The acai berry fruit is native to the rainforest in South American and have gained popularity globally for being known as a super fruit. This dark purple fruit certainly packs a lot of nutrients and antioxidants. This berry showed up in the United States in 2001 and they know show up in many kind of foods and drinks. They are cholesterol free, low in saturated fats, contain trace minerals, and high in fiber. Researchers have studies the effects of this fruit and believe that it may help ward off disease. So it is no surprise these berries became the ingredient in various diets and detox programs.
There are many products available in stores and online that feature acai as a main ingredient and also promote weight loss. However, nutritionist will warn dieters that no one single supplement or food can provide weight loss. Some claims made from web sites selling acai products are that dieters will burn fat better, cut down on craving, boost metabolism, and cleanse their system by removing toxins using acai.
Acai berries contain pits like apricots and have a skin on them that are too tough to bite into right from the tree. Therefore they are soaked to soften the tough outer skin and then mashed to form a dark purple paste. The berries have a short shelf life and do not travel well so aren’t available outside of where they are grown. Due to this acai products are usually quite expensive and when used commercially there is usually very little pure acai in the product. One smoothie was found to have 48 grams of sugar due to the added juices from apples, bananas, plums and grapes. It may still come from natural sugar but the health benefits at this point are no longer as high. In fact this could cause a weight gain due to the amount of sugar consumed in one drink!
Even with the acai berry having a unique characteristic that few fruits offer it still may not be worth the money for a true acai product. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and oranges are more practical and much more affordable while still packing all the antioxidant benefits. Learning and understanding the importance of nutrition is one of the healthiest choices you can make.