What exactly is açaí anyway? It is a berry that grows on acai palms, a plant native to the Amazon region in nothern Brazil. For several years the fruit has been widely popular in Brazil, being used in a variety of drinks, juices and even ice cream.

Since the 1930s and 1940s, there have been studies done on the health benefits of açaí berry (often spelled as acai). But not until recently has the fruit been more heavily analyzed for it’s nutritional/phytochemical properties. It has been lauded as one of the most nutritious foods in world. The acai berry is: high in protein, high in dietary fiber, high in heart healthy essential fatty acids, contains large amounts of cholesterol lowering plant sterols, is loaded with vitamins/minerals and an abundance of several antioxidant phytochemicals found in the berry’s anthocyanins (pigment). In short, the acai can simply help you slow down the aging process, and help you stay fit.

Oprah Winfrey even quoted that “açaí was one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world. Acai is the high-energy berry of a special Amazon palm tree. Harvested in the rainforests of Brazil, acai tastes like a vibrant blend of berries and chocolate. Hidden within its royal purple pigment is the magic that makes its nature’s perfect energy fruit. Acai is packed full of antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids.”

Açaí can be found in most local health foods story or specialty health shops. Consumers can expect to pay anywhere from $30 to $60 upwards for this product. There are also several internet distributors offering the açaí supplement. But you can now get a free trial of the acai supplements bottle from Opa Health, by just paying seven bucks for shipping. Here is a chance to get the best natural antioxidant at a fraction of the cost.

Give Acai Berries Extract A Try – You Have Nothing To Lose

Do you remember Beta Carotene? In the 1980’s, no one but doctors and nutritionists had ever heard that beta carotene even existed, until one day when some technician found that the high BC content in carrots does a lot of good for heart patients.

So in 1992 a major study (18,000 people) was done on the Antioxidant properties of beta carotene by giving it in pill form to cancer patients. It failed miserably.

Researchers are still scratching their heads over why it was such an utter failure, even though beta carotene is a form of Antioxidant.

Vitamin E has a similar story. It too is an Antioxidant; in fact it is the one that the ORAC scale is based upon. Unlike the solid beta carotene pill incident, Vitamin E is in liquid form, so it’s getting fully digested for sure, yet its effects as an antioxidant are pretty nominal.

Aside: It’s a pretty shocking story too… Two large studies involving more than 127,000 people in total were run in 1990 after Vitamin E was found to help Heart patients. Because of this, by the year 2000 an estimated 23 million US citizens were taking Vitamin E daily… But in recent years 7 more such studies have been found to show little or no improvement at all!

Anyway, let me lay down one other scenario, a more modern one. You’ve probably heard the French paradox, but if not, here’s a recap:

French people’s diet is the only one higher in saturated fats and cholesterol than the diet of Americans. It’s been well proven. However, with that diet, you might expect for the French to have a higher incident rate of Heart Disease than Americans, but they clearly do not.

Researchers believe that this paradox is caused by the very high amounts of Anthocyanins in red wine, which the French consume way more than the average amount of daily. Anthocyanins, of course, are one of the most potent Antioxidants.

So, what do you think will happen if they pack a pill full of Anthocyanins?

I’d be willing to bet the exact same thing would happen that happened with beta carotene and vitamin E… Nada.

These examples are hard evidence that Antioxidants must come in natural form in order to be effective free-radical scavengers. It makes perfect sense to me… What is free-radical scavenging but something acting alive and moving around? If you stop that thing cold in its tracks, like say, compressing it into a cold, lifeless pill, then how is that going to preserve the scavenging property?

So, my overall point here today is to get your Antioxidants from a fibrous form, such as berries or berry pulp. Don’t let it get encapsulated or worse yet, made into a solid pill.

Eating the berries off the tree is the best way to get those free scavengers rampaging of course, but since everyone outside of Amazonia doesn’t have that option, your next best bet is to find it processed with consideration for preserving the fiber. Frozen pulp may be the best way to do that, but it really depends on the processing technique.

As for freeze dried Acai, I don’t claim to have all the answers. It seems like that would stop the scavenging dead in its tracks, but then again, freeze-dried Acai has the highest ORAC rating… And specifically with MonaVie, their patented process also includes re-mixing their freeze-dried Acai with fresh pulp… So perhaps that gets both the high ORAC rating and the still-moving scavengers both inside at once. And who knows? Maybe the ones still moving can reanimate the frozen ones!

Try out a free bottle of Acai

Many people are fast becoming aware of acai berry health benefits. This berry is found in the Amazon forests of South America and grows on the acai palm tree. Natives of the forest and surrounding places have been benefiting from the high nutrition content of these berries for years.

Acai Berry Is A Natural Health Tonic

Acai berry is purple in color and looks similar to the purple grapes. The berry is a natural health supplement and contains a balanced proportion of all the essential nutrients which give and maintain good health. It is rich in proteins and carbohydrates and is a high source of energy. This makes it a good choice for sports persons.

Acai berry health benefits are due to essential fatty acids like Omega 6 and Omega 9 which are known to be good for the heart and also for reducing the cholesterol level. It is rich in minerals like phosphorous, calcium, iron, copper and potassium. It abounds in fiber and helps to cleanse the digestive system. Acai berry contains a large amount of antioxidant vitamins which improve the body’s immune system. Antioxidants are also essential as they have anti ageing properties. Acai berry health benefits are much more than red wine’s as the berry naturally contains more anthocyanins which are good for the body.

Acai Berry Has A Short Shelf Life

One can take acai berry in the form of juice, powder or capsule. These berries have a short shelf life hence they cannot be distributed in the original fruit form. Instead, the pulp is extracted and made into a juice or it is frozen and dried for preserving as a powder or capsule. In this way its nutrition remains intact and it can also be transported all over the world.

Due to acai berry health benefits, the demand for its products is increasing. You can order and buy its products online. Adequate research on the internet is essential so that you can buy the purest product and not a mixture of different fruit extracts.

Click Here To Try Out The Acai Berries Diet For Free