Acai Berry: What Is It Really?

The acai berry is a berry or grape-looking fruit that comes from the acai palm, which is native to Northern Brazil. For centuries these berries have become a part of the daily diets of Brazilians and of the Native Americans, and in the 1990s processing and exportation of the berries began for wide-range global consumption. Many health food promoters took advantage of the opportunity that the berries offered as a super food, as they are rich in useful and vital substances. Gourmet shops and health food stores now carry acai berry products like frozen pulp and juices.

There are seven species of the Euterpe genus of palms and they all produce them. These palms grow to almost 30 meters tall or 100 feet tall. At their tops they have clusters of groups of long leaves, and the berries grow in group clusters just like grapes and their physical appearance actually look like grapes because they are round dark purple like the black grapes. Having only one large seed is the contrast that the acai berries have to grapes.

It is the custom of Brazilians to eat the berries at several meals, but especially at breakfast time. The properties of them are quite beneficial to human health; thus the claim that the University of Florida supports that these berries may help to fight cancer. There are several other properties that make the acai very rich, such as protein, amino acids, and antioxidants; in fact these berries have the highest level of antioxidants among all fruits that are eaten to obtain the rich benefits of antioxidants, even more than mangoes and grapes.

Since the plants are difficult to grow outside of Brazil and the South American regions, it is impossible to find fresh whole berries for sale in any other parts of the continent. And as the fruit itself is so delicate and cannot be shipped fresh because of its perishable state, it is usually juiced, but loses its fiber content in the process, and then it is especially prepared for shipment to other parts of the world. Another alternative is to freeze dry the berries, which will allow them to maintain their nutrients as they are shipped out of Brazil. In spite of all this process the berries still maintain most of the nutritional properties so that the juice can still be used as a drink, blended into smoothies, or mixed with yogurt.

The seeds of the acai berries are used for mulch and compost. The leaves of the acai palm, however are used to make thatch homes, thus utilizing every portion of the tree, including harvesting them without harm. The flavor of the berries is commonly compared to chocolate and other berries. acai are often times blended into sodas and smoothies and also served with sweeteners to increase the flavor.

Article Source: http://www.health.freearticledirectories.com

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