The Benefits of Acai

The benefits of acai are impressive, but there's a lot of hype surrounding acai. Here are the facts about acai that you need to know.

Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is a fruit that grows on the acai palm tree in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. The acai berry is dark purple in color and about the size of a blueberry. About 90% of the acai berry is seed and about 10% is skin and pulp. Only the skin and pulp are edible.

Acai is very perishable and it spoils within about 24 hours of being picked from the acai palm tree. This means that you won't find fresh acai in your local supermarket. But freshly picked acai can be frozen and it will retain its full nutritional value. Frozen acai can also be freeze dried into a powder. Frozen acai and freeze dried acai powder are used to make a variety of acai products, such as supplements, juices and smoothies.

Here are the primary benefits of acai:

Acai is loaded with antioxidants. Acai is very rich in substances called anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body's cells against the effects of free radicals. Free radicals can cause cell damage that leads to aging and may lead to the development of certain diseases. Many fruits contain a high level of antioxidants, but acai might just contain the highest level of any fruit. Acai has 10 times the antioxidant power of red grapes and twice that of blueberries.

Acai contains essential amino acids. Acia is one of the few plant-based foods that contains all nine essential amino acids. There are 20 amino acids that the body needs to function properly, but the body can only produce 11 of them. The other nine, which are called essential amino acids, must come from food or supplements.

Acai is a good source of vitamins and minerals. Acai contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E. It also contains potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc.

Acai contains healthy unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fat provides the body with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These essential fatty acids (EFAs) are critical for good health but can't be manufactured by the body and must come from food or supplements.

Acai is high in fiber. Acai is one of the most fiber rich fruits. Fiber reduces the risk of certain types of cancer (especially colon and breast cancer), lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol, and helps keep blood sugar in check.

Acai contains plant sterols. Plant sterols (also know as phytosterols) lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

These benefits of acai are impressive, but what about acai for weight loss? The Internet is full of websites selling acai weight loss supplements. The truth is, there's no scientific evidence that acai has any special weight loss properties. Acai has plenty of health benefits, but it's not the secret to weight loss.

By the way, you need to know that many of the companies selling acai supplements are not just making bogus weight loss claims, they're also scamming people. They're using fake websites and blogs and fraudulent celebrity endorsements. They're also offering "free trials" of acai supplements. When you provide your credit card details to cover shipping and handling for the "free trial," you find yourself enrolled in an "automatic shipment program" that sends you inferior, overpriced acai supplements and bills your credit card every month. The details are usually spelled out in the website's fine print, but most people don't read that.

Make sure that you only purchase acai supplements from a reputable company that sells high quality products. Avoid all "free trials" of acai supplements.

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