Are There Any Side Effects to the Acai Berry Diet?

Learn about the acai berry diet and just how healthy is it.

There is an amazing little berry that is found only in the rainforests of Brazil. This nutritional powerhouse has been discovered to have some of the highest antioxidant and anthocyanins levels of any food grown on Earth. It has 10 times the antioxidant levels of red grapes and 2 times the antioxidant levels of blueberries. This tiny little berry also boasts 10 to 30 times the antioxidant levels of red wine. What is this astonishing little berry that is so healthful and life promoting? It is the acai berry.

The acai berry is extremely high in 2 strong antioxidants called anthocyanins and flavonoids. Anthocyanin is the substance that makes the deep red to deep purple colors of many healthy foods including blueberries, red grapes, purple cabbage and of course the acai berry. Foods that are loaded with anthocyanins are exceptionally nutritious and loaded with antioxidants.

Antioxidants such as anthocyanins and flavonoids protect the body from stress and free radicals. Free radicals are characterized as a molecule or an atom that has a single unpaired electron. Because of this unpaired electron the molecule is especially unstable and disruptive to our bodies. An antioxidant will pair up the random electron and neutralize the molecule. Both anthocyanins and flavonoids are strong antioxidants that protect the body from stress and free radicals.

Antioxidant activity from foods is assessed by what is referred to as an ORAC score. The ORAC score assesses the capacity of a substance to neutralize free radicals within the controlled environment of a test tube. The higher the number of the ORAC score the stronger the antioxidant qualities of the food are. The acai berry has been found to have an exceptionally high ORAC score.

The acai berry is also substantially high in healthy fats and amino acids. Nearly half of the edible part of the acai berry is comprised of fat and 74% of that fat is from the exceptionally healthy unsaturated fats that are essential to our health, Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9. The acai berry also contains 19 different amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein.

There is an abundance of vitamins and plant sterols contained in the acai berry. Plant sterols are known to provide a number of health benefits. Vitamins have long been known to be crucial to our health. The acai berry contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and E along with plenty of the minerals calcium, magnesium, copper, potassium and zinc.

The acai berry is quite tasty and has a significant dose of fiber. You can partake of these healthy treats by eating the dried berries, sipping on the delicious juice or even taking products made from the extracts. Delicious smoothies and desserts are also made from the acai berry.

There is ongoing research into the health advantages of the acai berry but so far the findings have been that this tiny little berry from the rainforests of Brazil offers a huge nutritional advantage to anybody who partakes.

Jill Spencer has recently discovered the acai berry and she is excited about the potential of this new superfood. She is interested in the effects of the acai berry diet upon human health.