The Healthful Nutrients In The Acai Berry

The acai berry is an amazing nutritional discovery. Found only in the rainforests of Brazil it has only recently been accessible throughout the world due to advances in processing techniques. This amazing little berry boasts up to ten times the antioxidant level of red grapes and twice the antioxidant levels of blueberries. The acai fruit also diminishes the antioxidant levels of red wine having ten to thirty times as much antioxidant activity. The acai berry contains a few of the highest antioxidant levels of any fruit available anywhere.
The acai berry is extremely high in two powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins and flavonoids. Anthocyanin is the substance that makes the deep red to deep purple colors of many health-promoting foods including blueberries, red grapes, purple cabbage and of course the acai berry. Foods that are high in anthocyanins are exceptionally nutritious and full of antioxidants.
Vitamin antioxidants such as anthocyanins and flavonoids defend the body from stress and free radicals. Free radicals are described as a molecule or an atom that contains a single unpaired electron. Due to this unpaired electron the molecule is extremely unstable and disruptive to your body. An antioxidant will pair up the random electron and neutralize the molecule. Both anthocyanins and flavonoids are strong antioxidants that defend the body from stress and free radicals.
Antioxidant capacity is characterized by a number referred to as an ORAC score. An ORAC score assesses the ability of a substance to neutralize free radicals in a test tube. The higher the number of the ORAC scores the stronger the antioxidant properties of the substance being evaluated. The acai berry has an extremely high ORAC score. Most of the products made with the acai fruit have retained this high ORAC capacity.
Astonishingly for a fruit, the acai fruit is also loaded with efa’s which are crucial to good health and amino acids which are the building blocks of proteins. Nearly half of the edible portion of the acai berry is composed of fat and 74% of that fat is the unsaturated healthy fats Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9. The acai berry is also composed of 19 different amino acids.
The acai berry are also comprised of an lavish amount of vitamins and plant sterols. Plant sterols have shown to give a number of health benefits and of course, we are all familiar with the health benefits of vitamins. The acai fruit contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E in copious amounts. It also has ample amounts of the essential minerals magnesium, calcium, potassium, copper and zinc.
Even with all of these amazing health advantages among the best things about the acai fruit is that it is quite tasty and it provides a substantial dose of fiber. Acai berry products range from dried berries to a delicious juice and even various products made from the extract. Acai berries may be used in desserts, smoothies and more.
Research will continue to be conducted on the acai fruit but the findings so far have been pretty astonishing. The acai berry can aid in weight loss and the prevention of diseases. The acai berry offers tremendous nutritional benefits that are beneficial to human health.