Wondering what all the Acai-based fruit juice fuss is about?

Why are there so many anecdotal health testimonials from nutrient-dense Fruit juice drinkers?

The simple explanation is that Fruit consumption is scientifically linked to prevention of chronic diseases, as well as many "lesser" ailments. Hundreds of research studies back this up, while there is no such evidence for Supplements. Yet most Americans eat little to no fruit.... and not surprisingly, we're getting sicker and fatter as a nation.

Research says you need a wide array of fruits from a wide color spectrum because antioxidants are densest in the skins of fruit, and a red skin fruit will deliver a different set of phytonutrients than a blue, black, green or yellow skin fruit. Therefore, the best juice blends contain many "super fruits", not just Acai or just Goji (real name is Wolfberry), or Pomegranate, Cranberry, Blueberry, Kiwi (real name is China or Indian Gooseberry now also being marketed at Amalaki) etc. Super-fruits are considered "super" based on their nutrient-density and array of antioxidants and disease fighting compounds.

Studies show only 5% of Americans eat 5 or more servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Most of us do get some vegetables in our diets... after all, restaurants include vegetables in every meal, but rarely do they offer fruit. At home it's the same thing... add broccoli, eat a salad, etc, but few American's add fruit to dinner. So if you drink an antioxidant-rich super juice with multiple super fruits, that is a powerful change to most American's diets.

Many Doctors or skeptics will say "just eat more fruit". Yet we don't. Why? Mess, expense, spoiling, and inconvenience are the excuses Americans use for not eating fruit. Peeling an orange gets under your fingernails, citric acid stinging your eyes, and creates a mess of peels. Bananas rot too quickly. Grapefruit is a pain to scoop out.... and for some, fruits are too acidic or sugary and can upset stomachs. Nutrient density is a problem too. Fruits today are grown in nutrient-depleted soils, they are picked way too early and shipped way too far... so Diabetics who need fruit in their diets can't eat much of what is found on store shelves because they are too high in sugar and too low in nutrients.

But what consequences do we pay for our fruit avoidance? We get ever increasing incidences of nearly every disease from cancer, to heart disease, to diabetes, obesity, blindness, gout, fatigue... you name it... and if you have an ailment... it is likely that a higher consumption of fruits would help. And it's worse then you think... due to today's farming techniques, nutrient-density has declined in fruits commonly available in stores. So most fruit eaters still don't get what they need in their diets.

The good news is that scientists and entrepreneurs are bringing exotic nutrient-dense fruits to the States from around the world. The "Functional Beverage" industry is one of the fastest growing segments of the "Wellness Industry" as American's turn to convenient and natural alternatives to youthful skin, more energy, and help with every day aches and pains.

"Super fruits" with off the charts nutrient-density like Acai boast antioxidant rating 10 times higher then anything you can find on your store shelves. Drink just a few ounces of a nutrient-dense fruit juice and you get about 100% of what many nutritionists recommend for daily Antioxidant intake. No mess, no clean up, and as convenient and tasty as it gets.

Supplement pills have ZERO scientific backing for disease prevention. Fruit does. (read more on this below). When studies are reviewed, pills do not fare well. Interestingly, when studies are reviewed, fruit juices do fare very well in disease prevention. For example, regular juice drinkers were 76% less likely to get Alzheimers in one study compared to people who did not drink much fruit juice. In addition, supplements are hard to swallow and easy to forget and often contain contaminants. Most juices taste great, and if your juice is nutrient-dense enough, you can drink just 2 ounces when making coffee in the morning, and drink 2 ounces just before brushing your teeth at night, get all the antioxidants you need, AND it's EASY to remember.

For the best information on any particular fruit juice, visit that company's web site. But watch out for hype filled sites that make "the only" type of claims. There are so many nutrient-dense super fruit juice drinks now, that anyone saying "we are the only one to...." should not be trusted until or unless you do your own research to verify the claims. And please don't rely on questionable over-reactive blogs and internet sources. Look for a thorough "FAQ" section with little or not hype and you've probably found a good product. This Blog's intention is to avoid hype, and look closely at labels. Plus, for skeptics of antioxidant rich fruit juices, this blog looks closely at why these drinks "work".

Finally, this Blog points out to the best articles and research we could find so if a Diabetic, for example, wants to know if they can drink a super-fruit juice, we'll look at diabetic testimonials and informational sites to see what they say.

Before getting to the article list... the other HUGE thing that people love about some juice blends are the anti-inflammatory properties. For those with pain and inflammation... you've got to try these juices to see if an all-natural remedy exists for you. While you want to watch out for sugar and caffeine additives like "agave" and "guarana", natural substances like essentially fatty acids and glucosamine may be added for pain and inflammation relief.

For research about fruit's role in disease prevention read the following posts and/or listen in on the recorded call above:
* The risks of chronic inflammation
* Stress causes all disease
* USDA's fruit recommendations

For why supplements are NOT a fruit or fruit juice replacement read:
* Antioxidants from Supplements not beneficial?
* It's not about the macronutirents
* Difficulty of Supplements

For specific diseases like Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer, Alzheimers, read:
* Cancer & Inflammation
* Fruit & breast cancer prevention
* Alzheimers prevention
* A Diabetics Story
* More on Diabetes & fruit

For Acai specific information read:
* Acai market & berry basics
* PubMed.gov research paper on Acai
* Not all Acai created equal
* University of Florida Study: Acai kills Leukemia Cells

For the benefits of multi-fruit blends read:
* Need for a wide variety of fruits
* A Premium Product with Premium Ingredients
* A 19 Fruits blend

For products that are not pure juice or nutrient dense read:
* Acai-based "Energy Drinks"
* Acai vs. "Goji"
* Yikes - Jamba Juice adds Acai - not necessarily a good thing