Acai Berries

Acai Berry (Euterpe Oleracea) is a fruit of the Acai Palm Tree found mainly in the Amazonian Rain forests and floodplains of Brazil and parts of Northern South America. This almost grape sized fruit, grows in clusters quite high up the tree in branched panicles.

Acai Berry has been one of the main staple foods consumed by the natives and tribes found in and around the Amazon River since centuries. Since over a decade now Acai has become one of the most sought after Superfood in the Americas.

This berry has been consumed for its healing and medicinal qualities since ages and is almost 42% of all the staple food consumed by the natives of the Brazilian Amazon. Obviously and definitely it has some goods else it would not have seen, the phenomenal popularity that it has gained through the years. This is what we are trying to explore here and therefore shall deconstruct its benefits, side effects, false claims conclude the overall picture in the process.

Being from the Berry family it definitely has all the right nutrients which it is famous for e.g. antioxidants, vitamins, amino acids, minerals etc. As on this date though, there has not been any substantial studies and analysis done to evaluate its nutrient value nor has it been tested on sampled human population to know how the body shall react on its consumption. We do have a lot of claims though from companies producing and or marketing this supplement, from celebrities and from individual consumers, of its miraculous benefits which can be debated or contradicted.

The fact that it is a rich antioxidant supplement cannot be denied but it is only present in the pulp and the skin of the fruit (The actual pulp & skin only constitutes 10% of the fruit, remaining is the seed, which has no nutritional value). We need to understand that what reaches us as Acai Supplement in the supermarkets or online stores may not be 100% Acai extracts. The amount of effort and time that goes in harvesting i.e. climbing the high trees, cutting the fruit branches, plucking of the berries from the branches, dry freezing it (it loses its nutrient value within 24 hrs) and then converting into pulp and subsequently to powder or any other form is mammoth, let alone the impacts on the environment. Don’t ignore the fact that only 10% of the fruit shall be used.

The point here is that it is very essential to know & question that are we spending dollars on the exact items that we thought we were getting. So usually Acai supplements have traces of Acai mixed with other substances to supposedly enhance its healing value may it be cosmetic, beauty products, weight loss items, etc.

Acai Berries if consumed pure devoid of other substances then renders the maximum benefits with minimum side effects. The main benefit being its capacity to suppress the growth of the free radical cells that lead to many ailments in the body. Your energy levels raise up when you have Acai, it strengthens your immune system, the fibre content of the berry extract helps in improving digestion. It can be concluded that Acai Berry improves the overall health of the body.

Mixing it with substances like sugar, caffeine, tobacco, and other toxic fillers may lead to harmful results and lead to build up of toxins, plaque, acnes, lower the blood pressure, cause liver damage and might suppress the immune system.

But, of all things Acai is promoted and marketed as a weight loss diet and hence targets this huge population for its business. Beware of such businesses which are making false claims on weight loss, make an informed and wise decision when buying these food supplements.

Let us not forget that a balanced diet comprising of fruits, vegetables, good proteins along with some regular exercise shall bring in more benefits.

Therefore Acai Berries, an amazing fruit with immense healing and remedial properties needs to be taken, pure and completely unprocessed for best results.

Decision to have Acai products if clubbed with the genuine sense of responsibility towards the impacts on the Amazon Environment, then nothing like it.