About
Acai came to the US as a novelty heralded for its energizing capacity, no doubt a welcome side effect from the heart health benefits. The Acai berry is a fickle fruit. The taste of fresh Acai is unforgettable and peculiar. It is not at all disagreeable when prepared fresh. It is not sweet but has a raw sense that is smooth and faintly avocado-like. The locals eat it with shrimp, fish or mandioc. Then in an instant they transform this savory purple porridge into the most remarkable dessert. With a touch of honey or a splash of fruit juice the flavor explodes into a desirable and deliciously unique chocolate berry like ambrosia. No wonder the people of the Amazon protect the rainforest to allow the Acai to grow prolifically.
But Acai fruit is as delicate as it is fickle. Once harvested by hand, the only way it can be done, it must be rushed within hours to market or the local processing plant. At market it is both bought and sold for fresh consumption that very morning. At the processing plants it is prepared for international distribution. It is here where all Acai sold outside of Brazil is turned into a penetrating purple pigmented puree. As a frozen puree the Acai loses its fresh raw avocado-like sense and turns somewhat bitter and uncharacteristically distasteful. “That is why we formulated our Acai drink with just two other juices at just the right ratio to bring out the true Acai flavor that is both sweet and delicious” says Dr. Tim of Dr. Tim’s Juices. Dr Tim’s Juices is a Southern Utah based company selling this juice into retail outlets. They are the only company that cares about bringing the real taste and quality of the Acai to the US consumer. They developed their own processing technology that protects the juice. “Our customers tell us all of the time that they like the taste of our juice over others”. Dr. Tim says “I want the US and even the global consumer to be able to enjoy the real taste of Acai in a delicious ready to drink format and reap the health benefits as well”. Science is catching up to acai as well with new article published monthly validating its’ health benefits.
The realistic praises and benefits of Acai seem to be stabilizing the presence and reputation of the berry. Acai is more readily available and used more widely today than it was even a year ago. It is finding its way into the diets of hundreds of thousands as a daily supplement. It is proving itself to be the real deal by improving the health of its users. It has survived a most curious course to popularity and is here to stay. So go find some acai and give it a try.
Residents of Macapa announce their healthy advantage over the world with the discoveries made by Dr. Edward Costa cardiologist. Dr. Costa conducted research on the people of this town to determine if there were any advantages to consuming Acai. Macapa the capital city in the state of Amapa, Brazil is situated on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Amazon River. The people of this reagion eat Acai as a regular part of their diets. Dr. Costa a resident of the state of Amapa who developed this research at the Federal University of Para, discovered that Acai whether in juice, pulp or puree contains a significant element known as “anthocyanins”. These anthocyanins increase HDL or healthy cholesterol and lowers LDL or bad cholesterol and thereby significantly reducing the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Costa who researches drugs to reverse and prevent heart disease examined and tracked 300 people from 6 different cities in the region. The research was designed to investigate if in fact the Acai fruit can combat the heart disease including cardiac hypertrophy or enlarged heart. The subjects in this investigation were divided into two groups those who eat Acai and those who do not.
“We found that those individuals who consume Acai on a regular basis had higher HDL levels than those who do not eat Acai” reports Dr. Costa. “We also found higher levels of LDL among those who do not eat Acai compared to those who do”. HDL is the good cholesterol and LDL is the bad. The results of this study reveal Acai to be a non-pharmaceutically based treatment for the prevention of cardiac disease that is both responsible and sustainable. One of the interesting findings was that Acai did not supply a significant amount of iron to the diet. Dr Costa says “Acai does not contain iron. Acai is a normal fruit. However it is rich in fiber and monounsaturated fats (the good ones).”
