For thousands of years the benefits of the acai berry where hidden to the world outside of the Amazon rainforest. The Acai grows wild in the Amazon where the locals have being using for centuries. They have thought the Acai berry cured their most feared diseases and used to help improve their health.

The Acai berry is high in protein and dietary fiber and includes a large amount of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids. The omega acids help protect the heart and the cardiovascular system. The Acai berry also is believed to help lower cholesterol. It has lately been going around that the acai berry is the new anti-aging super food and has even made an appearance on Opera. The acai berry has a high level of antioxidant vitamins from the fruit and a high level of anthocranins. The acai berry contains ten times more anthocranins than grapes and twice the amount of blueberries.

The anthocranins are the same ingredient that makes a glass of red wine a day helpful. Of course the benefit of the berry is that it contains other helpful ingredients and does not have the negative affects of alcohol. These anthocranins help boost the anti-aging affects of the berry.

So one might ask why as the acai berry been a mystery up to know, one of the major reasons is that its helpfulness lessens quickly after harvest. The key to preserving the acai berries helpful nature is to immediately freeze the fruit after harvest and then transport it for use. This is key to look for when purchase a product that includes the acai berry. Once the acai berry is made into a concentrated drink it is able to hold up because of the other items in the drink. Many stores now are starting to sell the acai berry in their raw form. Both methods can be used affectively.

Also the acai berry is helpful on the digestive track that helps your body loss weight. When your body is able digest correctly it breaks down food more affectively giving you more energy and allowing yourself to process food more affective. The acai berry will help you in many ways. While it is not a cure all that many wish it to be it is a safe and helpful additive to your diet.

No doubt you’ve heard the buzz surrounding acai berry tablets and acai berry juice. This popular “superfood” called acai has been featured on Oprah, the Today Show, and several other programs. Acai berries contain a host of nutrients such as antioxidants, fiber, and omega-3, -6, and -9 fatty acids. But which is more beneficial, the capsules or the juice?

From a health standpoint, the pills are probably more beneficial than the juices. Like most fruit juice products, acai berry juice is often sold as a juice blend. MonaVie, for example, is actually a blend of nineteen different fruit juices. Consequently, you don’t really know how much acai you’re getting. Juices also tend to be watered down and may contain added sugar or other undesired ingredients. Be sure to read the labels on all fruit juices, as many of them surprisingly contain very little juice.

By contrast, acai berry tablets are created through a much more precise process that results in a purer product. The acai berries are freeze-dried and then processed into a fine powder that can be encapsulated or compressed into a tablet. However, this powder is not the same as “acai berry powder” that is yet another form of acai. The loose powders that you can buy in bags are made from acai berry extract, not the freeze-dried berries. So if you want to get the most acai for your money, the tablets are the way to go.

Other reasons for choosing tablets over juice include personal preference, budget, and lifestyle. Some people do not like the taste of acai berries, while others just prefer the convenience of taking a pill. Last but not least, acai berry juice is not cheap. A bottle of MonaVie costs almost $40, and it has only enough servings for about one week. At $40 per week, that’s about $173 per month or $2080 per year. Bottles of acai berry tablets vary greatly depending on the manufacturer (be careful — cheaper brands may not contain authentic acai), but the average price per one-month supply is only about $58.  If sparing $2 a day to look and feel great is too much, then acai may not be for you.

Acai berry fruit is a rare fruit that can only be found in the Amazon. It’s rare not because it’s an endangered plant, but because exporting it takes a lot of effort. It can’t simply be sipped as a fresh fruit because it spoils easily. This is largely because of the high (good) fat content in its pulp. Also, only 10% of acai berry fruits are beneficial for human dietary consumption. About 90% of the fruit are seeds, which have no nutritional value.

Popularity

Acai berry products have been popular through the years for its anti-aging benefits. Fairly recently, medical researches have found that it’s also largely responsible for weight loss. Oprah pronounced it as the world’s #1 superfood, because is has the highest lever lf antioxidants, anthocyanins, vitamins, and minerals, compared to other fruit sources.  

Make Sure You Read The Label

Because the acai berry fruit can’t be imported from the Amazon as fresh produce, it needs to undergo various types of preservations. The most common is freezing the acai fruit pulp, which is responsible for the rare and pricy fruit pulps that the most health conscious of us buy from specialized stores. The more common derivative of acai berries, however, are capsule supplements.

You should carefully read the label and look for a “freeze dried” note. This means that the acai berry has been frozen and dried before it was turned to powder. “Spray drying” which may be the technique used for cheaper acai berry supplements strip the fruit of all its nutrients. Do not buy “extracts” of acai berries as well, because it defeats the purpose of buying acai berries in the first place. When you buy these berries, you would want their full benefits.

Nutritional Facts

When you buy acai berry, you rest assured knowing that you’re purchasing organic products. This means that you don’t have to worry about odd side-effects which may be caused by chemicals added into your supplements. Acai berries give you the same benefits as any other fruits, only in a more concentrated manner. For example, we already know that most plant foods have antioxidants, Omegas and Anthocyanins. For such a small fruit, though, researchers have found that these substances exist in a high percentage on a single acai berry fruit.

Acai berries offer 10 times the amount of Anthocyanins compared to good old red wine. This means that taking a single capsule of acai berry supplement can actually be more beneficial for the heart compared to a full glass of red wine. This is especially good news for people who are allergic to alcohol.  

Acai berries also have twice the antioxidants that are found in blueberries. Blueberries used to have the highest amount of cancer-fighting antioxidants before the discovery of this new fruit. Those who have difficulty with their bowel movement may also benefit from the high fiber content (14%) of acai berry products. This is certainly a healthier way to lose weight compared to artificial laxatives which only cause our bodies to get dehydrated.