5 SUPERFOOD BENEFITS OF ACAI BERRIES

Acai are berries that are native to the Central and South America, where it is known as the tea that cries. They are a Brazilian super fruit, a staple food to the indigenous tribes of the Amazon rain forest  and in the United States and further afield they are officially recognised as a  (1) "Superfood" 

This small dark purple fruit has made its entrance globally into the health and wellness sector and  literally "packs a punch" in the world of nutrition with the health benefits that it provides. 

Below are 5 main health benefits these berries provide:

1) Acai berries are unique in that they are high in fat and low in sugars. Perfect for those of us that love ketogenic friendly eating.

2) They are rich in essential minerals such as potassium, magnesium and phosphorous  that power metabolic processes in the body and furthermore, they also contain other compounds called anthocyanins which are responsible for the antioxidant effects within the body.

Anthocyanins are found in deep purple dark fruits and vegetables such as kidney beans, Acai and blueberries.

3) Acai berries are shown to boost brain function by (2) protecting the brain from damage that comes with ageing. The antioxidants found in Acai have not only been demonstrated to fight against the inflammatory and and damaging effects of oxidation in the brain but also as a result, have been demonstrated to improve memory in rats.

4) Test have shown that Acai may actually reduce cholesterol levels in adults. Albeit, done on a small test group this is thought to be as a result of plant sterols that reduce the absorption of cholesterol by the body. (3) Improvement of cholesterol levels

5) Acai berries are nutrient dense, no wonder they form a staple part of the indigenous people who inhabit the Amazon rain forest  In fact the exact nutritional breakdown of a 100g  of Acai pulp can be listed as follows:

100 grams of frozen fruit pulp has the (4) following nutritional breakdown 

• Calories: 70
• Fat: 5 grams
• Saturated fat: 1.5 grams
• Carbs: 4 grams
• Sugar: 2 grams
• Fibre 2 grams
• Vitamin A: 15% of the RDI
• Calcium: 2% of the RDI

How to enjoy Acai

Make an Acai bowl with 0% yogurt, add some unsweetened Acai berries powder and add some nuts, chia seeds, a slither of juicy mango some black berries and a spoonful or two of glorious oats or muesli. Voila, pure superfood nutrition in a bowl.

Photo by Alexis Chloe on Unsplash

Trusted Sources Source: 

1)  International food information council foundation 

2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24985004

3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19640950

4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17824205

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