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The Health Benefits of Acai
The are several health benefits of acai, but you need to be aware of the 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 is why you won't find fresh acai in your local supermarket.
Freshly picked acai can be frozen or freeze dried into a powder and it will retain all of
its nutritional value. 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 top five health benefits of acai:
1. Acai is loaded with antioxidants.
Acai is very rich in antioxidants, which protect the body's cells against free radicals.
Free radicals can cause cell damage that leads to aging and the development of some 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.
2. 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 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.
3. Acai is a good source of vitamins and minerals.
Acai contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E, as well as potassium,
calcium, magnesium,
copper and zinc.
4. Acai is high in fiber.
Acai is one of the most fiber rich fruits. Fiber helps keeps the body regular, lowers LDL
(bad) cholesterol, reduces the risk for certain types of cancer (especially colon and breast
cancer), and helps keep blood sugar levels in check.
5. Acai contains plant sterols.
Plant sterols (also know as phytosterols) lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduce the risk
for heart disease.
These health benefits of acai are impressive, but what about acai for weight loss? Even
though the Internet is full of websites and blogs 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 fake celebrity endorsements.
They're also offering "free trials" of acai supplements. When you provide your credit card
details to cover the 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.
Make sure that you only purchase acai supplements from a reputable company that sells high
quality products. Avoid all "free trials" of acai supplements.
Recommended Resource
Vitabase
is a well respected company that sells a wide variety of high quality, reasonably priced dietary supplements.
Click here for details on Vitabase's acai supplement
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