Healthcare, Health Insurance, Vitamins, Nutrition

May 14, 2009

What Does Acai Fruit Look Like?

Filed under: Nutrition — Tags: , , , , — Carter Sinclair @ 11:49 am

The acai berry is a small, round, and purple berry that grows on the acai palm tree. These trees are native to Central and South America, and are especially well known in Brazil. The fruit is about one inch in diameter, and looks pretty similar to a grape. However, one main difference is the fact that the acai berry has an incredibly large seed, which makes up about 80% of the whole fruit.

Since there is so little edible fruit on the berry, it is necessary to use many to get any usable amount of pulp. Luckily, each tree can produce up to 900 berries, which can be harvested twice each year. Even the large seed does not go to waste. Instead of being tossed aside the seed is ground up and used to feed livestock, made into jewlery, and of course used to make more acai palm trees.

Those who are lucky enough to live near the acai palms have been using this special fruit for years as a great source of omega fatty acids, amino acids, and antioxidants. The local athletes also use the berry to get the energy they need to get up for training and competitions. Being one of the most nutritious fruits on earth, it is also a great source of protein, iron, and fiber.

When tested against nearly every food known to man, the acai fruit scored the highest on the ORAC scale. This test ranks foods on their antioxidant capabilities. Being such a powerful source of antioxidants means that it can help fight off diseases such as cancer, improve eyesight, boost your immune system, and repair skin and hair damage.

The omega fatty acid and fiber content of the acai berry make it an incredibly heart friendly fruit. It can aid in lowering cholesterol levels, as well as improving the digestive system.

The berry contains Omega 3, 6, and 9. This helps absorb many different vitamins, as well as helping to protect against hypertension.

It wasn’t until Brazilian surfers revealed that acai was one of their secrets to success in competitions that the rest of the world caught on to this amazing fruit. In fact, it can still be very difficult to get your hands on pure acai pulp (the most potent form of this fruit) in the United States.

It seems that a new study praising the benefits of the acai berry is released every week. The rest of the world is finally catching on to what Brazilians have known for ages, that the acai berry is truly mother natures most powerful superfood.

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The Brazilian Super Food ” Acai Berry

In the Amazon forest of Brazil grows a tiny berry by the name of Acai. For hundreds of years the natives of Brazil have harvested it for their diet.

The berries must be treated properly to preserve their natural properties. Only 10% of each berry is fruit. The rest is seed and has no nutritional value. Therefore it takes a substantial amount of these little berries to create a usable puree.

Though its always been popular in Brazil, American nutritionists, scientists and Doctors now are more than aware of its nutritional properties as well as the health benefits that the Acai berry can bring. These health benefits are exceedingly startling!

The Athletes of Brazil have learned that a healthy portion of Acai berry prior to a game has a tremendous impact on the amount of energy and stamina a player has. Acai berries have been discovered to have exceptionally high antioxidant properties that rid the body of free radicals, help muscle tissue repair itself and produce energy and stamina.

Another major nutrient in Acai berry is carbohydrates. It is carbohydrates in the diet that helps store and deliver energy throughout the body. They also work to help the body process food and keep the body, tissue and immune system functioning well. It has been shown that a 40 to 65% of our energy source should come from carbohydrates.

The United Sates and other industrialized nations are susceptible to high levels of pollution, chemicals and additives that have begun to create health problems and an increase in serious disease and illness. The free radicals present in pollutants cause damage to our cells and healthy functioning of our immune system. Acai berries contain Vitamins and nutrients that have powerful antioxidant properties and help to rid the body of their negative impact.

The Acai berry is just one of those natural sources that apparently have been helping the Brazillians remain relatively free from many of the illnesses plaguing the Western World. It is thought that this is directly attributable to the Acai berry. The Acai contains essential fatty acids, iron, proteins, fiber, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B2, and Vitamin B1. Most importantly though, it also contains Omega 6 and Omega 9, which have been found to be strong antioxidants!

The powerful health producing attributes of the Acai berry are helpful to lowering the risk of heart disease and heart attacks. The antioxidants combined with the aminio acids, essential fatty acids and the naturally occurring plant phytochemicsl, phytosterols, Acai berries help the body burn fat more efficiently and process food more effectively. This is why it has been touted as a helpful addition to any weight loss program. Acai berry products also can reduce a individuals cholesterol as much as 15%.

The combinations of the essential fatty acids as well as the antioxidants battle LDL, which is the bad cholesterol in your body, and it simultaneously will maintain the HDL, which is the good cholesterol. Those essential fatty acids also help tremendously in aiding your body in the absorbency of such necessary vitamins such as Vitamin A, E, D as well as K.

Antioxidants, known as anthocyanins, as found in the Acai berry, are also thought to work as both an anti-viral and anti-bacterial agent in the body. Not only are these anthocyanins capable of accomplishing that particular task, but also they are proficient in helping maintain good eyesight. They also fight a range of other eye related eye diseases such as macular degeneration and even glaucoma.

Aiding the digestion, Acai berry has vital enzymes that aid the digestion process. If you suffer from digestive problems such as acid reflux, irritable bowel or the like, an Acai product may help cure this problem for you.

Acai berries are rich in Vitamin B that assists the body in regulating dopamine and serotonin levels. This helps your body relax, rest and sleep and we all know that a good nights sleep does wonders for our health and well being.

Truly you owe it to yourself to partake in this wondrous product from the Acai berry!

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May 7, 2009

Acai and Arthritis

Filed under: Nutrition — Tags: , , , , , , — Carter Sinclair @ 4:16 am

Arthritis is a debilitating ailment many people suffer from. You can get arthritis if you aren’t getting enough vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. You can also suffer from it when your joints get damaged as you get older. In addition others get it when they are getting poor blood circulation. Many people today are turning to Acai for their arthritis treatments.

The Acai berry is very popular because of the number of beneficial minerals and vitamins it contains. It has everything from amino acids to antioxidants that are beneficial to anyone suffering from arthritis. The berry helps you body heal and naturally repair itself.

Acai berry has more anitoxidants than red wine without any alcohol content. It helps to flush and cleanse your system. The antioxidants are very powerful at reversing the effects of arthritis.

Acai berry contains soothing minerals that make your bones feel better and those that have taken acai berry say they have relief from the pain that they normally have to endure. The other added benefit of taking acai supplements is acai gives you more energy. This is important to those suffering from arthritis because exercise helps to make the joints more flexible and limber.

In many ways the acai berry helps to reduce pain and make you feel better. One way is by reducing the inflammation from arthritis. Acai berry contains properties which get rid of toxins which cause inflammation in your body.

Acai berry is one of the most powerful super foods out there. It should be noted that reducing inflammation is only part of the remedy acai berry gives you. Talk to your doctor about acai berry and see what he has to say about this amazing little berry. Keep track of your results and how you feel when you are and when you aren’t taking acai berry supplements and you will be amazed at the difference.

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April 27, 2009

What Is Brazilian Acai Berry?

Filed under: Nutrition — Tags: , , , , , — Walt Sanberg @ 3:36 am

From the acai palm the acai berry is grown. It is found in South America and Central America, also in Brazil and is a very fast growing palm. Many have added this Brazilian fruit to their diets and it is quickly becoming more popular. Others are asking what is this Brazilian acai berry?

The acai berry is grown in the swamplands of Brazil but is starting to be cultivated in forests and floodplains too. The berry has a very similar appearance to a grape, it also grows in small clusters. It is a lot different than a grape any many ways though.

One of the major differences is that the acai berry has a larger seed than grapes. In fact, the seed is about eighty percent of the entire berry. The berry is also much darker than the grape, and almost black in color.

Acai berry contains some amazing benefits from the powerful antioxidants it contains. Anthocyanin the antioxidant also found in red wine, is very high in concentration in the acai fruit. Anthocyanin plays an important role is protecting your body from free radicals which cause aging and cell damage.

It plays a major role in the diets of many natives in Brazil. It is important to them because it also contains high levels of vitamins, fiber, iron, and calcium. These are very important nutrients to our bodies health.

The acai berry is gaining popularity in health food circles. From juices and smoothies to capsules and powdered mixers, it’s available in a variety of ways, and regardless of how it’s added to your diet, the berry is beneficial to your health. So the next time you’re at the grocery store or your health food store, you may want to make sure that you add acai Brazilian berry to your shopping list.

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Acai Berry: Does It Contain Side Effects?

Filed under: Nutrition — Tags: , , , , , , — Walt Sanberg @ 3:12 am

The Acai berry almost seems too good to be true. All you do is drink this fruit’s juice and it gives you more energy, keeps you looking and feeling young, lowers cholesterol, and helps fight cancer. It would seem that with these amazing benefits there would have to be some serious side effects to go along with them.

However, to date there have been no reported Acai berry side effects. There have also been no reports of Acai berry having any adverse reactions with any prescription drugs. You see, Acai is simply a fruit just like apples, bananas, or oranges. While it could be possible that you are allergic to Acai berry, you do not often hear of people having negative side effects from natural fruit.

When purchasing Acai berry make sure you research who your provider is. Some shady business and other companies have been known to supply low quality Acai products. Also, watch out for Acai supplements when you purchase them. Make sure they don’t have any additives that might have side effects.

In order to get the most nutrients out of Acai berry you need to drink Acai berry juice. It is 100% natural Acai berry juice and absorbs better into your system than any other form like powders or supplements.

Plus, Acai juice tastes amazing so you are missing out on that delicious taste if you do not drink the juice. With Acai juice you will easily be able to see all the ingredients (which should pretty much be all Acai) and will be able to avoid any side effects from anything else they put in.

One of the best reasons to take Acai berry is that it has no side effects to go along with all the amazing benefits.

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April 25, 2009

ORAC Antioxidant Chart The Top 5 Superfoods

Filed under: Nutrition — Tags: , , , , , — Walt Sanberg @ 3:03 am

Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity otherwise known as ORAC was developed to measure and test the antioxidant levels in food. Oxidation can be harmful to the body and antioxidants are protection from toxic free radicals. ORAC scores foods on what would be best to help fight these toxins. These free radicals are the main causes of aging, and can even cause cancer from mutated cells. Only about 20% of people get the recommended amount of antioxidants sadly.

To protect yourself you need to look for foods with high levels of ORAC. The top 5 foods on the ORAC in no exact order are:

1. Acai

2. Pomegranite

3. Wild Blueberries

4. Mangosteen

5. Wild Blueberries

All of these foods have the necessary antioxidants your body needs. Try each fruit and see what fruits you enjoy the most. A smoothie with all these fruits would be a great tasting super antioxidant boost.

My favorite antioxidant drink is the Acai berry juice. It contains essential amino acids and Omega fatty acids in addition to be #1 on the ORAC list. Acai has proven to increase memory, improve your mood, and reduce cholesterol. It is an amazing fruit that gives you a natural boost of energy. Acai juice will give you a boost of energy without having to drink beverages that contain caffeine. In fact the boost is longer lasting and more more enjoyable since there is no come down.

One of the best reasons to go with Acai is that it has an amazing taste. Most people describe it having the flavor of chocolate berries. It’s one of the few health foods you can enjoy without realizing that it’s actually good for you. There is no better way to start off your day than with a nice refreshing glass of Acai juice.

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