Don’t Underestimate Acai
Like many of the other superfruits, the acai tree is native to hot, humid and tropical climates like those found in Central America, South America and Brazil. The purple berry that it produces has a berry-chocolate flavor to it. The inside of the palm, the soft part know as the heart of palm has been used in salads, eaten alone and in other dishes.
The Caboclo population in the Amazon region use the whole acai palm, mostly as part of their staple foods. It is used for many different things in the Brazilian culture, however. They use just about every part of the palm. Naturally, the acai fruit is eaten. The hearts are harvested and eaten, and the leaves are harvested and used hats, brooms, baskets, thatch for roofing, and mats. The trunk of the trees, which is very resistant to pests, is used in construction of homes and other buildings.
The berry-like fruit has been in the world’s news for a few years now, since is was first introduced to tourists around 2001. It is proven to help boost your energy by boosting your metabolism. It is widely advertised for healthy conscious eating and dieting. The people of Brazil among other nearby countries have been utilizing this palm tree for centuries as a staple food. They have passed its uses down from one generation to another.
Many natives now grow the trees and make a living from the harvest by selling them to exporters to ship to other countries for the berries, hearts of palm, leaves and trunks. Brazil even incorporates the acai berries in soda, juice, ice cream, and other flavored drinks, including alcoholic ones. They are served chilled or at room temperature in pitchers made from gourds, and can be flavored with sugar or salt. They also provide acai now in freeze-dried and powdered forms. Seeds from the Acai Palm tree are harvested and replanted. It takes several months for seedlings to form. Extra seeds are also ground up and used to feed livestock and as organic additives for plant soil.
Recently there has been a study or two that question the nutritional value of the acai berry. First the publications indicated that it was the best known source of antioxidants, but now some comparisons are showing that the level of antioxidants are not as high as first thought. It actually falls below eleven frozen fruit juices, including the pomegranate, mango and aronia berries in comparative studies. It also fell below red wine, blueberry juice and concord grapes but was higher in comparison to orange and apple juice. It may only be on the same level of antioxidant potency with black cherry and cranberry juice if these studies can be taken at face value.
Even without the huge antioxidant component, there is little doubt that acai is an awesome nutritional boost to your body. Many studies have indicated that this berry may be a future treatment for leukemia, diabetes, heart health and high blood pressure, as well as many other difficult-to-treat illnesses. If fact, they are already using acai as a contrast agent in MRI’s for gastrointestinal scans!
