Heard recently that research that diets high in fruit and vegetables and other plant foods are associated with better health and lower mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and cancer? It has been said in literature around the world. Now take this new super food, acai. It is not your average fruit, as it contains very high levels of antioxidants.
The link between health, fruits and vegetables is partly due to the high level of antioxidants, because they can protect us against chronic disease by reducing free radical oxidative damage. Free radicals are a natural by product of metabolism within our bodies, and they are constantly on the attack.
Free radicals can be viewed as children with far too much energy and no where to use it all, so they run around the house (the body) attacking everything and causing damage. In the body this means damage to cells and genetic material. Over a long period this could translate to permanent damage and disease.
Throughout each day people are further exposed to free radicals through pollution, stress, exercise, chemicals and toxins. Antioxidants, which are consumed in the diet, act like scavengers which seek and relax them. Once they have been relaxed, like those young children, they dont cause any more damage.
So what kinds of antioxidants are in Acai berries?
The Acai berry is high in anthocyanins, compounds that provide colour and are natural antioxidants. These are also found in red wine, however acai pulp has 10-30 times the amount. Pre Dried acai contains 70-210 times more! The darker the pigment of the fruit, generally the more antioxidants it contains.
You can increase the amount of antioxidants in your diet by keeping your plate very colourful. Make sure you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables at you main meals, and snack on acai berry smoothies or juices, or other fruits and vegetables instead of lollies or chocolate.
The royal purple pigment that is characteristic in Acai berries not only makes the fruit appealing to eat, but it has been shown in studies that berry anthocyanins are beneficial in reducing age-associated free radical damage. If premature aging can be combatted by berries with 25 to 40 times less antioxidants than acai berries, then just imagine what pure dried acai berries can do!
Antioxidants in food are now being labelled by the US food industry with ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). Data from the USDA (United states department of agriculture) suggests that the average serving of fruit and vegetables has 890 to 2,500 ORAC units. Just one 5g serving of organic freeze dried acai berries will provide you with around 2,670 ORAC units!