Acai berry is one of the most popular “superfoods” in the world.
This thanks in large part to massive marketing campaigns and media attention.
For many, weighing the legit facts about Acai benefits against acai marketing scams is the stuff of rocket science.
What can you do with acai?
Where can you buy it?
Is it worth the high price?
I am going to answer these questions and more in my comprehensive acai berry guide.
Contents
- 1 What Is Acai?
- 2 Acai Berry Benefits
- 3 Acai Recipes
- 3.1 What Is An Acai Bowl?
- 3.1.1 With peanut butter and almond butter used as the base, this acai bowl is rich.
- 3.1.2 Coconut, mango, pineapple toppings…
- 3.1.3 Granola is often a trademark ingredient of the acai bowl, as you can see below…
- 3.1.4 Cashews, strawberries, even heart-healthy pistachios!
- 3.1.5 Acai Bowl Nutrition Facts
- 3.1.6 Homemade Acai Bowl
- 3.2 Acai Smoothie
- 3.1 What Is An Acai Bowl?
- 4 Conclusion
What Is Acai?
When it comes to superfoods as a label, acai rules the roost (just or unjust).
Acai is a berry derived from South American rainforest. The acai berry grows on acai palm trees. The humid, sub-tropical and tropical environments are the perfect host for these palms.
Technically, the acai berry is mostly a seed. Only 20% of the acai berry is skin and berry. But that 20% is nutrient potent.
I have a whole section dedicated to acai berry benefits where I will talk more about acai’s nutrient density makeup.
How To Pronounce Acai
This may sound ridiculous, but many people avoid conversations about acai because they feel stupid attempting to pronounce it.
Who wants to ask a Whole Foods worker about a fruit that you feel dumb for mispronouncing?
Is that a hard C or a soft one?
It’s so confusing!
Well, the fact is, acai is pronounced using three syllables (not two, which most people, myself included, have always thought).
“Ah-sigh-EE”
That’s the winner.
Acai Berry Taste
Acai taste like a berry, but more on the bitter side.
The acai berry tastes closer to a blackberry than a blueberry.
Clearly, taste is subjective, but I’m doing my best here.
Many people also report a chocolate-like aftertaste which is likely the result of polyphenols
being present.
Like most berries, the acai tastes rather refreshing.
Acai Berry Benefits
Acai berry benefits are as controversial as they are fascinating.
Like most berries, acai contains a list of potent vitamins and nutrients that are scientifically proven to fight degenerative diseases.
In the end, a superfood is only a superfood when it can be tied to staving off life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease.
Acai does that in spades.
Here’s a list of known acai nutrients:
- Manganese
- Copper
- Iron
- Chromium
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Phosphorus
Acai and Antioxidants
When it comes to decreasing inflammation and lowering risk of degenerative diseases, antioxidants are considered as potent as any nutrient there is.
Antioxidants protect cells from devastating free radicals.
When cells are damaged, they are open to the growth of diseases such as cancer.
Protecting cells from free radicals is a big deal. Antioxidants do exactly that. Acai berries contain antioxidants.
Yep, it’s a really big deal, folks.
Now, this is where we get some clarity on the whole “acai berry is the greatest superfood ever” rhetoric.
Acai berries contain more antioxidant density cranberries and even blueberries.
This is why the acai berry was initially shuttled into the superfood limelight.
Acai Weight Loss
Now we enter the labyrinth.
Anytime “weight loss” is attached to any product, our red flags go up in unison.
First, let’s cut the crap.
Weight loss happens when calories in are lower than calories out. Its called “caloric deficit.” It is proven and sound science.
Yes, low carb diets can help you lose weight, but they also lower caloric intake.
Eating a healthy diet will most certainly lower calories, increase satiety (fiber and protein and healthy fats), and infuse you with more energy.
One berry isn’t going to cause you to lose weight if you don’t eat healthy.
If anyone tells you that acai will help you lose weight (and that’s all they say), it is doubtful you’re dealing with a legit vendor.
So then why are we constantly linking acai and weight loss?
Well, for one, egregious marketing campaigns.
Marketers have been linking acai berry and weight loss to the tune of millions in revenue for years.
The FDA has even stepped in on acai weight loss products it considers to be risky.
Oprah decided she no longer wanted to support the acai weight loss hype machine. Once a prominent acai weight loss advocate, now a bread advocate (not kidding).
Acai Berry Cleanse
Beyond acai weight loss products, we have acai berry cleanse products. In some respects, they are one in the same.
Cleanses are popular. They are trendy.
People love the idea that they can “detoxify” their bodies in a matter of days.
However, cleanses, in general, can be risky and dangerous to your health. Cleanses are often grueling on the body and its organs. Medical professionals often advise against them.
And….wait for it…there is no proof they work.
Furthermore, acai berry cleanses mean you are overloading on sugar.
Sure, sugar derived from fruit is healthy. But not when the fruit is condensed and delivered in a way that lacks proteins and fibers.
Acai Recipes
What Is An Acai Bowl?
Acai bowls are nutrient dense bowls that often resemble creamy yogurt. The acai bowl is certainly trendy, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this healthy concoction doesn’t have super powers.
Many people tend to avoid trends. But often, trends are trends because they do work. That’s the case with the popular acai bowl. They offer loads of fiber, nutrient density, and even great taste.
Acai bowls are often most associated with breakfast.
Acai bowls are extremely popular on social media, most notably, Instagram.
Let’s have a look at some stunning examples of acai bowls…
With peanut butter and almond butter used as the base, this acai bowl is rich.
View this post on Instagram
Coconut, mango, pineapple toppings…
Granola is often a trademark ingredient of the acai bowl, as you can see below…
Cashews, strawberries, even heart-healthy pistachios!
Hopefully, my visual experience helped you wrap your head around what an acai bowl is. You can find a lot more examples on Instagram by searching #acaibowl.
The point I wanted to make with the images is that acai bowls are healthy, but also desert-ish. That’s what makes them so popular – the fact that you get a health infusion in a fun, tasty way.
Acai bowls are often sold in juice stores. The bowls are typically an option to the smoothie. With a smoothie, you drink it through a straw. The acai bowl is eaten using a spoon.
In some ways, acai bowls are preference. Some people love smoothies, others prefer to eat the acai bowl.
Acai bowls often have much more fiber, therefore, they feel a lot more like a meal than a smoothie does. This is important when it comes to weight loss. More fiber, more density, means more satiety.
Acai Bowl Nutrition Facts
This is impossible to answer. We’ve already discussed the acai berry’s nutritional facts, but we can’t account for what you might enjoy putting in your acai bowl.
Many people prefer fiber rich granola.
Almond butter and bananas and even avocados are often used.
You can even put flaxseed oil in your acai bowl.
When it comes to acai bowl nutrition facts, the world is truly your oyster.
Homemade Acai Bowl
Most often, homemade acai bowls are made using acai berry puree. You find acai berry as puree in your grocery store’s frozen section.
The complication with homemade acai bowls is texture. Make no mistake about it, you’re going to screw up a slew of these things before you get it right. And well, that’s going to cost you. Acai puree and all the healthy ingredients you will want aren’t going to be cheap.
The acai bowl needs to be creamy, or, something that you can easily scoop out. Get it too thin and it’s basically a smoothie. Too hard, your plastic spoon will break!
You will need to consider ingredients. Here are some thoughts.
- Berries
- Oats
- Beets
- Bananas
- Avocados
- Soy (for acai bowl vegan protein purposes)
- Cacao
This is just a start. The fact is, it’s up to you what you like, or what nutritional needs you may have. I’m not going to list out a bunch of acai bowl recipes, the fact is, taste is subjective.
Mix an match things based on what you enjoy. You are going to have to experiment.
To be honest, I prefer having an acai bowl a few times a week. I’m lazy and buy it from a local juice shop. Making homemade acai bowls is not only pricey but its also time consuming. The money saved on making your own personal acai bowl might not make up for all the time used to make it.
But, you will get EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT. So that’s a great thing.
Acai Smoothie
This is just a smoothie using acai (I mean, what were you expecting?).
While the acai bowls are often more popular, acai smoothies are amazing options. In fact, I happen to prefer a refreshing acai bowl to an acai smoothie. I love that I can drink it on the go.
But alas, let’s have a bit of a visual experience to see what acai smoothies are. I know, you already know this stuff, because, well, its common sense. BUT…it will get your creativity and palette fired up to go get your acai on ASAP!!!
Check out a couple of examples from Instagram (not the deep purple color tones that our wonderful acai berry causes).
Conclusion
The acai berry is one of the world’s most potent superfoods. Due to a number of egregiously bad marketing campaigns, the acai berry has come under unfair scrutiny by consumers. The marketing scams using acai berry are separate from the acai berry in its raw state.
In order to purchase acai berry, you’re typically going to need to buy expensive acai berry puree from your grocery store.
Acai berry smoothies and acai berry bowls are the most popular way to consume acai berries. However, if you go online or to Whole Foods, you will often find dried acai berry that can be eaten from a small bag.
The acai berry is as legit as any superfood there is. But it’s a simple concept and highly marketed acai products are hardly needed to get your acai fill on.
Acai tastes really great and can also be used to infuse a sweet taste into a green smoothie.
Cory has been a professional writer and researcher since 2002 and has written 1000’s of articles on health, wellbeing and nutrition. Cory is very active and loves riding his bike when he is not working on his numerous blogs.
