benzene contamination of soft drinks – by Chris Mercer, 2/15/2006 www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=65840-soft-drinks-fda-benzene
