Vitamin Information Center

Advertisements for the acai berry are all over the Internet. This miracle fruit from South America was hailed as the number one super food on the planet for its exceedingly high nutritional content. Acai berries are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that no other fruit can provide. Among the most important acai health benefits is its ability to fight obesity.

Acai is rich in dietary fiber — a type of carbohydrate from plant materials that are indigestible to humans. Fiber moves food down your digestive track faster and smoother. It also keeps your stomach lining and intestines free of toxins.

However, Americans consume less than 50% of the dietary fiber levels required for good health. In fact, with the youth’s alarming dependence on fast food, this value dips to as low as 20%, heavily contributing to the obesity crisis in the US.

Fiber from vegetables, fruit, grain, and legumes can reduce the risk of diabetes, high blood cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and digestive disorders such as constipation, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, and colon cancer.

Legumes, wheat bran, prunes, Asian pears, raspberries and blackberries are among the most fiber-rich foods on the planet. But sitting at the top of the list is the acai berry, which, according to two research groups, contains 25-44% of dietary fiber in its pulp.

Acai berries are also loaded with amino acids. These little proteins energize your body so you can perform physical tasks such as brisk walking and cardio workouts. Acai contains more than a dozen different kinds of amino acids, making it the best single source of this important building block.

Whereas obesity is a result of accumulating bad fat, acai berries counter this with a generous amount of good fat — specifically Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Omega fatty acids found in acai negate the effects of bad cholesterol while maintaining good cholesterol.

Make no mistake — obesity can kill you! It can lead to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis, fatty liver disease, migraines, and debilitating back pain. The acai berry alone will not cure all your health issues. It should be taken with proper nutritional diet and regular exercise. But a heaping helping of acai health benefits can be your first big step towards keeping fit.

What are the 10 super foods for weight loss?

What IS a super food?

There is no government definition, but a superfood is a natural food source that is highly concentrated with a complex supply of quality nutrients. Bee pollen is the most famous superfood.

Recently there have been claims made for various foods stating they are superfoods, including fish, turkey, and even red meat. None of these are backed up by scientific evidence and are usually a marketing ploy to persuade people to buy these products

According to Dr Gillian McKeith, a simple rule of thumb for superfoods is that they should be of maximum benefit in their raw state. Once they are cooked, as with all foods, most, if not all, of the beneficial nutrients have been destroyed.

Here are the top 10 superfoods (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Cacao (Raw chocolate) contains over 100 chemical constituents, including amino acids, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, alkaloids, phospholipids, serotonin, tryptophan, protein and much much more.

Berries ….Blueberries High in Vitamin C and antioxidants. Raw organic Blueberries have one of the highest ORAC ratings of any fruit.

……………Raspberries Also high in Vitamin C and antioxidants.

……………Bilberry Also high in Vitamin C and antioxidants.

……………Blackberry Also high in Vitamin C and antioxidants.

……………Goji berries Sometimes called Wolfberries, are perhaps the most nutritionally-rich fruit on the planet. According to Wikipedia, Goji berries contain 18 kinds of amino acids (on par with bee pollen) and contain all 8 essential amino acids (such as isoleucine and tryptophan). Goji berries contain up to 21 trace minerals (the main ones being zinc, iron, copper, calcium, germanium, selenium, and phosphorus). Goji berries also contain vitamins B1, B2, B6, and vitamin E.

Coffee Berry Not a berry like the fruit berries above, so I have separated it. In the production of coffee, it’s the berry surrounding the bean that has always been discarded. Research has shown that it contains antioxidant polyphenols, chlorogenic, caffeic and ferulic acid. One gram of coffee berry provides the same amount of free radical protection as over two kilograms of organic grapes.

Bee Pollen Bee Pollen is an immune boosting nutritional supplement. It is absorbed quickly into the blood and has been used by athletes for strength, endurance, energy and speed.

Raw Honey Unrefined honey has been used for thousands of years for medicinal uses; including the healing of wounds. Honey is the richest source of healing enzymes that increases reflexes, increases mental alertness and even increases IQ

Maca Maca is an herbaceous biennial plant or annual plant native to the high Andes of Peru It is rich in essential minerals, especially selenium, calcium, magnesium, and iron, and includes fatty acids including linolenic acid, palmitic acid, and oleic acids, as well as polysaccharides. Maca’s reported beneficial effects for sexual function could be due to its high concentration of proteins and vital nutrients

Açaí The juice and pulp from the Açaí palm, a species native to Central and South America, is used in various juice blends, smoothies and other beverages. A study performed at the University of Florida showed that açaí antioxidants could induce more rapid death (apoptosis) of leukemia cells in vitro. This preliminary research indicates a possible anti-cancer effect of anthocyanins and other pigments, as shown for North American dark berries like the blueberry and black raspberry.

Aloe Vera Aloe Vera is a plant that has wonderful healing and softening properties. Many people have an Aloe Vera houseplant, because you can break off a piece and use the extract from inside to soothe and heal cuts, burns and abrasions. It can also been taken orally to cleanse and heal the intestines and colon. Chlorella A powerful blood cleanser, liver cleanser and anti-cancer agent. It also promotes a healthy pH balance, helps to detoxify the body and decreases constipation.

Spirulina and other blue-green algae. Spirulina is a complete plant-based protein, strong anti-cancer food, outstanding minerals and trace mineral content, great for stabilizing blood sugar, outstanding brain function support, etc.