If you haven’t noticed, acai berry is the hottest new superfood trend today. People eat it for its antioxidant properties and others eat it for its weight loss benefits. But even with all of the attention, some people still have questions about natural acai berry.
Natural acai berry comes from the acai palm, which is grown in the floodplains and swamps of Central and South America. It was commonly found in rain forests but is now grown and cultivated because of rapid growth of demand.
Most diet trends are started in Hollywood, where being slim and fit is important. As the health benefits became known, it became increasingly popular in Hollywood until it was mentioned on the Oprah Show, where Dr. Perricone named acai berry the number one superfood.
Superfood is a term used to define foods that are believed to have healing properties (but in most cases, foods that are just really really good for you). These foods can be high in antioxidants, dietary fiber, vitamin C, etc. Superfood is not a legal definition and many dieticians and nutrition experts debate its existence. Superfood does its job as a buzzword.
Acai berry has a large amount of antioxidants, which help fight free radicals in the body. Acai berry has 20x more antioxidants than the common grape, which was previously touted as very good for you (they still are of course!) Acai berry also contains a high level of essential fatty acids, which have been proven to ease inflammation in the body. It is also high in fiber which helps with digestion. Combine all three of these benefits (antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and fiber) and you have one very healthy fruit.
Natural acai berry is hard to find in common health food stores and supermarkets. Due to its high fatty acid content, acai berry spoils very quickly and is hard to import from Central and South America. That is why freeze-dried and capsule-form are the most common ways to purchase acai berry. This allows acai berry producers to provide the same health benefits while keeping shipping costs down.