What Are the Benefits of Taking Acai Berries?
What are the benefits of taking acai berries? These berries have been in the news quite a bit lately, and there’s been a hubub about acacia being promoted on Oprah, although debate rages on the validity of that claim. Why there is any hubub is another matter, as Oprah currently has the berry listed on her website as the “Number 1 Superfood” and saying that “studies have shown that this little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world!”
Does it live up to the hype, which also includes being profiled on several ABC affiliates, NBC’s Today Show, and the Wall Street Journal? (Wow, can the acai help you make more money too? It really is the super food!) Much of its current popularity can be traced to its recommendation not only on Oprah’s show, but years ago, when it was recommended by one of the Brazilian Gracie Jiu Jitsu dynasty to their students as an energy booster. Some people even report that it helps their sex drive. All this is great, but is any of it actually true, and is it supported by science? Anybody can make claims, but do they hold up in the lab?
What everyone wants is a fat burner they can just drink a few glasses of each day, or gobble a cup full of berries in the morning, only to be greeted with a newer, slimmer you in the morning. Sorry to disappoint you, but although there are benefits to taking acai, that’s not one of them. What is the acai berry and can it actually benefit your health?
The acai berry is the grape-like fruit of a number of palm trees. It does have very healthy anti-oxidant properties, but they nowhere near justify the hype that the little berry has garnered for itself. While taking the fruit in either its whole form, or in an extract, works well as an anti oxidant and has some valuable nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids. The antioxidant effects of the berry are strongest in extracts of açaí seeds, while freeze dried acai powder exhibit somewhat less, but are more potent than the raw fruit. Storage and age rapidly diminishes much af the berries antioxidant power, which is another reason for using freeze dried extracts. The extracts are, by their nature, more concentrated than the raw fruit, so they can be more effective per unit volume ingested. Take note that you’ll lose the fiber benefit of the fruit by taking seed extracts. More on the fiber benefit later.
Does acai berry juice work as an anti-oxidant? It sure does, and rather well too, but so does grape juice and red wine, two other drinks that are somewhat easier to run across in your local supermarket. You may want to watch yourself if you’re using the red wine as an antioxidant program, though.
The main weight loss effects of the berry appear to stem from its high raw fiber content. High fiber foods in general act to reduce hunger and depress appetite by causing you to feel more satiated. If you don’t have as much desire to eat, you’ll obviously eat less. No rocket science here. Not that any number of high raw fiber foods can’t achieve the same effect as the berry. In general you should stick to a diet that’s high in fiber. That’s nothing new, and despite the people who want to sue fast food places for force feeding them high fat, low fiber diets, most people are well aware of the benefits to a high fiber diet. Such a diet can certainly include acai, but by no means has to. There are plenty of high fiber food sources to choose from. Some very high fiber foods you can (and should) use to enhance your diet and help promote fat loss include brown rice, bran cereal, oatmeal, avocado, black beans, peas and raspberries.
Does the acai berry or its extracts work as a fat burner? Well, yes and no. It does not boost your metabolism in the rear to the point where your fat melts away like you switched to a diet of nothing but Hydroxycut washed down with green tea. Although there are foods that are beneficial to burning fat, there are no real magic bullets. Some studies have noted a mild increase in the metabolic rate after taking the berry, but the effects are mild and can be achieved with other foods as well, such as green tea. Many people report an energy boost from taking the berry as well, but again, that is available through other sources too, such as coffee and green tea. Just as with foods such as brown rice, the oils in the acai berry do help promote the burning of fat and the decrease in cholesterol levels.
So, while the acai berry does have a great combination of fiber, essential fatty acids, amino acids, and antioxidants, do its’ benefits include peeling the fat from your body? Well, not really, but it is a very healthy addition to your diet. Just don’t expect to start eating acai berries, but making few other changes to your diet or lifestyle and expecting to see huge drops in that fat around your belly.
NOTE: If you sign up for any of those fat burning acai berry programs, remember to quit if you don’t want to be billed after the free trial period expires, and sometimes that can be almost the day you get your samples!
Please Stumble This Post!
Please Subscribe to My Fat Loss Feed
