Acai Berry Diet
If you haven’t heard of the acai berry diet, it’s all the rage in Hollywood right now with lots of celebrities giving it a go to lose excess weight.
What is the Acai berry anyway? The Acai berry comes from a palm tree which is mostly found in Brazil and much of South America. Many in the health industry praise acai berries because of their high antioxidant and amino acid content as well as Omega 3 fatty acids & even fiber.
Because of their high nutritional content many supplement companies have come up with their own version of an Acai berry diet, but do these work and how are they supposed to work is the question we all should be asking.
Interestingly enough, since Acai has a high concentration of anti-oxidants (even more than blueberries!) they are said to help us detoxify our body and prevent cellular damage from toxins in our foods and environment. There is definitely some validity in this argument especially if one is replacing a processed food with this berry then the antioxidants are a great source of keeping you young and healthy.
I like to take this a little further since antioxidants are great for boosting our immune system as well and with a stronger immune system our body is naturally able to focus on repairing, recovery and growing our muscles. This benefit should not be understated since so much of exercising depends on this recovery period.
So what about the Omega 3 content? Omega 3 fatty acids are most commonly found in fish oil and flaxseed oil supplements. They are an essential component to have in our diet because our body does not create them and we need them for optimal cardiovascular and brain health. Omega 3’s also support healthy cholesterol levels and blood circulation so with all this in mind we know that for most of us supplementation is not a bad idea since our diets are usually deficient with them.
One other point about Acai that is pretty impressive is that from a 100 gram serving they contain a very high fiber content of about 8 grams! This makes having a diet rich in acai berry a great benefit for those who are especially focused on trying to limit their carbohydrate intake.
Acai Berry Diet – Fact or Fiction?
Ok so with all these points above we know that Acai berries are great for us, and what about the supplement companies who say they have an Acai berry diet that you should follow? Well, I honestly believe a focus on just Acai berries is a little off track, you can’t have a diet that only focuses on this one fruit. Our bodies are a complex system that requires a vast variety of nutrients on a daily basis, and acai berries alone would not be sufficient.
With that said, I still believe that having Acai berries or even their juice on a frequent basis several days a week is a great idea for enriching your body with high quality antioxidants and Omega 3’s.
Most Respected Acai Products
After doing a little research I found some Acai berry juices and concentrated capsules that have gotten great consumer feedback. Here is the list:
NOW Acai Juice
NOW Acai Capsules
LifeTime Acai Juice Plus
MHP Activite Sport Multi Vitamin with Acai
Have any questions or feedback about the Acai Berry Diet? Please leave a comment below:
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Thank you for visiting! Weight Loss and Training is a health blog which features all the best weight loss tips that I have learned over my 20 years of training. My background includes a degree in Kinesiology from the world renown Simon Fraser University, certification in nutritional sciences from UBC, and Personal Trainer Specialist certification from Can Fit Pro.