The Amazon Acai Berry: Super Fruit or Super Hype?
Decades
before in the rain forests of Brazil, the Amazon Acai berry
was simply an unusual fruit consumed by the people of this region.
But today, it is one of the most sought after and expensive
fruits on the market. How did Acai achieve celebrity status
seemingly overnight?
Most Americans were introduced to the Amazon Acai berry via
television. Losing weight and hampering the aging process is
what Opray Winfrey had experts on to ackonwledge were true about
the Acai berry.
The
Amazon Acai Berry Today
A
simple Google search on Acai berries will yield hundreds and
thousands of results and introduce you to countless products,
all of which claim that Acai is a super, miracle food. Some
people even posit that the little berry can cure cancer.
The berry is a little smaller than a grape and is dark purple.
It is indigenous to the Amazon rain forest where it has been
consumed for hundreds of years by native Brazilian tribes. Because
the Acai berry is so abundant in the Amazon rain forest, it
is said that nearly half of the food consumption in that region
is made up of the berries. Growing and selling the Acai berry
provides a generous living for these local tribes.
Coming
to America
The
Amazon Acai berry was the highlight of an Oprah show causing
a stampede of desire for the berry. The requests for the Amazon
Acai berry are very nearly overpowering the abilities of the
supermarkets to supply these miracle berries.Because of the
great publicity surrouding the Acai, the market was able to
create many different uses for the Acai by establishing different
products from the berry. Currently, the most popular product
is Acai berry juice, which can be found in most supermarkets
and health food stores. The internet is also a great source
for finding Amazon Acai berry products.
Fact
and fiction need to be seperated regarding the Acai berry. We
will attempt to distinguish these in the next few paragraphs.
We will start with the Acai berry consumers and their most prevalent
claims.
The
Claims
Burning
more calories by increasing the speed of a persons metabloism
is one of the most prevalent claims of sellers and consumers.
This has evoked a mad rush towards the Acai berry juice and
all related products because of the American craze towards anything
diet related.
Furthermore,
it is being said that this fruit can help with sleep disorders
and can also increase sexual desire therefore working as an
aphrodisiac. Like Ginkgo Biloba, people are suggesting that
the berry can improve mental clarity.
This
is what we know
The
greatest antioxidant-rish products on earth is the Amazon Acai
berry, without question. The importance of this is that antioxidants
help the body fight off free radicals that can cause the DNA
harm and can also clog artiers. However, in spite of reports
by many eager users that the wonder berry can actually reduce
the aging process, it has never been proven that high amounts
of antioxidants can reverse, stop or even slow aging.
LDL, the good cholesterol, is increased by antioxidants while
bad cholesterol, HDL, is decreased. And in lab tests, researchers
have discovered that the berry has ten times the antioxidants
of grapes and double the antioxidants of blueberries.
The fruit is also said to be the perfect blend of antioxidants,
essential fatty acids and amino acids. This has helped make
it an instant success with athletes and other health-conscious
individuals. Isn't it obvious why professional South American
soccer players would snack on the Acai berries before any and
all big games.
But
how do they taste? There are numerous consumers that acknowledge
that the Acai reminds them of a stragely different and yet fascinating
array of berries and chocolate. Perhaps that it is why the fruit
is used to flavor cocktails, make smoothies and as a topping
for ice cream in its native Brazil.
The Hype Engine
Like
lots of things in a society driven by comsumer demands, people
can often obsess about a product that is proven to be so effective.
It is clear that the Acai berry is indeed one of the healthiest
fruits in the world today, and it can offer users a myriad of
amazing health benefits. Unforunately, we have not seen proof
that the Amazon Acai berry is a miraculous fruit. In fact, it
is simple wishful thinking to believe that it can cure cancer
or reverse or stop the aging process.
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