Does Acai Berry Pass the Rachel Ray Test?
Rachel Ray promotes acai berry. Oprah Winfrey promotes acai berry. Acai is also one of the 10 superfoods promoted by Dr Perricone. Plenty of experts believe that this berry is the new wonder food.
Harvested only in the rainforests of Brazil, acai berry tastes like a delicious blend of and chocolate. Acai berry is packed full of amino acids, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids. Although acai berry may not yet be available in your local supermarket, you can find it in several health food and gourmet stores.
One of the benefits of acai is that it can reverse signs of aging. A potent mixture of antioxidants that can help combat premature aging including 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and 10 to 30 times then the proven benefits of red wine. These antioxidants keep your skin soft and smooth and supple and can actually eliminate some pre-existing wrinkles.
Acai also contains a super healthy combo of dietary fiber, healthy fats, and phytosterols. This mixture of elements work perfectly together to aid and promote cardiovascular health. Phytosterols that are found in plant sources are effective in treating conditions such as arthritis and high cholesterol. The healthy plant sterols act to block absorption sites faster than those of animal sterol (cholesterol), and therefore reduce the total amount of cholesterol absorbed by the body. Total cholesterol levels can be reduced by the consumption of plant source phytosterols. This represents a remarkable health benefit to anyone prone to high cholesterol.
These berries also contain an almost perfect essential amino acid complex in conjunction with valuable trace minerals which are vital to proper muscle health contraction and regeneration.
The fatty acid content in acai berry resembles that of olive oil and other healthy oils such as canola and grapeseed. It is also rich in monounsaturated oleic acid.
Oleic acid is healthy for a variety of reasons. It helps omega-3 rich oils such as fish oils penetrate membranes of our cells; together they help make cell membranes more supple and flexible. By keeping our cell membranes supple, neurotransmitter and insulin receptors and hormones function more efficiently. This is vitally important as high insulin levels create an inflammatory state, and as we know, inflammation causes unwanted and unnecessary aging. From a health standpoint, oleic acid exhibits further benefits as it has been shown to retard the development of heart disease.
The oleic acid found in acai berry is also used as an ingredient in Lorenzo’s oil. This oil was made famous in a movie about a parents search for a cure for their son’s mystery illness. This medication prevents the onset of adrenoleukodystrophy which is a condition effecting boys that causes symptoms similar to those seen in multiple sclerosis patients. Although not a complete cure, Lorenzo’s oil can delay onset or progression of the ALD in those who do not yet show signs of the disease..
There seem to be many reasons to at least try the acai berry diet. The taste alone, berries plus dark chocolate, sounds compelling.