Saturday 5 December 2009

Acai Berry: Healing Properties From The Plants Of Earth

By Nicholas Page

Americans first started to notice the Brazilian acai berry around 2004. Since that time the Internet and TV offers have increased dramatically. Herbal remedies, supplements and acai products are everywhere. Because the promotion of these products has been so extensive lately, people don't quite know what to think and are hesitant to jump on this speeding bandwagon. Is this just another health fad or is there something to it? When you consider just a few of the basic ingredients of this berry - dietary fiber, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids - you would have to agree it must contain some health benefits.

Acai berries do contain antioxidants just like red and purple grapes. It seems the darker the color the more levels of antioxidants and the acai berry is a very dark purple fruit and has a very unique taste some have compared to a blend of unsweetened chocolate and berries. Can you think of a more delicious blend of flavors? Just this alone is enough to make anyone want to try it. And the health benefits are real. Antioxidants have been proven to reduce the oxygen free radicals within our bodies. You may be familiar with the famous French Paradox - low incidents of coronary diseases yet high consumption of red wines - attributed to the antioxidants in the red wine.

Much of the claims you hear about the benefits of the acai are a result of the antioxidants in this berry. If we do not have enough of these in our system we could suffer from what is called oxidative stress. Free radicals in our bodies are actually natural, the result of cell metabolism, but if we accumulate too many free radicals they can damage our cells. This can lead to various health problems such as diabetes, cancer, even coronary heart diseases. If we regularly supplement our diets with antioxidants they will neutralize the excess oxygen free radicals and help to boost our immune system by healing our cells.

Another benefit of the acai berry is its polyunsaturated fatty acids. These are the good fats our bodies need. These compounds are so necessary to our health that our bodies can even make these compounds for us out of other nutrients we consume. However, there are some unsaturated fatty acids our bodies cannot make, these are called essential fatty acids. The only way our bodies can get these important nutrients is for us to ingest them directly. That is why they are called essential. The acai berry contains polyunsaturated fatty acids similar to those found in olives. These compounds can actually help to reduce our cholesterol levels, improve blood circulation, reduce the risk of high blood pressure and heart diseases.

Like all fruits the acai berry contains its own special makeup of natural dietary fiber. This is another source for the health claims made about this berry. It has long been known that the average American diet is low in fiber. This is the result of mass consumption of processed and fast foods. Insufficient fiber in our diets can result in improper digestion and lead to obesity as well as contributing to digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and hemorrhoids.

There are still many thousands of plants that have not yet been evaluated. Who knows what their herbal and medicinal properties might be. Is it any wonder that discoveries like the acai berry are still being made today? This little Brazilian acai berry really is a remarkable discovery. While we may not be able to get our hands on this fruit directly, there are many acai products and supplements available to us. Right now these supplements are the best source for the healing properties of the acai. Extracting and preserving the potency of the active ingredients is difficult and not all manufacturers and distributors are the same. Maximum Acai Power is a high quality source giving you the option of trying first for free to prove their quality.

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