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Friday, July 31, 2009

Acai Nutritional Facts - What You Need to Know Before Buying

By Travis Van Slooten

The acai berry has become a byword when it comes to health supplements, and yet many are still unaware of exactly what the acai nutritional facts are that makes this little berry so in-demand. Looking at the long list of the healthy minerals and vitamins contained in the acai berry is like looking at the "who's-who" in the world of nutrients. Name it, the acai has got it. Care to find out what these are? Let's start with the acai's most important and useful components.

The Ever-Important Antioxidant

If you're paying any attention at all to many of the leading diseases present in our society today, you've most likely come across the terms free radical and antioxidant. These are like the good and evil in our bodies, the former causing the diseases and the latter combating its effects. Free radicals are produced in the body even while we go about our daily activities. These are naturally produced atoms that lack an electron pair, and they go about stealing electron from other atoms, which in turn cause other atoms to turn into free radicals. Now in low levels, free radicals are tolerable in the body but an overabundance of them can trigger a host of illnesses including some of the most serious ones like cancer and heart diseases. Antioxidants slow down the negative effects of free radicals by providing that much-needed electron.

Acai berries are not just a good source of these antioxidants, they are about as good a source as you can find. ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is the ability of a food to provide you with these antioxidants. The higher their ORAC rating, the more antioxidant content in the food. Some well-known health foods such as avocados, with an ORAC rating of 19, are considered good for you. Cranberries, hailed as a tremendous source of antioxidants, measure 94 on the ORAC chart. But the acai berry measures a staggering 610 on the ORAC scale

Other Healthy Facts About the Acai Berry

The fact is that most fruits are good for you. And while acai berries rank the highest in the ORAC chart, that isn't where they stop. Like most fruits, they are a good source of fiber. The skin of the acai berry also contains compounds called anthocyanins. Studied as part of The French Paradox, these compounds are believed to support a healthy heart and reduce occurrences of coronary heart disease, a major problem in America. Acai nutritional studies also show that acai berries are rich in unsaturated fats. These good fats provide the body with a source of essential fatty acids. Some, such as Omega-6, cannot be produced by the body and must come from a food source.

Does That All Make the Acai Berry a Super Fruit Worth Studying?

If the acai berry doesn't constitute a super fruit, what does? It contains many of the healthy properties of other fruits, in addition to astronomical levels of antioxidants. While you will likely never get to have a fresh acai berry, unless you visit Brazil, you can get all the nutrition from pure acai supplements. If you obtain a high quality supplement, you can experience the benefits of acai for yourself. The acai berry is one of the most beneficial foods you can eat, the acai nutrition facts don't lie. - 17273

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