Acai Berries
Açaí berries are picked from tall trees, then quickly processed into juice or pulp, since the berries are very perishable. Photo by Ronaldo Salame | SXC.
 
MENU

   

 

 

NutriNibbles

Main Page
Articles & Reviews

 

   

Product Reviews

Main Page
Articles & Reviews

 

  

Home Page

Link to Other Sections:
Newsletter, Marketplace,
Food Fun, Home Zone

 

 

  

 

   

 

   

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

KAREN HOCHMAN is Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE.

 

 

June 2006

Last Updated August 2010

Product Reviews / NutriNibbles

A Guide To High-Antioxidant Food

Page 8: Açaí ~ The Antioxidant Superfruit

 

 

This is Page 8 of an eight-page article. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.

 

What About Açaí?

The açaí berry (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) from the Brazilian rainforest has Acai Berriesbeen trumpeted as the next important food, a true superfruit. It may in fact be one of the most nutritious fruits on the planet: Açaí’s antioxidants are significantly higher than green tea, chocolate or blueberries and 10 times higher than red grapes. It has 10 to 30 times more anthocyanins (flavonoids that bind free radicals) than red wine. Açaí also has a synergy of omega 6 and 9 essential fatty acids (healthy fats), fiber, amino acids and vitamins A and C.
Photo of açaí berries by Ronaldo Salame.

Great—however açaí is not one of the most palatable fruits. The plain berries are very tart; like eating plain cranberries, very few people enjoy them straight. Brazilians drink açaí in sweetened juices, which are now in U.S. supermarkets in a variety of blends with more familiar fruits (banana, raspberry, etc.).** But not everyone who is health-and-wellness focused wants to add all that sweetened juice to their daily intake (the same is true with cocoa and chocolate, even at 70% cacao). So, tea still looks like a winner: You can drink all you want for zero calories, and even a heaping teaspoon of sugar adds just 25. Note, though, that you can’t add milk: the milk proteins counter the effect of the catechins.

**Naked Juice and Bossa Nova are two brands that offer açaí mixed with other fruit juices; Bossa Nova has a pure açaí sweetened with agave, a honey-like sweetener from the Mexican plant that also is the source of tequila.

READ OUR REVIEW OF BELIZZA ANTIOXIDANT SORBETS WITH AÇAÍ
One Portion Can Meet The Daily USDA ORAC Value



Some information in this article is courtesy of Wikipedia and Tzu Thé.
 

Go To Page 1: What Are Antioxidants

Go To The Article Index Above

 

 

Recent Articles From Our NutriNibbles™ News Feed:

Subscribing notifies you whenever there are
new additions to the NutriNibbles™ section.


Subscribe to THE NIBBLE™ NutriNibbles™ by Email

 

All photos courtesy Stock Xchng.



© Copyright 2005-2024 Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. All images are copyrighted to their respective owners.