History
The Açaí (ah-sigh-ee) berry or acai superfood, as it has been touted by Dr. Nicholas Perricone in his book, “The Perricone Promise”, was discovered growing in palms trees in the rain forest in Brazil. The berries are used in juice blends, energy drinks, sodas, and other beverages. History tells us acai drinks date back thousands of years as an elixir to cure various ailments by the tribes of the Amazon jungle. Acai drinks are also used as popular energy drinks in Brazil today.
The Skinny
So why is this berry that grows on a palm tree in the middle of the Brazilian rain forest so great? Here is what we know:
* acai is jam-packed full of antioxidants
* acai has 10x the amount of anti-oxidants as grapes
* they have 10 to 30 times the anthocyanins of red wine
* their essential amino acid complex is almost perfect
* the fatty acid content is comparable to that in olive oil
What’s In It For Me
Packed together in a berry the size of a small grape and prepared as a drink, this “Viagra of the Amazon” as it’s known amongst the locals, has been purportedly used for energy boosting, weight reduction (acai slim), cancer fighting, metabolism boosting, inflammation reducer, athletic enhancer, skin smoother and bedroom enhancer.
Consuming these drinks have led many to profess phenomenal health benefits. But long-term advantages are still unknown, before you run down to the Amazon to buy acai wholesale by the truckload, know that more research needs to be done. However, recent research has shown some extraordinary results, particularly an experiment in which cancer cells were shown to self-destruct when exposed to acai extract at the University of Florida. So in a nutshell,the acai smoothie you are drinking every day just might be the answer to a thinner, healthier and better life.