What Exactly Is The Acai Berry?
Posted on Saturday, 4th April 2009 in HealthThe highly popular acai berry, which no doubt by now youve heard thousands of times, is actually quite a noteworthy piece of fruit! Before reading any further, its important that you actually know how to pronounce the word “acai” - its actually pronounced a-sigh-ee.
Acai berries have taken the health world by storm, and rightfully so. We all knew about the benefits of eating blueberries, pomegranates, strawberries, and other fruits and vegetables due to their high antioxidant values, but when the acai berry was discovered, it top the charts as far as antioxidant counts went and that was big news, because antioxidants provide human beings with a long list of health benefits including but not limited to:
1. Disease fighting benefits
2. Weight loss
3. Energy and stamina boost
4. Better sleep
5. Enhanced sex life
6. Digestion enhancement
7. Stronger immune system
The list goes on and on.there are so many awesome and healthy benefits to eating this fruit, that its actually becoming more difficult and expensive by the day to get your hands on it. What used to be a common and cheap fruit eaten mainly by low and middle class citizens of South and Central America is now a Hollywood premium super-fruit. Go figure, right?
The berry itself is a small (about an inch long) fruit that resembles the size of a standard grape. It grows on the Brazilian wild Palmberry tree, which is a member of the genus Euterpe. The berries are easy to pick, grew plentiful, and have long been a staple in the homes of South American citizens because at one time, they were very cheap and easy to get a hold of. Again, that has changed because of the huge Hollywood endorsements, but more than likely, acai berries will be aggressively cultivated to keep up with current and future demand so if youre wanting to buy some for yourself, youll probably be able to get it without many problems.
The history of the berry dates back thousands of years. Only at the end of the 20th century was it introduced to the modern, western world. The berries, when fully ripe and ready for picking, can easily be spotted on the long branches of the wild Palmberry tree in clusters. The one downfall (although thanks to modern technology its not as much of a problem) is that the active healthy properties in acai berries reportedly only last around 24 hours. Its important that when they are picked, that they are immediately packaged and readied for transport. Tens of thousands of South Americans are employed in the hugely growing acai industry, which is great for local economies.
So if you havent tried acai berry pulp or acai berry juice, you might want to get some while you still can. Its great for your body in many different ways, and best of all, it tastes absolutely fantastic!
Tags: acai, acai berry, acai berry benefits, what is acai
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