What are the Health Benefits of Acai Berry

The Acai Berry (pronouced ah-sigh-ee) is a fruit that grows on trees deep into the Amazon Rain forest of Brazil. It is smaller than a grape and is dark purple in color.

It has been quite the craze as of late, as there are so many sites proclaiming it's natural, healthy benefits to the body.

But what exactly are the benefits of the Acai Berry?

#1 Benefit of Acai Berry - High in Antioxidants

The biggest benefit is that it is packed with high antioxidant levels. And what does that mean to us? Well, it slows down the oxidation process in our bodies caused by free radicals which if becomes too high can be bad for our bodies and cause illness or diseases.

To better explain, we all consist of atoms. Atoms that tend to have a full outer shell of electrons keep atoms stable. But atoms that do not have this full outer shell tend to become unstable, and hence they are called Free Radicals.

Free radicals are not bad in moderation but if these levels become too high you could be susceptible to many diseases and/or health issues.

Acai Berry with its high antioxidant levels helps slow Free Radicals which could be bad for our bodies

It helps balance out these atoms that have have an uneven amount of electrons, thus putting it back at a peaceful state.

#2 Benefit of Acai Berry - Contains Essential Fatty Acids: Omega 3, Omega 6, Omega 9

These are the 'good' fats for the human body. They are considered essential because our bodies do not create large doses of it themselves. And they are very important and play a key role in lowering levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.

#3 Benefit of Acai Berry - High ORAC score (could slow down aging process)

Okay, you're probably saying what the heck does that mean? Well, ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity and basically it measures how well substances slow down free radicals in a vacuum-like setting. So the higher the ORAC score the more effective the antioxidant properties of the substance.

The USDA suggests we consume about 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units each day. In comparison, per 100 grams, apples and bananas score around 200 in ORAC levels, whereas blueberries around 2,400. Taking 100 grams of Acai Berry contains a ORAC value of around 5,500 units!

Not only that, but the USDA states on their website that eating high-ORAC foods may slow aging due to their studies of animals and human blood at the Agricultural Research Service's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging

These are just a few benefits of taking this natural superfood.

I'll be sure to write more topics about the Acai Berry and it's benefits.