The amazing acai berry has garnished quite a bit of attention. Acai supplements, extracts, mixes and juices are popping up all over the place. They might prevent cancer, heart disease and even slow aging and promote weight loss. It was not long ago that blueberries were the big superfood. Are acai berries really so much better?

Blueberries and acai berries contain anthocyanins, which are phytochemicals. These protective phytochemicals are found in plants and help the plant fight disease and cellular damage. When you consume plants, you take in the phytochemicals and those protective factors benefit your body.

These phytochemicals also contribute to the plants characteristics such as color and aroma. There are a variety of phytochemicals in every plant, but the most predominant one lends to the plant’s overall characteristics. Purple plants, such as acai berries and blueberries, contain high amounts of anthocyanins which give them their gorgeous, purplish blue coloring.

These anthocyanins contribute to better health because they have characteristics that counteract some of the major causes of disease, aging and weight gain. Their antioxidant abilities are astounding. Antioxidants reduce the oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Our lifestyles and diets contribute a huge amount of free radicals to our bodies and can lead to cancer, heart disease and aging. So, fighting them is essential to good health.

You will also find anti-inflammatory benefits in anthocyanins. Systemic inflammation contributes to many diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, weight gain and premature aging. Our Western diets high in animal protein and refined carbohydrates can cause systemic inflammation.

So, why are acai berries so much better than blueberries if they both contain anthocyanins? Are blueberries underrated?

Though blueberries are very good for you, acai berries have extremely high Oxygen Radical Absorption Capabilities (ORAC). This score measures how much they fight free radical damage. Blueberries score 2400 and acai berries score 5500. As well, acai berries contain a variety of essential amino acids that is nearly perfect.

However, you will not find acai berries in the produce department like blueberries. They only grow in the Amazon and we have yet to figure out how to supply these gorgeous berries for regular consumption. You will have to suffice for supplements, extracts or powders. The juices may contain sugar or corn syrup and low amounts of actual acai berry.

Truly, your best health maneuver is to eat a diet rich in fruits, veggies and whole grains. A variety of these items allows you to receive the benefits of various phytochemicals which work together in the body. You will also benefit from an acai supplement, especially when fruits and vegetables are not readily available.

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Tags: Dieting, Weight Loss

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 21st, 2009 at 6:24 am and is filed under Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.