Acai (pronounced ( ah-sigh-EE ) is a fruit that grows on the Acai Palm Trees in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil. The Acai berry is small in size (smaller than a grape) and is dark purple in color. Acai is mostly seed, covered in a small amount of pulp. In fact, about 90% of the Acai berry is seed - it is important to note that no one eats the Acai berry seed.
What makes Acai so special?
While Acai may be small in size, it packs a nutritional punch unlike any other food in the world. While we get more into the specific benefits of Acai, here are a few highlights to wet your appetite:
- Dr. Perricone, in his bestseller - “The Perricone Promise” picks Acai fruit as the #1 Super Food in the world.
- In 2005, Oprah name Acai the #1 Super Food, saying “This little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world.”.
- “Rich in antioxidants and amino acids, açaí is thought to be one of the most nutritional fruits of the Amazon basin.” New York Times, 8/4/2004
- Acai has 10 Times the antioxidant power of red grapes and twice that of blueberries
While other sites make claims about Acai curing every disease known to man, we would never make those claims. What is clear is that Acai has tremendous health properties and may be one of the best possible foods you can eat to stay healthy.
How Does Acai Taste?
Terrific! Acai has a berry flavor with a subtle chocolate after taste. Acai tastes so good, you would never guess it is also great for you.
Great, can I buy fresh Acai at my local market?
Yes - if you happen to live in the middle of Amazon Rainforest! For the rest of us, fresh Acai is not an option. Acai is very perishable and spoils within about 24 hours of being picked from the Acai Palm tree.
So, how can I get Acai fruit?
Acai pulp from the Amazon can be frozen and shipped to the US. A number of juice bars do have Acai smoothies - but this can get expensive.
Acai pulp can also be dehydrated into a powder and freeze dried. This powder can then be put into capsules to make pure Acai supplements that maintain all the nutritional properties of fresh Acai - just in a concentrated form.
Great, so I can just buy any Acai supplement?
Not exactly. There is a world of difference between the various Acai supplements on the market. Some are made in such a way that they maintain almost NONE of the nutritional profile of fresh Acai.
We have found some quality Acai supplements and had them lab tested to make sure they were pure and effective. We will discuss these more in a later article.
Recap:
Okay, so this is our take on Acai - Acai is the #1 Super Food in the world, but it is not available fresh outside of the Amazon Rainforest. Frozen Acai pulp is available, but it is expensive, found mostly in juice bars and can not be shipped without special freezer packaging. While there are a few quality Acai supplements, most the ones you see in a health food store are processed in such a way that they maintain almost NONE of the nutritional benefits of fresh Acai.