Acai, pronounced “a-sigh-ee”, is a berry sourced from the acai palm tree found in the Amazon rainforest. Resembling a blueberry, this dark purple berry has become incredibly popular over recent years due to its exceptionally high antioxidant component, making it one of the most popular superfoods to flood your social media.
Acai berries are a nutritional powerhouse, and they have been shown to have many health benefits. Acai berries contain antioxidants and other nutrients that may help reduce the risk of disease and promote good health. In general, foods high in antioxidants have been thought to protect against cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses by helping neutralize free radicals that can damage cells in your body.
Acai berries are a rich source of antioxidants, which help fight disease and aging. Antioxidants protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are molecules that damage cells, leading to illness and premature aging. Acai berries also contain vitamins E and C, as well as minerals like potassium, manganese, selenium and zinc - all important for maintaining good health.
Antioxidants are like a vacuum or a mop that cleans up the mess caused by free radicals. In chemistry terms, free radicals are unstable molecules continually searching for another molecule to latch on to. In the body, a free radical will attach itself to your cells where they cause damage and cell destruction. Anti oxidants act as lifeguards, attaching to the free radicals, neutralising them so they does not damage your body’s cells. Free radicals come from toxins such as cigarette smoke, foods that are high in refined sugars and processed fats, excess alcohol, air population and many other sources. Their counter part, anti oxidants, are found in fruits and vegetables, with the highest concentration found in plants with dark pigment such as acai, blueberry and spinach for example. Avoiding free radicals completely is not possible, therefore, it is essential to provide your body with enough anti oxidants to neutralise damage caused by free radical toxins.
In Australia, acai is only available as a freeze dried powder, frozen puree, capsule or liquid. The fresh, raw berries can not be exported. While fresh is best, freezing and freeze drying immediately after harvesting preserves the nutritional and anti-oxidant content. In fact, when measuring the Oxygen Reactive Absorption Capacity (ORAC) score, 100g of frozen acai berry pulp has an ORAC of 15,405 compared to blueberries with a score of 4,669. This is the main reason acai has become one of the most popular superfoods. Compared to other sources of antioxidants, acai packs a massive punch. Nutritionally, acai also contains an abundance of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. Just 1 heaped teaspoon of Nutra Organics acai berry powder is equivalent to 1 punnet of berries.
Acai berries are high in fibre and protein, which can help you feel full longer. This is especially important for diets that involve intermittent fasting (IF). IF is a popular weight loss method in which you restrict your eating to specific hours of the day, such as from 12 p.m.–8 p.m., or 6 a.m.–2 p.m., etc. Acai berries also contain vitamin E, which has been shown to help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress while promoting healthy skin, as well as resveratrol - a compound found in red wine that's known for its anti aging properties. Because acai berries are low calorie and high nutrient foods packed with antioxidants like polyphenols and anthocyanins, they're great at helping burn fat while building lean muscle mass - making them one of the best superfoods around!
Acai berries are rich in antioxidants, which help prevent damage to the skin caused by free radicals. Free radicals can cause wrinkles, age spots, and other skin conditions. Acai berries may help keep your skin looking young and healthy. Acai is a powerful antioxidant that helps to repair and reduce inflammation. This helps to improve the elasticity of your skin, which results in a more youthful appearance. Acai also contains vitamins A and C that can help to fade scars and blemishes on your face, as well as improve the appearance of acne scars.
In skincare, acai berry extract provides protection against free radical damage causing premature ageing of the skin. Acai oil also contains important healthy fats, omegas 3,6 and 9 which help to retain the skins moisture, improving firmness, texture and complexion. Using a daily moisturiser or facial oil that contains acai berry oil helps to protect the skin from UV rays by providing antioxidants that combat sun exposure, similar to the way zinc works in sunscreen. While it is important to use an SPF rated natural sunscreen during peak UV times, acai berry oil will lessen stress on the skin caused by the sun. Using an acai berry face scrub will drench your skin with hydration and brighten your complexion.
In addition, acai berries have been found to be beneficial for hair care because they contain essential fatty acids like omega 3s and omega 6s which are known to strengthen hair follicles while moisturizing dry scalp tissue to prevent flaking or scaling. They also contain zinc oxide (ZnO), an important nutrient for healthy hair growth because it increases blood circulation within the scalp area by stimulating microcirculation within each dermal papilla (DP).
Acai berries are rich in antioxidants, which help reduce inflammation. Inflammation is a key factor in many diseases and can also be the body's response to injury or infection. Reducing inflammation may benefit people who struggle with certain health issues like arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and digestive disorders.
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Acai berries are high in heart healthy antioxidants. These antioxidants can improve your overall health and help you reduce your risk of heart disease. Acai berries have been shown to lower cholesterol and triglycerides. Studies show that acai can reduce the amount of harmful LDL cholesterol, while also increasing the amount of beneficial HDL cholesterol in your body. This improved ratio may help prevent or manage high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.
Acai berries contain anthocyanins, which have been linked to reducing inflammation in the body. They’re also packed with polyphenols (antioxidants), which help shield your heart from free radicals that cause damage to cells throughout the body - including those in our blood vessels!
Finally, acai has been shown to improve blood flow by dilating (opening) up arteries so that more oxygen rich blood flows through them on its way from your lungs down into other parts of your body like muscles or organs!
Acai berries are a good source of fibre, which helps keep your digestive system moving. The acai berry is also a good source of antioxidants, which help fight free radicals. Free radicals can damage cells and tissues in the body. You can use acai for smoothie or other delicious snacks like ice cream, acai bowl or packaces.
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How to make acai bowl (optional, if you need extra motivation)
The best thing about acai bowls is how simple they are to make. The key is to use all frozen fruits, this ensures the texture thick and creamy. For this, you need to use a food processor or a very high powered blender. A stick blender simply won’t have the power or motion to be able to blend frozen fruits without a considerable amount of liquid.
Ingredients
Blend until smooth, then top with your choice of garnish such as chia seeds, fresh fruit, crunchy muesli and coconut flakes, with a little drizzle of maple syrup if you desire extra sweetness.
There are a lot of reasons to love acai berries! They're packed with antioxidants, other nutrients, and fibre. Acai berries are low in calories and fat as well. When you're looking for a healthy snack that's also super delicious, acai berries are the perfect choice. You can add them to smoothies or freeze them for use later - either way, you'll be getting all the great benefits of acai berries without sacrificing anything else on your plate.
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