What's in it Wednesday? | Açaí | Shakeology

What's in it Wednesday?

Açaí | Shakeology

For this weeks What's in it Wednesday, I'm going to go over super berry, Acai!

The acai berry is reddish-purple fruit that is about an inch long. It's native to Central and South America sub tropic regions and it comes from the acai palm tree. Acai berries may have an even higher antioxidant content than other common berries, such as cranberries, blueberries and strawberries.

Here are some health benefits of acai:

Cardiovascular Health:

Acai berries contain high levels of anthocyanins, a form of plant antioxidants, which eliminate the free radicals responsible for a wide variety of damaging diseases and conditions including heart disease. Anthocyanins are also associated with reducing blood cholesterol by removing harmful LDL cholesterol off of artery walls, reducing the risk of atherosclerosis, stroke, and heart attack. In addition, acai berries contain a great amount of plant sterols, which act as vasodilators and relax blood vessels to reduce blood pressure and also prevent blood clots that can lead to strokes and heart attacks.

Weight Loss:

The pulp of the acai berry can help you lose weight and also maintain a healthy weight as discovered by research early on. The reason for this is that it reduces the negative impact of high-fat diets. One reliable study found that using acai berries for a month resulted in a lower level of fasting insulin and glucose levels, as well as a decrease in total cholesterol. Not to mention, the high fiber content of acai berries helps reduce appetite which will stop the hunger pains related to overeating and weight gain.

Skin Health:

Acai oil can relieve irritation and redness and moisturize the skin, as well as give a healthy, attractive glow when ingested.

Cancer Prevention:

Acai is a superb source of vitamin-C, which is a well-recognized immunity booster and can largely improve your ability to fight off many diseases, including cancer. Additionally, acai berries also contain ellagic acid which also aids in the fight against cancerous cells. As mentioned earlier, acai is full of polyphenols, which combat cancerous growths on a molecular level and prevent small cancerous growths from multiplying and metastasizing into deadly amounts of carcinogenic growth.

Aphrodisiac:

Acai berries have a discovered ability to increase the general blood circulation throughout the body. While the direct link is still being researched, it’s thought to help prevent sexual dysfunction due to its ability to increase blood flow.

Premature Aging:

Again, as stated earlier, acai berries contain high levels of antioxidants which eliminate the free radicals that cause the breakdown of skin, hair, teeth, and eye health that is frequently linked with premature aging. In terms of brain health and function, acai has been shown to increase mental function and mental sharpness.

Digestion and Intestinal Health:

Acai berries have strong purifying effects on the human body, which help cleanse the body’s digestive system and eliminate some of the hazardous toxins that build up. Due to its high fiber levels, it can increase regularity and reduce chances of constipation and other uncomfortable digestive issues. One important thing to note here is that people suffer from loose stools or diarrhea, (maybe even IBS like me), consuming acai berries can reduce the chances of diarrhea.