Posts Tagged ‘Acai’
February 27th, 2011 | 
Author: Before I share 3 of my favourite energizing and wellness-promoting foods, I need to reiterate that there are no single foods that have magical health properties. Simply put, there are bad diets and there are good diets. .
It’s the synergistic effects of the foods in your diet that matters – not the individual elements inside it.
Having said that, here are 3 terrific foods that will greatly improve your health and energy .
1. Apples
There’s a reason that they say “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”.
A possible explanation for this, is the compound abundantly found in apples called salicylic acid . This is the same acid that is formed in the body when you take Aspirin and it is metabolized. As such salicylic acid is mainly responsible for the blood-thinning effects of Aspirin.
So eating an apple a day (or 2 or 3 or more) has a beneficial impact on protecting your cardiovascular system and potentially reducing your chances of heart attacks and strokes .
But be aware that salicylic acid can also be a poison if taken in high doses, especially if you’re on the Aspirin bandwagon. That’s why I prefer using whole foods or a raw food diet as a mode of creating and restoring tremendous health.
An antioxidant know as polyphenols are also found in apples . These antioxidants minimize the damage caused by free-radical damage inside the body.
A 1993 study in the journal Lancet showed that polyphenol content of the diet was inversely related with death from heart disease. In this study, the major sources of polyphenols were tea, onions, and apples!
And research has shown that it’s the skin that contains the highest amount of antioxidants. This also seems to be the case with pretty much any fruit. It’s the fruit’s way of protecting itself from its surroundings. The skin is a shield and the more antioxidants within the shield, the better.
Apples are a great source of a specific polyphenol known as quercetin. You’ve in all probability seen this antioxidant in supplement form in your local health food store.
Quercetin has been shown to decrease prostate cancer cell growth, protect the brain, and decrease the release of histamine (an inflammatory compound).
To ensure good health, our body needs about 1 gram of polyphenols per day .
One apple can contribute between 100 t0 300 milligrams. So the more, the merrier. But remember that variety in your diet is key!
2. Tomatoes
We have a tomato plant on our patio and it’s amazing how savory naturally grown, pesticide-free tomatoes taste in comparison to the commercially available garbage.
I love tomatoes but I should warn you that many people have a sensitivity to the nightshades which includes tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and cayenne pepper. If that’s you, then you may want to skip this section. Because regardless of how good a single food is, if your body can’t tolerate it, you’ll be doing more harm than good if you consume it on a regular basis.
Tomatoes have been acquiring a lot of acclaim over the last decade or so as more and more studies are showing the cancer-reducing effects of their main antioxidant – lycopene.
In the tomato, lycopene protects the seeds from damage by oxygen and light. We also consume those benefits. The BBC television series The Truth About Food showed that lycopene can offer some protection against sun-induced skin damage.
In this show/study, the group of volunteers who consumed 16 mg of lycopene per day showed less reddening of the skin and less DNA damage than the non-lycopene group.
Unfortunately, the subjects were using supplemental lycopene and to achieve the same effect from whole tomatoes you’d need to eat at least half a dozen.
Lycopene is a fat-soluble substance and therefore eating tomatoes in conjunction with healthy fats can enhance it’s absorption. I knew there was a reason why Italians love their tomatoes and olive oil!
Another healthy component of tomatoes is the yellow gooey stuff that surrounds the tomato seeds. This fluid contains flavonoids that have anti-clotting properties, making tomatoes a beneficial food for cardiovascular health.
These are just 2 of hundreds of healthful compounds contained in tomatoes . The message I’m trying to get across is that taking ONE of these compounds by themselves is nowhere near as beneficial as eating the whole tomato. Think synergy!
3. Acai Berry
It seems as though you can’t turn a corner without somebody promoting the acai berry diet or some miracle acai berry juice that helped them lose hundreds of pounds! Frankly it makes me sick to my stomach because I know many of these of marketing scams that are ripping people off .
Acai berries have some incredible benefits to them . The whole food is what matters though – not some pasteurised juice or quick fix pill.
In case you don’t know, acai berries are to Brasilians what blueberries are to North Americans .
The acai berry is one of top antioxidant foods on the planet . I believe it’s just behind raw cacao as the highest antioxidant source of any food. It has fantastic anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-mutagenic, and cancer-preventing properties.
No wonder that people are lining up to buy this berry considering it’s amazing health properties . But let’s not forget that what matters is our total antioxidant intake. So if you eat like crap and supplement with 1 oz of acai berry juice each, then you’re wasting your money – big time!
So unless you live in Brazil and have access to fresh acai berries on a daily basis you’re better off eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to get wide spectrum of macro-, mirco-, and phytonutrients. A Raw Food Diet is the better way to eating for increased energy.
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The residents of the rain forests of the Amazon have long been using this small wonder. This small fruit has been part of their cooking recipes for centuries. The acai berry is cherished by the indigenous peoples of the Amazonian rain forests as it forms a vital part of their survival.
Acai Berry Promote Better General Health
To better understand the power of this berry, you must understand the role played by the acai berry’s natural nutritional content. The regular use of Acai Berry promotes better digestion, supports weight loss, stabilizes blood pressure, boosts energy and above all helps to make you look and feel younger.
Acai Berry – A Weapon against Cancer & Chronic Disease
Acai Berry helps slow the access of tiny harmful molecules called free radicals in to your body. Free radicals can trigger serious illnesses such as cancer and even in some cases damage the body’s DNA. The antioxidant content of Acai Berry fights these free radicals helping to reduce them and lessen their impact on your body.
Acai Berry Prevents Cardiovascular Disease
Acai berry is rich with essential fatty acid content. These healthy fatty acids increase the level of good cholesterol and at the same time reduces the levels of bad cholesterol. These fatty acids also increase the absorption capacity of essential vitamins A, D, E and K in the blood. Phytosterols are also abundant in the Acai berry. These phytosterol slow the assimilation and piling up of bad cholesterol on the walls of the intestine.
Acai Berry Supports the Digestion Process
Acai berry is also a rich source of healthy enzymes. These enzymes not only support the process of digestion but at the same time prevents constipation and acidity.
Good Taste
I’m sure you must be thinking that any natural fruit that is filled with plenty of health giving substances must taste horrible. Absolutely not! In fact the contrary is true. The Acai Berry has a wonderful taste and fresh acai juice is a popular drink that is served at many cafes and health bars in Brazil.
Unfortunately, you are unliklely to ever savour that taste unless you visit the Amazon. The Acai fruit loses its nutritional content within 24 hours after being harvested. This is also one of the reasons why this fruit was only well known and enjoyed in Brazil.
However thanks to modern technology and the rapidly growing popularity of Acai Berry, it has now become available worldwide.
Now anyone anywhere in the world can enjoy the benefits of this small fruit without traveling all the way to Amazonian rain forests by simply ordering it online.
For more information on how to choose the best kind of acai product, click here: How to Choose an Acai Product
