One of the most beneficial nutrients that the acai berry offers are antioxidants. Antioxidants are so important in a well-rounded diet because of two main benefits that they offer: anti-aging and a boost in cardiovascular health. As stated by numerous medical studies done over the positive effects of adding acai berries to a daily diet, the high levels of antioxidants present in the fruit, such as antocyanins, play a key role in combating premature aging and cardiovascular disease. As many are aware of, antioxidants have been known for years as a key element in red wine that aids in sustaining a heart healthy diet, but what is so surprising about the acai berries is that the amount of antioxidants present within them are approximately twenty-times more that those present in antioxidant-rich red wine. Because of this recently found fact, many are beginning to substitute their daily glass of wine for a single dose of acai berries.
But because every acai product is processed differently, sometimes drastically differently, a number of the products currently on the market vary greatly in the amounts of antioxidants that they retain from the fruit. For the consumer, this makes all the difference when choosing the right acai product, especially when that consumer is concerned most with the anti-aging and cardiovascular strengthening that the acai berries offer.
So how can the regular consumer tell the difference between an antioxidant rich acai product, and a product that has stripped the fruit of this nutrient? The answer has two elements: ORAC values, and the processing method of the fruit.
ORAC is an acronym for "Oxygen Radical Absorbtion Capacity." The body's ability to absorb oxygen is directly linked to the amount of antioxidants present in the diet—the more antioxidants taken in, the more the body is aided in absorbing oxygen. As the body is given more oxygen, it has a greater ability to fight the negative effects of aging and heart disease. Therefore, it is crucial to have a diet not only rich in vitamins, nutrients and minerals, but in antioxidants as well. The acai berry has been proven to be the best source for antioxidants available, but how does one find out the amount of antioxidants in acai products? Many of the acai products currently available include with their nutritional facts an ORAC value. A good way to gauge the ORAC values on the products is knowing the ORAC value of raw, harvested acai berries: approximately, the ORAC value is 1200 for one gram of the acai fruit. Products that have an ORAC value of 400 and up are best, whereas some products only boast of 100 and even lower.
In addition to the ORAC value, the way in which the fruit has been processed is also an effective means of gauging antioxidant levels in a given product. Freezing the fruit pulp after harvesting, and using the frozen pulp to make a product without adding a substantial amount of additives, is one effective way of preserving the goodness of the acai berries. The second method is by processing the harvested berries into a freeze-dried powder. This method preserves both the long list of nutrients that the acai berries offer, and the high amounts of antioxidants that have been medically proven to fortify the heart and to fight premature aging.
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