Energy boosts. Disease-fighting. Weight loss. We’ve heard them all before, but this time, we’re talking about something that actually grows from a tree. Well, sort of. Ever since global figureheads such as Oprah and Dr. Oz started promoting the “super-fruit”, the Acai berry (pronounced ah-sigh-ee, but feel free to have fun with it) has been sweeping the nation, and now it seems nearly everyone wants to market its amazing powers.
What’s that? You don’t know about the Acai berry? Well, that’s no good. Allow me to enlighten.
First utilized by Brazilian herbal medicine, the Acai berry grows natively from the Acai palms of the Amazon rainforest, located in Brazil. Rich in nutrients, this simple purplish berry contains 15 to 20 more antioxidants than that of red grapes. Plus, all it tastes like is a berry mixture with a hint of chocolate (or so they say). So, naturally (no pun intended), this tiny, yet remarkable, fruit seems like the perfect choice to grind down into the form of a supplement.
Except there’s only one problem with that – you’re still eating a pill. While this may sound harsh, really think about it. As a society, we’ve come to rely more on store-bought vitamins and supplements than live food (and I mean the real deal – fruits and veggies) to bring on the nutrients. And now we’re endorsing a bottled berry. Does anyone else see what’s wrong with this picture?
Now before you bring up another tab in your browser (I know you were thinking about it), let’s take a look at why the Acai berry makes such an extraordinary supplement in the first place. It’s true that the Acai berry has been known to:
• Contain many antioxidants
• Give an energy boost
• Improve sleeping
• Reduce aging
• Protect against disease
But here’s the real clincher, studies show that, ultimately, any fruit has these capabilities. While it’s true that the Acai berry does pull off all of the above to a somewhat greater extent than your average healthy diet, the fact still remains that it also is nothing more than a fruit. So, if one teeny-tiny berry growing in the Amazon has the power to do all that, imagine what a regular diet of healthy fruits and vegetables growing right in your own backyard could do. And yes, I actually mean in your backyard. What’s scary is our world’s actually getting to the point where not even store-bought “healthy food” is that healthy anymore. But I’d still like to believe it’s a heck of a lot better than some “natural” supplement, even if it’s ground from a fruit.
The thing is, a supplement is still a supplement. According to Harvey Diamond of the Fit For Life books, “Compared to synthetic vitamins, natural vitamins in food complexes have a more biocompatible size and shape and better bioavailability. That doesn’t mean that [United States Pharmacopoeia] vitamins have no value (they clearly do), but natural vitamins in food complexes can clearly outperform these synthetic counterparts” (Diamond 370). This is talking strictly vitamins, but the general idea is the same. Of course, the manufacturers lead you to believe that the Acai berry supplement is pure, but without more insight into the berry-to-pill process (other than the fruit is freeze-dried), I have no way of knowing if that’s truly the case.
I’m not telling you what to eat or what not to eat. But when dealing with your health, I think it’s a lot easier to look for miraculous berries than it is to look at yourself. Sure, the Acai berry works for some (I don’t doubt it doesn’t) and is an amazing fruit in its own right, but is it the one and only answer? Not by a long shot.
Today’s post is inspired by Tammy's Weight Loss Story, a find I received from someone through Twitter. Well, at least it was before the link strangely…transformed into something else. Thanks to Anonymous!
References:
AcaiBerrysite
Fit For Life by Harvey Diamond
Your Health's In Your Hands
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