If you’re a health enthusiast who is all about getting their nutrients from fruits and veggies, then you’ve come to the right place.
Known as a super fruit to the Brazilians, the Acai berries are a staple food in the famous Amazon region. Packed with nutrients and numerous health benefits, it’s a wonder how it has only recently gained popularity globally.
You may have come across this dark purple fruit, not knowing what it was. Thankfully, we’re here to tell you what they are and how they benefit you.
That’s right. We’ve gathered 5 amazing ways the acai berry can be beneficial to your health. So, let’s get straight to it!
What Are Acai Berries?
Even though acai berries have pits like olives and apricots, you’d think they’d be referred to as drupes. However, they are referred to as berries anyway.
These small 1-inch round berries grow on the acai palm trees in the rainforests of South and Central America. With dark purple skin with yellow flesh covering up a large seed, these berries are a must-have with every meal.
They are soaked in water first to soften up their outer skin. Once that’s done, all you have to do is mash them up into a deep purple paste. The earthy taste has been described as a mix between unsweetened chocolate and blackberries.
Since fresh acai berries have a short shelf life, they are not available outside of where they are usually grown. When exported, they are often sold as Freeze Dried Acai Powder, pressed juice, or as a frozen fruit puree.
How Do You Eat Acai Berries?
As we’ve mentioned before, the berries are exported in three forms - powders, purees, and juices. Now, the juices are packed with antioxidants, but the catch is that it's high in sugar and lacks fiber.
If you think about using a filter, then your juice is left behind with fewer antioxidants. The powdered version of the berries promises the most amount of nutrients full of fat, fiber, and plant compounds.
However, it’s often claimed that the puree is the best way to enjoy the real flavor of the acai berries.
Make your own acai bowl by blending the unsweetened puree with either milk or water. You can turn it onto a creamy base for toppings. You can use the acai powder as well; just blend it into your choice of smoothie recipe too!
Just add in a number of toppings like sliced fruit or berries, cocoa nibs, chia seeds, etc.
5 Amazing Health Benefits of Acai Berries
Now that we know what acai berries are and how you can eat them, let’s find out the 5 amazing health benefits they have to offer!
1. Great Nutritional Value
As a fruit, the acai berries have a special nutritional profile - they are low in sugar but high when it comes to fat.
These berries also contain trace minerals like zinc, manganese, potassium, chromium, etc. However, most of the strong health benefits come from the plant compounds themselves.
The most outstanding one is that which gives these berries their dark purple color - anthocyanins. Blueberries also have anthocyanins in them and some other food like black beans as well.
2. Antioxidants Saving the Day!
Antioxidants are super important for our health. They help counteract the harmful effects of free radicals present throughout our bodies.
Free radicals, when not counteracted, can lead to a number of diseases like cancer, heart disease, and even diabetes. Acai berries are very rich in antioxidants.
Anthocyanins and a number of other plant compounds present in acai berries help to bring about this activity of antioxidants. These berries don’t even come close to other antioxidant-rich fruits like cranberries and blueberries.
During a study, over 10 fasting volunteers were given applesauce, acai pulp, acai juice, and a drink with no antioxidant present in it. After testing their blood for levels of antioxidants, both the applesauce and acai pulp raised the volunteers’ antioxidant levels.
This proved that the antioxidant compounds present in acai pulp were absorbed in the gut.
3. Help to Improve Cholesterol Levels
Acai berries contain plant sterols. They are known to help prevent cholesterol from being absorbed by our bodies.
Studies done on animals suggest that acai berries could also help to improve cholesterol levels. There are possibilities that they could help humans too.
Although more research is required to fully know whether they help to lower cholesterol levels in humans, it’s possible the anthocyanins present in acai berries could be of help.
Several studies have connected this particular plant compound to bring improvements in LDL and HDL cholesterol.
4. A Possible Anti-Cancer Effect
While it’s true there is no magic food that can stop diseases like cancer altogether, there are some who can help to stop the cancer cells from spreading and forming.
Animal and test-tube studies have shown an anti-cancer effect in acai berries. In some mice, feeding them acai pulp reduced the frequency of bladder and colon cancer.
Having said that, another study showed that the acai had no effect on the stomach cancer some mice had.
Thus, researchers have come to the conclusion that while acai does play a role in treating cancer, more studies are needed.
5. Help to Boost Brain Function
Our brain thrives by cleaning up cells that aren’t working or ones that are toxic. This process is called autophagy - it enhances communication between brain cells and makes way for new nerves to form.
This process works less adeptly as we age. To bring oxidation in our brain cells, the antioxidants neutralize the harmful effects of inflammation. Otherwise, this can affect our learning and memory power.
However, many of the plant compounds present in acai berries can protect your brain from losing its function while you age. There are studies done on lab rats that showed it improved their memory, but more research is still needed to be done.
The acai berries have the potential to give us many health benefits thanks to their high antioxidant levels, strong plant compounds, and unique taste. So, grab yourself an acai bowl or even a smoothie and sit back and relax.
Just make sure to keep an eye on the sugar level, and you’re good to go!