Let’s kick these free radical’s arses and get in some antioxidants!
There are constantly new fashionable and popular “superfoods” out there, but the acai berry is one I hadn’t heard much about. So I have done some digging, to highlight some of the key facts about this awesome little berry.
First of all, I love the taste. It’s tastes like wild berries with chocolate. Buying it in powder form is a good place to start, it’s easy to add to different things, my favourite being the blueberry and acai smoothie with a spoon. Acai berries come from the Amazonian rainforest, where they are harvested from 30-40 metre palm trees. The berries are low in sugar and acid unlike most fruits. Due to this the berries must be picked, processed and frozen within 24 hours to retain all their goodness.
Acai berries have health and performance benefits. They have a very high concentration of antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that destroy free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage our cells and disturb the homeostasis of the body. They are derived from essential metabolic processes in the body and from external sources. Physical and mental stresses, are two of the causes of free radicals building up in our bodies. One thing to be aware of, is the more you exercise, the more free radicals your body produces, so be sure to get in those antioxidants! External sources can be pollutants in the air, chemicals used in farming or processing our food (eat organic to reduce this risk), cigarette smoke among others. To kick these free radical’s arses lets get in some antioxidants, acai berries being a great way to do this. They have been recognised as one of the world’s highest ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) foods. ORAC measures the ability of the antioxidants to neutralise free radicals.
Acai berries also contain fibre that keeps everything moving in our gut, helping maintain a healthy bowel, lowering cholesterol levels and helping control blood sugar levels. They are also high in essential fatty acids which have many jobs in the body including, hormone production, regulation of blood pressure, liver function, immune and inflammatory responses and regulation of blood clotting to name a few. Many vitamins are found in acai berries, including Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E. They are also a great source of calcium, magnesium, zinc and copper. I mean what is not to love about these little berries!
