1. Antioxidants
The Acai berry is not your regular fruit. One of the reasons for this is its high antioxidant content. You have probable heard over and over that there is consistent evidence in research that diets rich in fruit and vegetables and other plant foods are associated with lower mortality rates and lower death rates from cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer. Sound familiar? Probably. So why is that?
This association is partly given to the high content of antioxidants in fruits and vegetables, which protect our bodies against chronic disease by decreasing free radical oxidative damage. Our bodies are in constant attack by free radicals, which are a common by-product of normal metabolism. Think of free radicals as individuals with too much energy and no where to put it. So they are extremely active and attack everything in their path in our bodies, this translates to the damage of our cells and genetic material. In the long term, this may translate to permanent damage that is irreversible (such as cancer). In our day to day lives, we are further exposed to high amounts of free radicals through increased physical activity, stress, pollutants, chemicals and toxins. Antioxidants which are obtained through our diet act like scavengers, which seek and “relax” the free radicals. Once the free radicals are “relaxed”, they do no further damage.
So what kinds of antioxidants are in Acai?
Acai is rich in anthocyanins, compounds that provide colour to the fruits and serve as natural antioxidants. Those are the same compounds found in red wine. However, Acai pulp has 10-30 times more. Pure Dried Acai contains more, 70-210 times more! The richer the pigment colour of the fruit, the more antioxidants it generally has. One way to help you achieve a high antioxidant diet is to make sure your plate is very colourful. Ensure that you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables at your main meals, and snack on an Acai smoothie or other fruits and vegetables instead of lollies or chocolate.
Acai’s royal purple pigment not only makes the fruit appealing to eat, but studies have shown that berry anthocyanins are beneficial in reducing age-associated oxidative stress (or the free radical damage). If berries can combat premature aging with 25 to 40 times less antioxidants than Acai, then just imagine what Pure Dried Acai can do!
The US food industry is now labeling the antioxidants in food with ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). Data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests a serving of fresh fruit and vegetables has between 890 and 2,500 ORAC units. Just one 5g serving of RioLIfe organic freeze dried Acai will provide you with around 4,695 ORAC units!
Independent author: Flavia Fayet from http://www.nutriesca.com.au/ – info@nutriesca.com.au
Flavia Fayet has completed her Masters of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Sydney, and is currently working on her PHD. She is a respected Dietician and lecturer at Sydney University.
Copyright (c) Nutriesca 2006
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