Acai Fruit In The News
The Wall Street Journal April 18, 2003
Açaí Replaces Wheatgrass In Blenders at Juice Bars
By TATIANA BONCOMPAGNI
Wheatgrass, protein shakes -- so 2002. At juice bars and health stores around the country, the hip new taste is açaí, (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) a grape-size, deep-purple berry that grows atop palm trees in the Brazilian jungle. In the two years since it hit the U.S., sales have jumped fivefold to $2.5 million, says Ryan Black, founder of Sambazon, the fruit's main U.S. importer, while at Juice It Up, a California chain, açaí drinks and dishes account for 10% of sales. "People drive out of their way to get it," says Brandon Gough, the company's vice president of marketing.
Fans say the fruit (which comes to the U.S. as frozen pulp) not only tastes good, but also is good for you -- packed with anthocyanins, the same antioxidants that give red wine its health benefits. And, in a hat trick of health-bar chic, it's good for the Amazon, too, because it's collected by local families who can earn as much as $1,000 during the December-to-August harvest season (twice as much as they can usually make). "It gives them income and another land use besides cutting down the trees and raising cattle," says Chris Kilham, who teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Men’s Journal - July 2003
"The Fruit That Packs a Punch"
By Tyler Graham
FRUIT ARE A BIT like pop stars. Remember when pomegranates exploded onto the scene last year? But this summer, there’s a new contender that’s got something to offer that no kumquat or baby banana could ever match: Açaí (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) actually gives you a rush.
A small, purple palm berry that grows wild in the Amazon, açaí has been hugely popular in Brazil for years, where it’s whipped up by street vendors into a frozen slush and eaten out of big bowls, kind of like Red Bull ice cream. It’s even marketed to the same hip, athletic set as Red Bull — Brazilian skateboarding phenom Bob Burnquist wears gear advertising Sambazon, the importer bringing açaí to U.S. Stores. And the potent fruit is a favorite of Brazilian surfers and jujitsu fighters.
You won’t see the berry itself at your local grocer; it spoils too easily. Instead, the pulp is mashed, mixed with a tiny amount of the natural caffeine source guarana, and sold frozen. The traditional way to prepare the mix is by blending a 14-ounce package with a half cup of apple juice and a banana and topping it off with granola, though health clubs also put it in smoothies. The taste is like a red wine with a hint of chocolate; the buzz, like a less jittery, more filling double latte. "Our customers love it," says Juan Martinez, of Mani’s Bakery, a trendy Los Angeles eatery. "They eat it for breakfast and don’t have to eat again until three in the afternoon."
It’s not completely clear where the boost comes from. The added guarana per serving contains less caffeine than a cup of decaf. One guess is that there’s something about the natural sugars in the fruit that creates a multiplier effect with the guarana. "It doesn’t really add up," admits William Obermeyer, vice-president of research for Consumer-Lab.com. "Is is safe? All I can say is, the buzz has to be coming from somewhere."
Wednesday, August 11, 2004; Page F03
For those put off by juiced wheatgrass and bored with low-carb bars, there is acai.
Acai (ah-sigh-EE), the purplish fruit of the palmberry plant, purportedly contains more antioxidants than red wine and has a beguiling berry-like flavor with intense chocolate overtones.
Health Sciences Institute- July 2003
" Nature's Perfect Food"
Discover the amazing health benefits of the fruit from the Amazon’s "tree of life" By Judy Douglas
If you get your health guidance from the mainstream media, you’d think the healthiest way to live is to guzzle red wine and drown everything in olive oil.
That’s basically what they’ve told us in recent years. First, it was the “French paradox”--the fact that the French, who generally eat lots of cheese, cream, and butter; drink lots of wine; and smoke like chimneys, are healthier than Americans. Scientists told us it was all in the wine—specifically, in the anthocyanins—the antioxidant flavonoid that gives red grapes their deep color.
Then it was the “Mediterranean diet,” the traditional way of eating in the regions of Italy and Spain, where olive oil is a staple. We learned that olive oil is a good source of essential fatty acids that are processed right out of many Americanized foods.
I’m not discounting the benefits of either of these phytochemicals. In fact, in a minute I’ll explain exactly why both are so important to good health. I just question the sources recommended in the headlines. There’s got to be a better way to get these valuable nutrients than guzzling wine and drowning in oil.
As it turns out, there is. I learned about it from HSI panelist Jon Barron. He told me about a single superfood from the Amazon that, fresh from the tree, can provide over 30 times the amount of anthocyanins as red wine and all the beneficial fatty acids of olive oil in one delicious, all-natural package. And this is just the beginning of this food’s health benefits. It’s virtually impossible to over-do this food—which is certainly not the case with red wine or olive oil.
Get the healing power of many phytonutrients in one delicious package.
There’s no disputing the health benefits of anthocyanins and essential fatty acids. Both have proven to be powerful nutritional tools in the quest for good health.
Research has shown that plant pigments like anthocyanins are potent antioxidants. The cardiovascular benefits are the most well known; studies show that anthocyanins can help prevent blood clots, improve blood circulation, relax blood vessels, and prevent artherosclerosis. But scientists have also uncovered a whole host of other powerful effects from anthocyanins, including antiviral and antiallergenic properties. Some research even suggests that anthocyanins can prevent cancer, by blocking carcinogenesis on a molecular level and encouraging tumor cell death.
Essential fatty acids have proven just as powerful. Oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 acid, and linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated omega-6 acid, help lower LDL, and maintain healthy HDL levels. They also increase the absorption of fat-soluable vitamins like vitamins A, E, D, and K, which are essential to good health. Research has even suggested that oleic acid may prevent against cancer and hypertension.
Olive oil may be the best known sources of these nutrients, but it is certainly not the only one. It’s the pigment in red grapes that gives wine its anthocyanins—and that same pigment can also be found in other red and purple fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, red cabbage, and purple sweet potatoes. Oleic acid is also present in pecans and seed oils, and linoleic acid is found in peanuts.
But there is one food that delivers it all—plus other healthy nutrients like fiber, phytosterols, and vitamins C and E. For centuries, it’s been a staple for people in Brazil, yet virtually unknown to anyone outside the region—until now.
Discover the health secret of generations of Amazonian Indians.
It’s called açaí (pronounced ah-sigh-ee), and it’s the fruit of a palm tree that grows in the rainforests of the Amazon—a tree Brazilians call "The Tree of Life." About 90 percent of the small, round fruit is its hard, inedible pit—but that’s OK, because it’s the outside skin that holds the treasure. That dark purple skin is what contains the anthocyanins.
The natives puree the skins, creating a treat that can be served warm as a sauce over fruit or grains or frozen like a sorbet. They’ve been eating it for centuries, passing down recipes from generation to generation. (The native people have also passed down the story of how açaí was discovered.) Because fruit itself is perishable, its popularity never spread beyond the region.
Superfood fights heart disease, cancer, prostate enlargement, and more.
Since then, the news about açaí has been steadily spreading—and the evidence of nutritional and health benefits just keep piling up. Consider this: a 100-gram serving of açaí contains only 90 calories, just two grams of fat and no cholesterol. Plus, it delivers 3.5 grams of dietary fiber, something we could all use more of in our diets. Improved processing of the fresh fruit is making it possible to preserve more of the fruit’s healthful attributes. Currently, the puree provides more anthocyanins than red wine and has antioxidant concentrations that well outweigh blueberries.
Subsequent research has shown that in addition to the anthocyanins and essential fatty acids, açaí also contains a healthy dose of plant sterols, another class of phytochemicals that have been shown to reduce cholesterol, protect the immune system, and relieve prostate enlargement. In fact, it turns out açaí is in the same family as saw palmetto, a common herbal treatment for prostate enlargement. And researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro have discovered that açaí extract can be used to fight infection, like the parasitic infection schistosomosis which affects 10 million Brazilians each year and the common bacterial infection staphylococcus aureus. It seems there’s no end to this miracle fruit’s health benefits.
ACAI BERRY Acai Berry - Dr. Perricone's No. 1
Superfood
Acai Berry benefits have been praised by numerous experts and supplements are quickly becoming the most popular dietary products on the market. They contain extraordinary levels of anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant as well as essential fatty acids that can help reduce cholesterol. Acai Berry palm or aqai (Euterpe oleracea) is a species of palm tree in the genus Euterpe cultivated for their fruit and superior hearts of palm. The Acai Berry name comes from the European adaptation of the Tupian word Ôwasa'i. Global demand for the Acai Berry fruit has expanded rapidly in recent years, and ACAI BERRY is now cultivated for that purpose primarily. The closely-related species Euterpe edulis (jucara) is now predominantly used for hearts of palm. Eight species are native to Central and South America, from Belize southward to Brazil and Peru, growing mainly in swamps and floodplains. ACAI BERRY palms are tall, slender palms growing to 15ñ30 meters, with pinnate leaves up to 3 meters long. Recently, the Acai Berry has been marketed as a dietary supplement. Companies sell Acai Berry products like tablets, juice, smoothies, instant drink powders, and whole fruit.
ACAI BERRY
Marketers of these products, such as Monarch Health Sciences, parent company of MonaVie, make claims that Acai Berry provides increased energy levels, improved sexual performance, improved digestion, detoxification, high fiber content, improved skin appearance, improved heart health, improved sleep, and reduction of cholesterol levels. Quackwatch noted that "ACAI BERRY juice has only middling levels of antioxidantsóless than that of Concord grape, blueberry, and black cherry juices, but more than cranberry, orange, and apple juices." Furthermore, the extent to which antioxidants by themselves promote health is a matter of some debate. No credible evidence suggests antioxidants promote weight loss. According to the Washington, D.C. based Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) thousands of consumers have had trouble stopping recurrent charges on their credit cards when they cancel free trials of ACAI BERRY-based products. [3][4] Even web sites purporting to warn about ACAI BERRY-related scams are themselves perpetrating scams. Apparently false claims include reversal of diabetes and other chronic illnesses, as well as expanding size of the penis and increasing men's sexual virility and sexual attractiveness to women.
Acai Berry
Most recently, Dr. Perricone called the Acai Berry ìThe #1 Superfood in the World.î Additionally, this wonder, acai berry supplement has been featured on Oprah, The Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, and numerous health and fitness magazines. Rest assured, acai berry isnÃt some fly by night Hollywood supplement. Acai Berry is the real deal. The Acai Berry is changing lives throughout the world, and itÃs here to stay. Learn more about the Acai Berry by browsing through our website. YouÃll find exclusive offers about acai berry to help you begin your Acai Berry supplement regiment. DonÃt you want to look and feel better? Try Acai Berry today!
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Acai berries, the Brazilian wonder, are both particularly high in antioxidants and help restore natural energy levels without the aid of caffeine. Instant energy, increased vitality, ancient tonic for sexual disorders, anti-aging properties, anti-Cancer, improves cardio vascular system, lowers LDL (bad cholesterol), protects the prostate, anti-bacterial, helps allergies, improves digestion, helps with stress, improves fat metabolism, feeling of awareness, improved mental focus, anti-oxidant, better sleep, and sustained energy and strength.
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Pomegranates blow green tea and red wine out of the water when it comes to antioxidant levels. Tones digestive organs, nausea, lowers blood pressure, increased resistance to infections, aid with diarrhea and dysentery, anti-intestinal parasites, helps prevent kidney and bladder stones, helps teeth and gum disorders.
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Blueberries are not only high in antioxidants, they also support digestive health and work to reduce excessive inflammation. Improved eyesight (especially night vision), anti-aging, anti-fungal/bacterial/viral, reduces LDL, improves memory, reduced heart disease, improved motor skills.
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Elderberries go to work instantly to neutralize free radicals, support your cardiovascular health, and manage those stress levels. Anti-infection, antiviral, anti-oxidant, and improved night vision.
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Purple grapes, an active antioxidant, purple grapes also support circulatory and cardiovascular health.
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Lactoferrin, although it has a funny name, is serious about immune health. It supplies vital milk proteins that provides the immune system with some of the building materials it needs to stay strong. A good Iron source, antiviral, antibacterial, stimulates the immune system, promotes friendly intestinal flora, antioxidant, regulates iron metabolism and reduces cell degeneration (aging).
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