Acai Berry: A New Superfood

by Debra McDuffee (Subscribe to Debra McDuffee's posts)
Apr 3rd 2007 6:00AM

Categories: Organic, Vegetarian, Healthy Recipes, Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements

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Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

What is an acai berry? Not only is this Brazilian berry being touted as having ten times the antioxidants of blueberries and grapes, but Dr. Perricone (of Oprah fame) calls it his number one Superfood. That's all well and good, but is it even available for general consumption? It sure isn't on the shelf of your local supermarket next to the orange juice, but it is becoming more common. Try these . . .

Acai Berries
Acai Roots sells a big ol' bucket of these nutrient-rich berries. Get them delivered and try some of their recipes for acai drinks as well as the traditional Brazilian way to eat acai.

Acai Juice
Seems like this would be a great way to capitalize on the antioxidants in these tasty berries. Bossa Nova not only makes it, but it is in the refrigerated section of such widespread markets as Stop and Shop, Whole Foods and Wild Oats.

Sambazon Smoothies
Pricey, but delivered to your door on dry ice. Might be fun just to see the packaging!

Belizza Sorbet
Slashfood wrote about this last summer, and my local Trader Joe's carries this smooth and creamy sorbet. A nice way to eat dessert with minimal guilt.

Trader Joe's Mixed Fruit Spread
Oh yum! When I discovered this all-fruit blend of acai, pomegranate and black currant berries, I was smitten.
Sure, I suppose you could just spread it on your favorite whole grain, sprouted toast (Ezekiel, anyone?), but wouldn't that be predictable. Instead, try this adventurous and easy recipe that we use on our favorite meats.

Acai Port Wine Reduction Sauce -- Add 2-3 TB acai fruit spread and a half cup of port wine to a small saucepan. Slowly bring to boil and reduce to 2/3 to 1/2 of original volume, while occasionally whisking. Swirl in about 1 TB of organic butter, remove from heat and serve over lamb, grass fed beef, chicken, even dress some greens or pour over fruit salad.

Now, with all of those ideas, surely you can find a way to incorporate this amazing Super Food into your diet. Tell us about your favorite acai food products or recipes.

Comments (5)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

shannon 4-03-2007 @ 7:52AM

Debra - I would Love to try acai in a form other than

juice - such as some of the other forms you have

suggested in your post. However, I could have sworn

that i have heard in the past that you must consume the

berries within 2 days of them being harvested, or else

they start to go rancid. Is there any way you could clear

that up for me? Maybe the whole "rancid" thing was just

a common misconception?

Debbie 4-03-2007 @ 1:16PM

That's a good point, Shannon. Here's a link that sort of explains it. http://www.powersupplements.com/acai/acai-fruit.html
Several of the products I mentioned are shipped frozen, so no worries there. And my take on the fruit spread is that the sugars from the other fruits preserve it well enough. It sure doesn't taste rancid! :-)

Michael 4-04-2007 @ 4:53PM

Dear Debra,
Your acai posting is valuable...but, while all of your information is on-target, please keep in mind that all acai is not created equal. Vital to the fruit's nutritional value is the time from harvest to processing. If it's more than 24 hours, acai begins to significantly lose it antioxidant and other nutritional power; after 48 hours, you are eating a Burker King product - tastes good but no punch. Also critical is the grade of acai used. The Brazilian government notes 3 grades, fino (fine or thin), medio (medium) and grosse (thick). The best to eat is grosso - as it's a minimum of 14% "solids" - more than double that of fino, or more commonly called, "street" acai.

Neither taste, nor color, nor texture can determine the above 2 vital criteria - time from harvest to processing AND grade of acai used. It's interesting that neither of these factors are mentioned on any of the brand names you have in your message...and I'll wager, not all of these brands can ethically state that both criteria have been met. Any thoughts on this?

Debbie 4-05-2007 @ 9:36AM

Good points, Michael, and perhaps fodder for a future post. It wasn't really my angle with this one, but valuable information -- thanks!

Debbie

Kat 6-07-2007 @ 8:25AM

Thanks for the article. I'm a newly converted fan of acai. I think I like Bossa Nova best of all the juices I've tried, but if you're looking for something with more versatility I'd suggest this product called AcaiGogo (http://www.acaigogo.com), which is acai powder in individual packets (like the Crystal Light to go). You can mix it in just about anything - tea, juice, oatmeal. Give a good flavor that isn't too strong, and is as potent as any acai product.