Dec
Acai Berry
Well, with the recent hype about the acai berry, one would think this were true. So what are the facts concerning this little berry and what can be attributed to marketing hype? Hopefully this post will help you sort the fact from fiction.
The acai berry has been around for a little while, but once it was promoted by Oprah it has exploded on the health scene. In one of Oprah’s show ” 10 Foods for Age-Defying Beauty”, they listed acai berry as the number one super food food saying,
This little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world. It can often be found in juice form in health food and gourmet stores.
Of course what ever Oprah says is gospel so this sent people on a mad frenzy to get their hands on this fruit, which also led to hundreds of websites starting up to capitalize on the ‘acai berry diet’.
The Facts
* The acai berry grows on a palm tree in Brazil and has been consumed by Brazilians for ages.
* The acai berry is extremely high in anti-oxidants.
* Some research has supported some of the health claims
* Some dieters report decreased appetite and higher energy, but this isn’t substantiated with sound research.
Misconceptions
* One has to consume the juice and pulp to get all the health benefits, most products just offer the dried or the juice version.
* Weight loss claims are not supported by research
* Acai berries are not a quick fix, miracle berry, but part of a healthy eating plan.
* The same amounts of anti-oxidants can be achieved by eating a variety of fresh dark fruits such as blueberries for much less money.
* There is no true acai berry diet, but can be incorporated into any healthy diet.
Buyer Beware
Scams abound with the acai berry, so be careful that you order from a reputable source. The high quality pulp is expensive, so beware of sites that would offer it dirt cheap because that might just be what you are buying as it is often mixed with other things, containing a very low concentration of acai.
