Acai, anthocyanins, and the French paradox
Have you ever seen beautiful purple flowers? How about a deep red grape or a bright red Fuji apple? If the answer is yes then you have seen anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are flavonoid pigments that plants and fruits synthesize. Anthocyanins give plants and fruits their beautiful pigmentation — but it is not all about looks. Anthocyanins can act as a sunscreen for plants and in fruits the bright color attracts animals, which then feast on the fruits and in the process disperse the seeds. However, the aspect of anthocyanins that is of most interest with regards to the acai fruit is their antioxidant properties.
Fruits, such as the www.acaiberrysite.com, that are exposed to strong sunlight face a tremendous amount of ultra-violet light stress. This UV light triggers free radicals to form in the fruit. Fruits, such as the acai berry, develop high levels of anthocyanins because they have very strong antioxidants properties and can quench the free radicals. Here is the interesting part: the antioxidant properties of anthocyanins are maintained even after they are eaten by another organism. This is why fruits with bright pigmentation tend to have the great ORAC values — they are loaded with anthocyanins. Yes, you guessed it – acai berries have a tremendous concentration of anthocyanins.
The French have a diet rich in cheese, sugar, coffee, nicotine, sugar and white flour. With this type of diet you would expect the French to have a high rate of heart disease, whereas in fact, the exact opposite is true. The ability of the French to consume a heart-clogging diet and yet have a low rate of heart disease has been labeled the “French paradox”.
Researchers now believe they have the reason for the French paradox: anthocyanins. The French drink a significant amount of red wine and the the red wine grape, due to its anthocyanins, is what is believed to be responsible for the very low incidence of heart disease. While red wine has a good quantity of anthocyanins, the acai berry has over 30 times the anthocyanins as red wine.
www.acaiberrysite.comControlling your weight with the acai diet
Acai berries contain high levels of amino acids, phytosterols, fiber and fatty acids, which can improve how efficiently a body burns fat. An acai diet can considerably aid in a person’s attempts to lose weight and stay looking trim.
Antioxidants
It all sounds too good to be true when you first see these small, black fruits, but acai berries contain more antioxidants than any other fruit – three times as much as blueberries, which fall into second place. Antioxidants play a vital role in slowing the aging process by protecting cells and organs from harmful free radicals. Not only will an acai diet help you look spring fresh, you’ll feel better too.
There are many benefits to adding acai berries to your diet. Acai berries are an extremely powerful antioxidant, they have high levels of fiber and they contain several important minerals. Acai berries also help:
- Boost energy levels
- Improve digestive function
- Provide many important vitamins
- Minimize inflammation
- Cleanse and detoxifies the body
- Strengthen the immune system
- Fight cancerous cells
- Maintain healthy heart function
- Prevent atherosclerosis
- Promote healthier and younger-looking skin
- Help alleviate diabetes
- Slow down the aging process
- Improve circulation
- Improve mental clarity/focus
- Enhance sexual desire and performance
- Normalize and regulates cholesterol levels
- Promote sound sleep
- Enhance visual acuity
Fatty acids
While you may think that all fats are bad for you, they aren’t. Our bodies need some fats to keep us healthy. Fatty acids such Omega-3 and Omega-6 are essential to improve metabolism and also to stop us feeling hungry. Acai berries contain large amounts of fatty acids, which can go a long way towards helping a person to lose weight. Our bodies cannot produce Omega-3 and Omega-6 without food, so acai berries are doing a vital job.
Fiber
As well as keeping hunger away, fiber aids the digestive track in its job of moving food through the body. Without fiber, the tract has a more difficult job and a lot of the food would be absorbed back into the body to be turned into fat cells, which would then see a person putting on weight. The high level of fiber in acai berries helps this to not happen.
Amino acids
Amino acids play a vital role in building muscle mass. There are high levels of amino acids in acai berries. These amino acids – the building blocks of protein – target the muscles, building them up, making them function better and helping them regenerate after exercise. This, combined with a body than can efficiently burn fat, leads to weight loss.
Phytosterols
The building blocks of cell membranes, which keep the digestive tract function, are called phytosterols. These aid the tract by getting rid of waste materials and helping to absorb nutrients more efficiently. Acai berries contain generous levels of these phytosterols.
Disease-fighting qualities
A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that acai-berry extracts killed off 86% of leukaemia in a test:
“Acai berries are already considered one of the richest fruit sources of antioxidants,” said Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “This study was an important step toward learning what people may gain from using beverages, dietary supplements or other products made with the berries.”
Why go for acai berries?
Acai berries contain high levels of antioxidants, which have never been more essential. We live in an age of phytoestrogens, chemicals, pesticides, and other harmful environmental toxins. Lots of people are acai converts because the berries aid weight loss, while other people are just happy for the increased energy levels. The disease-fighting qualities of acai berries are also an important factor to consider. There are lots of reasons why you might become a fan of the acai diet. Outside of Brazil, the two most common forms of acai-berry products are:
Acai supplements
www.acaiberrysite.com
The easiest and most convenient way to get your hands on acai berries is by taking acai supplements. Some dodgy dealers push bad products, however. It’s best to stay away from anyone offering free trials that ask you to just pay for shipping, only to charge the buyer an extortionate amount of money. They do these by no disclosing the fact that the buyer signed up for a subscription. The sellers then conveniently make themselves impossible to contact.
However, not everything offering acai supplement is out to steal your money. The best supplement on the market at the moment is Acai Pure, a 100% acai-berry product that contains only the good stuff – and nothing else. Acai Pure is made form high-grade acai powder and is America’s best selling antioxidant cleansing formula. Polls consistently put Acai Pure in the top three acai-berry products on the market.
Acai juice and drinks
Acai-juice products are available in many places. You can probably find them in your local health-food store. However, while this may be convenient, it’s important to know that acai-juice products are often not all they’re cracked up to be. They usually contain high levels of sugar or are diluted with the juice of another fuit. The health benefits are therefore greatly reduced. One of the only products that isn’t diluted is Amazon Thunder.
.
You can tell Amazon Thunder isn’t diluted because when you pour it out of the bottle, it’s thick like ketchup – more of a paste thank a juice. Amazon Thunder contains nothing but mashed acai berries. This is the best way to get the full benefit of acai berries in the form of a drink. No other product comes close.
Take the plunge
You’ve now read about how acai berries are good for you, so why not take the plunge and see why thousands of people around the world are being turned onto the acai diet?