The Secret Super Fruit Hidden in the Heart of the Amazon Jungle.
Thursday, March 11th, 2010Well, since Dr Nicholas Perricone appeared on Oprah to tell everyone about it, perhaps the Acai Berry isn’t quite such a secret any more. For those not already in the know, Dr Perricone puts the Acai Berry right at the top of his list of 10 ‘Super Foods’ and there are now statistics galore that prove to us just how incredibly healthy this grape sized berry is.
Let’s examine the case in more detail.
The Acai palm (the letter c is pronounced as an s) is native to the Amazon region and has long been a popular part of Brazilian cuisine. The Acai has a lovely berry flavour, with a slight hint of chocolate in its aftertaste, and the Brazilians have used the juice and the pulp in blends, smoothies, sodas, ice creams and other drinks. It has also traditionally been served with tapioca or granola - either as a sweet or a savoury. Although nutritionists have been aware of its value, the fact that the Acai is so perishable that it spoils within 24 hours of being picked has been a real deterrent for those people wanting to export it.
But now things have changed.
So what are the health benefits of this fruit that have caused such interest amongst American experts? Well, for starters, Acai has an amazing 10 times the antioxidant power of red grapes and twice that of blueberries. Even more promising is that the antioxidant components are ‘slow-acting’, which indicates that the antioxidant effect is more sustained. The Acai is rich in fatty acids, containing high levels of the monounsaturated fatty acid known as oleic acid, enabling it to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Studies at the University of Florida also suggest that the Acai contains polyphenolics which can reduce the spread of leukaemia cells. To summarise, Acai Berries are at the top of the Super Food list because they can prevent and reduce inflammations; regulate your metabolism and burn your body fat; lower your cholesterol and blood pressure; protect against cancer and heart disease; promote good digestive health - and, just for good measure, give you energy!
Simply eating the berries or using them in the traditional manner of the Brazilians has always been near impossible for people living far from the Amazon Basin. But now there are two ways that the berry is being transported. Firstly, Acai pulp from the Amazon is being frozen and shipped to the USA. Some juice bars now are beginning to have Acai smoothies - although they are often on the expensive side.
More accessible, though, is the Acai powder which results from the pulp being dehydrated and freeze-dried. The resulting powder is easier and cheaper to export and can be used to make pure Acai supplements that have all the nutritional benefits of the original fruit. That last point is worth stressing - the freeze-dried powder has all the health-giving properties of the berry itself.
A word of caution, though. When you’re choosing your Acai supplement, read the packaging to make sure that it’s the genuine berry skin and pulp that has been used in the manufacturing process. Some of the products on the market use mainly the Acai seed, which has been crushed. The only value of the seeds is to make necklaces from them or burn them as a source of energy - nutritionally, they have little value.
This amazing Acai fruit is one of the most nutritious foods in the world - and now it’s within the reach of everybody, not just those who go to Brazil for their vacations.


What makes this particular berry so special is that it has been thought to help prevent cancer and heart disease due to its very special and powerful ingredients. You are not going to find the same exact amount of ingredient combination in any other type of food on this planet. The acai berry contains a ridiculous amount of fiber. According to the Western diet, a diet that is lacking in fiber is a major reason why most people end up getting cancer and heart disease. Not to mention, fiber helps to keep you full so you do not overeat. Diabetes and high blood pressure can also be avoided, as well as obesity.