In fact, when it comes to nutrient composition, no other food can hold a match to the acai berry. The acai berry has all the vital macronutrients that the body needs, viz. the carbohydrates, the fats and the proteins and it has all the vitamins that the body would require. This is an amazing fruit that has every nutrient and vitamin that the body could ask for. Additionally, the acai berry is quite rich in its concentration of minerals, making it the healthiest food on the planet.

The following is a list of the various mineral constituents present in the acai berry and how they help the body in its significant functions.

Calcium

Calcium is extremely important for mineralization processes of the body. Bones and teeth are the major parts of the body that need to be mineralized so that they can retain their strength. If the mineralization of the bones is inadequate, problems like osteoporosis can occur in the long run, and with faulty mineralization of teeth, problems such as dental fluorosis can occur.

Acai berries have 9 mg of calcium in about 100 g of its weight. The best part is that the calcium present in these berries can be easily absorbed by the body.

Potassium

Potassium is another significant mineral that is present in the acai berries. Among various other tasks, potassium is needed for the proper regulation of the blood flow to various parts of the body. A poor potassium value can lead to blood pressure problems. Also, potassium helps in maintaining proper pH balance of blood, which is an indication of its acidic (or alkaline) value.

Acai berries have a very high amount of potassium; 100 g of it contains about 932 mg of the element potassium.

Zinc

Zinc is necessary for a very important purpose — maintaining the body’s immune system, without which it can fall prey to various conditions of ill health such as infections. Zinc is also necessary to maintain the proper conduct of our five senses. It is a diligent caretaker of the body too, spontaneously repairing systems that break down or undergo wear and tear.

There is about 7 mg of zinc in 100 g of acai berries.

Manganese

Manganese is an essential mineral nutrient that the body needs for proper brain function. The element also helps the body for effective coordination between the organs. Proper functioning of the sex organs is also controlled by manganese.

The amount of manganese in 100 g of acai berries is roughly 174 mg.

Apart from these four major minerals, the acai berries also contain phosphorus, iron, copper and sodium.

Supplied by the Acai Berry Resource Center Acai Berry Health Foods. More information can be found on their website.

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Acai Berries – A Treasure House of Anthocyanins

What gives the acai berries their big repute is the fact that they contain a large amount of antioxidants in them. Antioxidants are absolutely essential for the human body because it is these chemicals that can fight the free radicals present in the body that can react with useful enzymes, hormones and nutrients and render them useless. However, antioxidants are of different types. The most prominent antioxidant activity in the acai berries is displayed by a chemical known as anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are pigmented chemicals that are directly related to proper visual health. They can help the eyes remain healthy and repair the problems that begin to occur because of the wear and tear of these organs. There are some eye problems that the anthocyanins are directly known to treat, most notably the condition of glaucoma. Glaucoma happens when the optic nerve slowly degenerates over time, gradually reducing the sharpness of vision and finally rendering the person blind. This is a very sneaky condition; as the loss of vision does not happen overnight, the person is not able to understand what’s going wrong until it is too late. Glaucoma is difficult to reverse, but the anthocyanins introduced into the body through the acai berries will repair the wear and tear of the optic nerve so that it is kept functional. People who regular consume acai will have no complaints of glaucoma at all. The berries are also important control remedies for another such problem, known as macular degeneration.

Acai Berries – A Great Source of Vitamin A

However, this is not the end of the health benefits of the acai berries concerning the visual sense. The acai berries also have a commendable amount of vitamin A in them. Vitamin A is produced from the precursor beta carotene that is present in the acai. The most important benefit of vitamin A to the human body is that it is a prevention as well as a treatment for the condition known as nyctalopia (night blindness).

A person who suffers from this condition will not be able to focus his or her eyes efficiently if there is a sudden change in the intensity of light, especially if the light becomes dimmer. However, the vitamin A content of the acai berries takes care that this problem is under control and then gradually treated.

This, and much more information about the acai palm and it’s wonderful berries can be found at the Acai Berry resource center at Acai Acai Acai.

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The fruit is seen in a variety of colors with the dark purple variety being the most popular. This variety of acai looks similar to a grape, but with a big seed and less pulp. The seed consists of 80% of the fruit. The berries are seen in bunches of up to 900 fruits. It is harvested as food in the Amazon region, yielding two crops in a year. However, the fruit cannot be eaten raw. The fruit is harvested, processed and juice extracted, which is used in numerous ways.

People of Brazil use acai in a multitude of forms – as a drink and as a flavoring agent in dishes, ice cream and fruit juices. Due to its instant energy-giving property, it is widely used in many energy drinks and bars. In combination with other fruit juices, acai juice is used in making many branded health drinks and yogurt. It is also used as a coloring agent. The berry extract is available on the market as juice, pulp or freeze-dried powder.

Acai is a natural source of Omega fats, proteins, calcium and amino acids. The high antioxidant capacity makes it a popular ingredient in many medicines and beverages. 44% of the total mass of the acai fruit is fibre. In addition, it has some essential minerals and vitamins. It is a total package of nutrients that our body needs for smooth functioning. The best part is its taste, which is described as blueberry ice-cream with a trace of chocolate. Acai is a rare combination of goodness and taste, which makes it easier to include in your daily diet.

Brazilians have known its nutritive value and health benefits for generations. Some of the benefits reported are:

*High energy level
*Better digestion
*Improved sleep
*Smoother and healthier skin
*Better concentration
*Good against aging
*Enhanced sexual function
*Boosts immune system
*Destroys cancer cells
*Fights infections
*Good as a mood enhancer

The fresh fruit is available only for a short period after harvesting, that is twice a year. Even this is obtainable only in the Amazon region. Due to the high fat content in the fruit, it rots easily. Acai is for sale in the markets all over the world in the form of fruit juice, pulp or freeze-dried powder. With the world waking up to this “Power Berry”, it is available in stores across United States, Europe and Australia. It is an ingredient in many health drinks, shakes and ice creams.

Some call it “Super Food”, some call it “Power Berry” and some others call it “a Complete Fruit”. Whatever you choose to call it, there is no denying the fact that it is beneficial to your health and body. Those who use it regularly swear by it. The people of Brazil are a living proof to the benefits of including this tiny “Power House” in your diet.

Shannon Pollock has been teaching people about natural health remedies for many years. She is a specialist with experience in natural remedies for both people and animals.For more information on the benefits of acai, as well as other natural health related topics, visit Shannon’s website called Natural Health Remedies and More

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1. The first benefit of the high fiber content is that it helps the food to be digested more easily. Since most of the acai berries are fiber, they increase the rate of digestion at the ingestion stage itself. Most food that enters the stomach is already partially digested when fiber content is high in them.

2. The next benefit, progressively, of the high fiber content is that it helps food to retain itself for a longer time in the digestive system. Fiber contains cellulose, a material that is needed for binding the food together. When the food is bound in thus manner, it does not immediately move into the colon, which is the large intestine from which the food prepares itself for elimination. Instead, it remains for a longer time in the stomach and the small intestine. This allows the enzymes from the digestive system to work upon the food more completely so that the digestion is almost perfect.

3. As the enzyme work better on the food, the food is also able to be assimilated better into the bloodstream. Resultantly, the body is able to get more benefits of the various nutrients that are present in the food.

4. The high content of fiber is absolutely beneficial in the proper elimination of wastes from the body. The cellulose which binds the undigested food takes care that this food is properly eliminated from the colon, seeing to it that the movement of bowels is proper and complete.

5. Because of this, food is not retained in the colon. If the person has low fiber content in the diet, there is a chance that undigested food gets retained in the colon (this is quite a common occurrence in people who have frequent constipations). These are the people who would need detoxification and colon cleansing treatments at a later stage. On the other hand, people who eat fiber-rich foods have good movement of bowels with no retention of undigested toxic matter in their bodies. So they stay healthier.

Acai berries thus improve several aspects of the human health through this one main point – high fiber content. The berries ensure that the person remains healthy in more ways than one. Today, when it has been established that the route to good health is through a healthy digestive system, this is an important point to note. Indeed, the South Americans, where acai is a native fruit, enjoy a better longevity. It may well be that their diet which significantly comprises of the acai berries is responsible for that.

This article is freely distributed by Acai Berry Health foods to help promote the benefits of acai

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Amazonian rainforest regions and the outer world did not know much about them. But as it is said, virtue cannot be hidden for long. The world has now realized the

great properties of the acai berries and the demand for them has skyrocketed.

However, it is not possible to market the fresh acai berries in their natural form. Acai berries are quite like grapes in their size and texture; they are as soft.

It is difficult to ship them. In any case, the berries are quite perishable and cannot be shipped over to large distances. They lose their taste and, most

importantly, their nutritional value.

That is the reason some ingenious marketers of the acai berries have come forward to package this fruit in different forms. Not only does this act for the

preservation of the fruit, but it also helps to improve the taste and the palatability of the fruit for a world market. The following are some of the forms in

which the fruit is packaged and sold internationally.

Acai Berry Juice

This is the commonest form in which the goodness of the acai berry is sold commercially. The juice is prepared from the acai berries when the berries are freshly

removed from the palms. This is the time when the best volume of the juice can be extracted and the goodness of its nutrients is intact. Some marketers enhance the

values of the acai berry juice by mixing it with the juice of another very health-rich fruit, the guarana. However, be careful when you purchase acai berry juice

from an unknown vendor. Some of these juices are mixed with red wine or apple juice to save on costs.

Acai Berry Pulp

Once again, the acai berries are taken as fresh as possible for the pulp to be made. The pulp is then made in easily shippable shapes, such as bars, and frozen.

The acai berry pulp tastes the best when it is frozen and that also helps to maintain its natural goodness. Acai pulp, just like acai juice, can be either consumed

as it is or can be made into several delectable recipes. Before making the recipes, the acai pulp should be thawed in order to get a good taste.

Acai Berry Powder

The freeze dried powder of the acai berries is easily found in reputed supermarkets. The powder itself can be packaged in various forms. Energy bars that contain

acai berry powder are quite popular amount the young and old alike, but there are also other forms available such as capsules. You can also find acai powder as it

is for using in making smoothies and other kinds of acai based delicacies. Making the acai powder is a delicate process because the natural goodness of the berries

needs to be maintained.

Whichever form you are buying your acai in, make sure that the company is a reputed one. This is important because only a knowledgeable company will use processes

that can maintain the natural goodness of these wonderful berries.

This article is freely distributed by Acai Berry at http://www.acaiacaiacai.com .

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