<b>Nutritional Makeup of Acai</b>
There is a lot of excitement surrounding a small purple berry from the Amazon and it's wonderful nutritional value. It can be hard to believe that a small berry with a diameter of only 2 cm can be a #1 superfood in the world, as explained by Oprah's anti-aging and weight loss expert Dr. Nicholas Perricone. However, once you observe the nutritional profile of the acai berry you will see why it may be one of the most perfect foods the world has ever seen.
<b>What is in the Acai Berry?</b>
Simply put, the <a rel="nofollow" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href=" /">acai berry</a> has the highest concentration of antioxidants than any other fruit available today. Acai has 10 times the antioxidant level of grapes and twice that of blueberries. Compared to red wine, Acai has between 10 and 30 times more Anthocyanins. The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) score for 100 grams of freeze dried Sambazon Acai Powder is over 50,000. An almost unbelievable number when you consider that a large majority of the US population consumes less than 1,000 ORAC units a day.
The Acai berry is very rich in healthy Omega fats. Nearly 50% of the Acai berry is fat - with 74% of the fat coming from healthy unsaturated fats such as Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9.
More than 7% of the weight of the Acai pulp is from amino acids. Almost 20 different amino acids have been identified in the acai berry. Since amino acids are the building blocks of protein, it is no surprise that you have over 8 grams of protein in every 100 gram serving of acai.
Three plant sterols (or photosterols) have been identified in Acai. They are, B-sitosterol, campesterol and sigmasterol. Photosterols have been shown to have numerous health benefits for maintaining healthy heart and digestive function.
Acai is also a great source of vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E are all present in acai. In fact, acai contain just as much Vitamin C as blueberries and has over 1000 IU of Vitamin A in every 100 grams of acai. Additionally, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc are all found in acai.
For being a fruit, acai has a strong fiber profile. There are about 14 grams of fiber in every 100 grams of freeze dried Acai powder.
You would think something as good for you as acai would taste terrible. However, just the opposite is true. The acai berry has a berry and chocolate flavor that is truly unique and delicious. Acai is used in smoothies, deserts and can also be eaten by itself.
