Perhaps the Acai berry isn’t such a secret anymore, not now that Dr. Nicholas Perricone has been on Oprah telling the world about its benefits. If you’re unaware of this fruit, Dr. Perricone has put the Acai berry in the number one slot of his top ten list of “super foods” - and the research on this fruit backs up his claim. This berry, just the size of a grape, is packed with nutritional punch.

The Acai berry is the fruit of the Acai palm (the c in Acai is pronounced as an s, by the way) which is a tree native to the Amazon region and is a staple of Brazilian food. The Acai boasts a delicious berry flavour with an aftertaste redolent of chocolate. Brazilians use both the juice of the Acai as well as the pulp in a variety of foods, including blends, smoothies, drinks and ice cream. It is also served both as a sweet or savory dish with tapioca or granola. The Acai is very perishable, spoiling within a day of being picked - which has kept this berry from being widely exported in the past, despite its nutritional value.

But things have changed a bit since then.

Why is this fruit causing so much of a stir among nutrition experts? For starters, the Acai berry has twice the antioxidant content of blueberries and ten times that of red grapes. These antioxidants found in Acai are more long lasting in effect as well. The Acai contains a lot of fatty acids, including oleic acid, which can reduce cholesterol levels. The University of Florida has done studies on the fruit, finding that the Acai berry also has compounds called polyphenolics which can slow down the progress of leukemia. The Acai berry is at the top of the “super foods” list because it: has anti-inflammatory properties, lowers cholesterol, helps your body burn excess fat, regulates metabolism, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, protects against cancer and heart disease, promotes digestive health and gives you energy too!

Eating these berries, let alone using them in dishes as the Brazilians do has been beyond the reach of people not living in the Amazon River basin. However, now the berry is being exported in the form of frozen pulp. This is why you may have started seeing Acai smoothies here and there at juice bars. These can be a bit expensive, however. Somewhat less expensive is Acai powder, made by dehydrating and freeze-drying the pulp of the Acai berry. The powder is easier (and cheaper) to ship abroad and can be used to give all of the health benefits of the whole fruit.

Read the fine print though, always. When you’re seeking out an Acai supplement, make sure that it is actually the skin and pulp of the Acai berry being used. Some Acai products contain only the seeds of the Acai berry, which are very low in nutritional value.

The Acai berry is truly a nutritional wonder - and now it’s one everyone can enjoy the benefits of, whether you ever have the chance to go to Brazil or not!

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