A highly concentrated punch of energy, the açai berry is nothing short of a nutritional miracle. Nicknamed “nature’s energy fruit,” açai is popping up on lists of “Ten Best Superfoods” across the country. Not only is the berry rich in antioxidants (with anthocyanins 10-30 times more powerful than the antioxidants in red grapes), but it also boasts a balanced complex of essential fatty acids (including those hard-to-get omega 9s and omega 6s), amino acids, and valuable trace minerals. And how does it taste? Think a vibrant blend of wild berries with a hint of chocolate.
A dense source of nutrients, wild açai berries have got what your body needs:
The difference soil makes
The USDA recently completed a survey test of the ORAC values of fruits and vegetables. Although it wasn’t surprising that blueberries came out high on the list, what was surprising was that natural blueberries had an ORAC score of 13,423 points per serving and farmed blueberries had a much lower score of 9,761 points per serving—a difference of almost 4,000 points! Where did this difference originate? In the soil.
It goes without saying that the açai berries of the Brazilian rainforest are grown in some of the world’s richest, most fertile soil.
açai helps the rainforest
In recent years, locals have allowed logging in the Amazonian rainforests to provide some much-needed economic growth. Now, the harvesting of açai has given locals another way to meet their financial obligations and still protect the forests that help balance ecosystems world-wide.
“There is no one solution to save the Amazon rainforest. The açai is the
most important non-wood forest product in terms of money from the river delta of
the Amazon.”
—Greenpeace.org.
