Acai ~ The Antioxidant-Rich Palm Fruit

There's been alot of buzz about a certain berry that is so beneficial to our health it should be a household staple.  The acai {ah- SIGH-ee} berrys' power mostly comes form the antioxidant activity that is extremely greater than any other fruit.  Antioxidant is a broad term to describe compounds derived from fruits and vegetables that work in the body to combat the harmful effects of free radicals, which are unstable molecules in the body that contain oxygen and attack healthy cells.  An example of an adverse reaction caused by free radicals can be seen in one's skin after unprotected exposure to the sun's harmful UV rays.  Premature signs of aging, including the appearance of wrinkles and brown spots, are symptomatic of adverse reactions involving free radicals.

The environment that the acai fruit grows in is what creates this great superfood.  The acai palm are the tallest trees in the Amazon and provide shade for other vegetation so they've learned to adapt to absorb more solar radiation than any other plants in the rain forest.  To survive the flood conditions of the Amazon rain forest, which can leave their trunks under water for days or weeks,  the acai palm tree has developed a special defence strategy.  These environmental stresses from the sun and climate have helped to develop the trees' unique defense compounds as a coping strategy for the harsh habitat which is then passed on to those who eat the fruit. 

A quote from  John Muir comes to mind "Nature teaches more than she preaches."  and what a great teaching we have studying the acai palm tree.  It's been put in a harsh, extreme environment where it continually has to survive through conditions that obliterates most life and it produces such a remarkable and beneficial fruit.  Works that way in us humans too, if we let it.  The more we're able to adapt and survive through harsh and unfavourable conditions and keep a positive attitude, the more we can produce amazing and beneficial resullts for ourselves and ideally, many others.

I discovered a health and wellness company that has created a functional fruit beverage with the base being the acai berry and have been consuming and lovin this drink for a month or so now.  There are many interesting and wonderful effects of this and many other fruits that I'm now very eager to learn and post about.  For more info on the acai juice 

Information sourced from "Success at Home" Magazine Vol 5 issue 5 August 2009 Article "Acai the fruit of Life" by K Shelby Skrhak