The acai berry (pronounced “ah-sigh-ee”) is a small grape-sized berry that grows in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil. Natives of the region have harvested this berry as part of their diet for hundreds of years.
The much desired acai fruit is only 10% of the actual berry. The other 90% is made up of the seed or pit. The acai berry is harvested by the thousands and put through a process that separates the pulp from the seed to produce a thick, edible puree.
Uses of Acai Berry:
a. For weight loss:
Boosts body metabolism: The acai berry contains Omega fatty acids – the same medically recommended fats found in fish oil, olive oil and flaxseed. These fatty acids can’t be produced by the body, and must be obtained from the food we eat. Instead of being stored as fat, they are used by the liver to “kick-start” the metabolism. If you’re a slow starter when it comes to losing weight, or if you’ve reached the frustrating “plateau” phase of weight loss, adding some form of acai to your diet might be just the ticket to get over the hump.
Aids Digestions: The acai berry contains a generous amount of fiber which promotes a healthy digestive system and helps cleanse your system of fatty foods.
Suppresses Appetite: The acai berry has a generous amount of fiber. High fiber foods like acai help you to feel fuller faster and cut down on nagging cravings, needless snacking, and late night trips to the refrigerator.
Builds Muscle Tone: The acai berry is rich with amino acids, which your muscles need in order to function properly and grow from exercise. These amino acids combined with the fatty acids in the acai berry allow your body to burn fat more efficiently and help your muscles grow. Muscle, of course, makes your body look fit and toned. In addition, the more muscle your body has, the more calories you will burn, and the faster you’ll lose weight.
Increase Energy and Stamina: Jiu-jitsu practitioners and soccer players in Brazil often have a large meal of acai berry pulp before a competition. Why? Aside from being a perfect source of nutrition and carbohydrates, the high levels of antioxidants in the acai berry lead to a drastic increase in energy levels and stamina. If it gives them enough energy for a competition, it’s going to really help keep your energy level up for cardio and exercise.
Although it’s not the miracle weight loss solution that some claim, the acai berry has been medically and scientifically proven to contain ingredients that aid in weight loss. Not only does it provide a valuable boost to the metabolism, it also suppresses appetite, helps build muscle, and gives a much-needed shot of energy and stamina for those fat blasting workouts.
b. For Sex.
In Amazon the acai drink has been label by its natives and commonly referred to as “Amazon Rainforest Viagra”.
The Amazon native certainly wasn’t lying. People in Brazil wholeheartedly believe that acai gives strength, energy, endurance, and is great for sex. Some doctors even recommend acai to couples who are having difficulty getting pregnant!
The berry is packed with high levels of iron, calcium, carbohydrates, and antioxidants. The nutrients impart a huge boost of energy and stamina while the antioxidants cause the entire body (including sexual response) to function better. It’s simply high performance fuel for any activity (especially the bedroom). So is it just the powerful boost of stamina and energy that makes acai such a great aphrodisiac? Possibly, however, natives swear that there is something in acai that boosts the sex drive and simultaneously improves the mental state.
c. Endurance, energy and more:
Brazilian people are some of the most active and healthy in the entire world. Walk the beaches of Rio de Janeiro and you’ll invariably see fit (and usually half naked) people swimming, surfing, playing soccer, cycling, jogging, and practicing Brazilian JiuJitsu. You’ll also notice that many of them are eating bowls of dark purple acai from one of the many juice bars that line the beaches.
d. For Cancer:
The popularity of the acai berry is growing every day. As a result, more and more nutritionists and scientists are researching its unique nutritional qualities and healing abilities. It was only a matter of time before someone ran experiments regarding the acai berry’s ability to fight cancer.
Now that you know how the acai berry theoretically fights cancer; let’s talk about that experiment we mentioned earlier.The University of Florida published a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that found that acai berries triggered a self destruct response in up to 86% of human cancer cells.
Assistant Professor Stephen Talcott says “This was only a cell-culture model and we don’t want to give anyone false hope. We are encouraged by the findings, however. Compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model system are most likely to have beneficial effects in our bodies.” The University will now study the effect of acai antioxidants on healthy human subjects.
While the acai berry certainly isn’t proven to cure cancer, exciting research indicates that, at the very least, the high level of antioxidants may help your body fight it. Hopefully further research will reveal more benefits of this amazing food.
e. Free Radicals & Antioxidants
Because of acai berry’s high level of antioxidants, and if you eat or take this amazing food, your body, of course, has a way to fight back by strengthening the cells and fight off free radicals.
Free radicals are nasty little molecules that come from pollutants, pesticides, cigarette smoke, etc. They attack the cells in the body and can even damage DNA. Free radical damage within cells has been linked to a range of disorders including cancer, arthritis, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes.
Acai Berry Diet Side Effects
Acai berry by itself is completely free of side effects. However, some increasingly popular acai products contain guarana.Guarana, also a wonderful discovery from the Amazon, is a syrup that’s often used as a stimulant and appetite suppressant. But it does contain caffeine, so be aware that any negative side effects of caffeine also apply to any acai product mixed with guarana.
The recent surge in popularity of the acai berry for diet and weight loss purposes will no doubt lead to acai being put in all sorts of diet pills and weight loss supplements. Keep in mind that the acai in these products will probably be in there as a minor ingredient along with goodness knows what else. Your best bet is to stick with a quality acai-only supplement. You’ll get all of the positive health and weight loss benefits without having to worry about harmful ingredients or side effects
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