Showing posts with label acai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label acai. Show all posts

Tuesday

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

Monday

Drinking Juice may stall Alzheimer's

A new study shows people who drank fruit and vegetable juices more than three times a week were 76% less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those who drank juices less than once a week. You can read an article about the study here.

The researchers believe it's the "Polyphenols" found in fruit are the reason juice drinkers had a lower incidence of Alzheimers. One of the reasons the best fruit juices use the entire fruit - not just the squeezed juice - is that Polyphenols are highest in the skin of fruit.

Of course the most nutrient-dense fruits on earth, like Acai which has extremely high levels of anthocyanins, a group of polyphenols that give the deep color to fruits and vegetables, have an even higher antioxidant value.

So while the above study is a general fruit-juice drinking study, if you're concerned about Alzheimer's, and you don't currently drink a lot a fruit juice, imagine the benefits you might be by drinking a blend of many nutrient-dense fruits - and just how easy drinking just a few ounces of fruit juice is vs. lots of glasses, or peeling lots of fruit.

Friday

MLM juices - Premium products made with premium ingredients

One form of Acai has been studied and shown to be vastly superior to other commercially available Acai.... this article refers to the study:
http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?id=71899-acai-antioxidant-orac

Finding out how and where the Acai is sources... and then how and when it is processed is critical if you want a premium-grade juice. And not just the Acai in the just (again there is a lot of scientific evidence that high consumption of a wide spectrum of fruits helps to prevent most major chronic diseases from heart disease, to cancer, to alzheimers, obesity, diabetes, etc) so consider if the fruits are picked from the Wild (the best), or Organically grown (second best) or regular farm fruits grown using pesticides (the typical nutrient-depleted fruits on our store shelves).

With the typical American diet containing less than 1 fruit serving, and with commercially grown fruits declining in nutritional value in favor of high-yield production, the above diseases have been on the rise for years with no end in sight.

When the juice is made from "whole fruit" ESPECIALLY the skin (but seeds and pulp too) you get the maximum nutrient density, fiber, orac value, phytonutrients, etc. Wild assures the highest quality, nutrient-density, and least environmental contamination. Especially if the wild area is the untouched Amazon.

Exotic fruits picked from the wild ARE expensive. This makes for a premium brand of the highest quality... and just like fine wine... you have to pay a premium for it.

Many people are claiming they're seeing "miracle" health improvements from the MLM fruit juice they are drinking.... but any rocket boost to their diets might have similar results... it's just that most of us are not getting a variety of high-quality fruits in our diets.... and who is eating pomegranate regularly, let alone aronia, acai, even cranberry and kiwi????

There is a lot of science behind FRUIT consumption... and that is what these MLM juices are all about. Deliver the fruit in an easy to consume format.

There is also growing research that shows that it is phytonutrients and polyphenols found in fruits that are far more important than individual or processed supplements. To get the phytonutrients you need the whole fruit (skin especially), and it's most dense when picked from the wild.

One quick example - red wine grapes dense in anthocyanins are credited with the "French Paradox" of lower heart disease... yet wine is relatively low in anthocyanins compared to products that are dedicated to health. Premium products are expensive... but when sold via MLM it's pretty easy to get yours for free.

ORAC comparisons: Acai vs. Goji

ORAC is the most commonly used measurement of antioxidant content. In doing internet searches to find the ORAC scores of various fruits and foods Acai rarely comes up because it is still so new in the United States. And so you see sites like this one that state that "Goji" (a made up name for Wolfberry) has the highest Antioxidant ranking of any food at 25,300 per 100 grams.

However, as the Dr. Schauss study (see article here) of the Acai powder "OptiAcai" is 1,026.9 per gram, or 102,690 per 100 grams. So Acai - even in powder form after the patented flash pasteurization - is 4 times great than "Goji".

Of course some Acai based drinks contain Wolfberry (again, Goji is a name one particular company made up to brand it's Wolfberry products).

Nutritionists recommend a variety of fruits. The above "Goji" site sells a product called Ningxia Goji™ Goji Juice which appears to be only Goji. And it costs $160 for 1,000 milliters and they recommend you drink 60 to 120 ML's per day which means your $160 lasts 8 to 17 days. That really expensive no matter how you look at it.... but even more so when you consider it's just one fruit.

Acai trounces Goji.... but Goji is a "super fruit". But so is Amalaki (which is Kiwi or Indian Gooseberry) and Blueberry and Pomegrate and Cranberry and so on. Find a juice with all of these and more and you're in good shape. Don't rely on just one... not even when it's Acai.

Tuesday

"Energy Drinks" a different category than multi-fruit juice-only drinks

I'm often asked to compare some Acai-based "Energy drink" to multi-fruit drinks that also have Acai. This is like comparing Apples to... well, caffeine. An "energy" drink is something like Red Bull or "RockStar". These are laced with caffeine and sugar and some synthetic supplements like B12. These are designed to give you a spike in energy. I've personally avoided these types of drinks because I enjoy coffee in the morning and don't want any more caffeine than that in my diet. I also avoid sugar at all costs.

Acai based beverages like Zola and Sambazon appear to be healthier alternatives to Red Bull, but they appear to be closer in style to the "energy drink" category than those drinks solely concerned with "health & wellness". For one, they always seem to include some additive or another... especially caffeine or sugar (Agave, a natural form of sugar, and Guarana a natural source of caffeine - but still sugar & caffeine - are very common in their blends). Acai is known as an "energy fruit" but these beverages apparently can't rely on their Acai content to insure a noticable energy spike, so they add caffeine and/or sugar which are what I call "stimulants". Stimulants spike energy unnaturally and personally have no place in my diet (other than my 1 cup of morning coffee :).

One designed as a health drink... NOT something to spike your energy so you can gamble late into the night in Las Vegas, or ski in Tahoe with a hangover is meant only to fight free radicals, to add plant-based phytonutrients, polyphenols, anthocyanins and antioxidants which aid long-term energy and health. Honestly, I'm glad to have products like Zola around if I want an energy spike since I'd rather get it from a healthier source than Red Bull or coffee.

But if you think you can replace a multi-fruit drink with an Acai-only product, or an Acai-based "energy drink", then you are completely missing the point described in all fruit research. Drink for your overall health, not for a few hours of forced energy that may result in a sugar-high like crash.

(update: see the "comments" exchange beneath this post for more on my thoughts on an even better Acai-only replacement if you want more Acai in your diet)

Wednesday

Soft drink alternative

According to the article found here, 36% of all added sugars in the American diet comes from soft drinks. This certainly lends to the one-third obesity rate, but the good news is that healthier "netraceuticals" or "functional foods" are on the rise. In fact, this segment is considered the fastest growing segment of the Supplement market.

According to this same article only 28% of Americans drink either fruit or vegetable juice, accounting for just 2% of their calories, but 28% of their Vitamin C consumption.

With facts like these it's no wonder that nutrient-dense fruit juices and the "functional beverage" industry is growing and being so well received. Fruits that are rich in antioxidants and Anthocyanins and Polyphenols can obviously have a profound effect on the typical American diet.

Not all Acai created equal

Acai is the world's most potent source of antioxidants (oxidative damage is thought to cause disease and aging - antioxidants are thought to be a disease preventer, and anti-ager).

ORAC is the most popular antioxidant measurement and studies show the Acai berry is about 10 to 20 times higher in ORAC value compared to other berries like Blueberry which were at one time thought to be the highest in antioxidant properties.

But apparently this does not mean you can just buy any Acai drink, powder or supplement. According to one scientific comparison (discussed in This article), MOST commercial Acai products are severly depleted in comparison to a recently picked berry.

Acai berries begin losing their nutrient value soon after being picked. In one study only one Acai product ranked high on the ORAC scale at 1026. This Acai product has a trademarked name, "OptiAcai". Other commercially produced Acai products averaged 155 on the scale. 155 is still good in comparison to blueberries which are only a 24 per Gram on the ORAC scale, but if you're paying a premium price for Acai, you ought to expect a premium product. OptiAcai ranks a 1026 on the ORAC scale. That is 7 times higher.

This article explains the study. So just don't buy just any Acai product, they are definitely not all created equally. If you buy some juice found in your neighborhood health food store, and Acai is listed as one of the ingredients, the chances are that Acai is only a small part of the juice, and the Acai used is 7 time less potent than OptiAcai.

Sunday

Premium Fruit Juice - cheap by comparison:

In a vain attempt to duplicate the nutritional value of a multi-fruit, nutrient-dense, fruit juice with individual fruits and juices, I found I could only get half way there, at twice the cost:

1. 11 of the 19 fruits + Glucosamine costs a minimum of $253.78 every 4 weeks
I stopped at 11 fruits because the other 8 were too hard to find.... so it's probably well over $500 per month when you include rarer, and therefore more expensive, fruits. Plus I included 6 juices (not nearly as valuable as whole fruits) - Pomegranate, Cranberry, Purple & White grapes, Prune, and Blueberry juice. The fruits were Banana, Pear, Kiwi and Passion fruit. The cheapest powder form Acai and cheapest Glucosamine I found were about $30 per month each. Plus, $253.78 is ONLY 4 ounces per day of each of the juices, 1 piece of each fruit, and 2 ounces of Acai powder per day. This equates to $9.06 per day..

2. Average Starbucks Latte = $3.20 per day.
And this is if you only visit Starbucks once per day.

3. Pack of Cigarettes = $4.00
This site mentions a study that estimates the true cost of a pack of cigarettes at $40 per day due to increased cost of health insurance, increased medical care costs, and lost earnings due to "smoking related factors" among others. Using the same logic, but in reverse, an expensive fruit juice's health benefits are likely to lead to a REDUCED cost due to lowered health care costs - AND personally I'm finding work more productive with my increased energy which means I can earn more = and that is an effective lowering of your costs.

4. Pint of beer at a bar = $4.00

5. 1 bottle of $21 wine per week = $3.00 per day
Here in California we seem to consume a lot more than 1 bottle per week and/or pay a lot more than $21 per bottle, and the Acai berry alone is said to have 33 times more antioxidants than red wine grapes.

6. My health = Priceless
As I mentioned in my personal testimonial, I have more energy all day, a pain free shoulder, an overall elevated mood, and I sleep soooo much better. This new found health is truly priceless for me.

7. Competitors (they barely compete) comparison:

  • Goji Juice - only 5 fruits (and Goji is just another name for Wolfberry)
  • "Xango" or Mangosteen = $4.60 per day, has 10 fruits, but NO acai

  • Noni juice - only 1 fruit = $3.82 per day

  • NingXia (their brand name is another name for Wolfberry just like "Goji") = they recommend only 1 ounce per day which is $1.38 per day but NingXia has NO acai, only contains 9 fruit - only 2 of which are whole fruits.

Tuesday

My personal testimonial drinking an Acai-based Fruit juice

I started this Blog to promote because I was curious why drinking a nutrient-dense fruit juice gave me such amazing health improvements.

This is the first Network Marketing company I've ever been a part of, and it's all because of this wonderful juice. Check out the top 6 for me and read other testimonials here.

My physical improvements are:
1. 2+ year old "shoulder impingement" problem now gone.
I stopped going to the gym because of how much pain I was in when lifting weights - it literally felt like I was tearing into my rotator cuff and my tendons were going to snap. Within a week or two of drinking my new juice my shoulder pain is gone.


2. I've ALWAYS had trouble sleeping. Now I'm sleeping so heavily and soundly that it almost feels like I'm on a sedative. I'm sleeping 8 hours, whereas before 6 hours was a lot for me, and I was having far too many 1 to 4 hours nights. Not surprisingly my daytime energy now is significantly better.

3. I'll mention energy again because my biggest struggles were in the afternoon. I've noticed that I'm fully energized all day now. I drink 2 ounces in the morning, and 2 ounces at night. Yet I sleep like I'm on drugs, and I wake up much easier instead of clinging to my pillow. What's more is my energy is consistent throughout the day including the afternoon - my former problem time.

4. I'm now drinking less coffee and I "think" it's because my desire is down. I'm only drinking 1 cup now out of habit and because I like it, but now I have no trouble filling a smaller cup, and stopping at one. Before I'd fill up the largest cup, or buy a Starbucks Venti, and go for 2nds, 3rds and even 4th cups.

5. I feel like I have less interest in drinking alcohol, so I'm drinking less. My favorite health book of all time is from the 1990's, Dr Braly's "Food Allergy & Nutrition Revolution" in which he says alcohol "probably" raises a certain brain chemical provided by the Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's). So EFA supplements help. The Acai Berry is high in EFA's, so I'm guessing this explains my decreased interest in alcohol.

6. My overall mood is up too. Any one of the above could explain that - more energy, drinking less coffee and alcohol - but many phytonutrients are linked to lowered depression, and so obviously better moods.

Well, I suppose the more problems you have, the more benefit you'll receive from a nutrient-dense fruit juice and the more personal testimonials you'll have. I guess that makes me "lucky" :) I haven't gotten blood work done, but given all of the benefits I've seen, I'm inclined to believe in the claims of those who say their cholesterol has dropped to healthy levels, and those of arthritis suffers who no longer need medication for it. By the way, this is not advice, I'm not a doctor, this is just my personal experience and layman's research.

Monday

Diabetes & fruit

A friend asked if her Diabetic father-in-law could drink a nutrient-dense fruit juice. After some research I discovered that the lack of fruit is a contributor to Diabetes. So as a Diabetic, getting fruit in your diet is important. The difficulty is finding fruit that is low glycemic. And in this case, a fruit juice that is low glycemic.

I started my research at the American Diabetes Association's site and this article on fruit. In general they are saying "fruit is good" but diabetics should be careful not to go over board. They should use blood glucose monitoring to see how fruit works in their body, so doing the same with a fruit juice is probably a good idea. I'm not a doctor, so don't take my advice and consult your own doctor if you have questions or are concerned.

These other sites have useful information as well:
Acai Berry & Diabetes

Sugar & Fruit answers

Fruit Salads & Diabetes

The bottom line appears to me that Diabetics should find a low-glycemic nutrient-dense fruit juice BECAUSE they REQUIRE better nutrition.

Sunday

Brazilian berry destroys cancer cells in lab, UF study shows

Read the full story here http://news.ufl.edu/2006/01/12/berries/

Key exceprts:
"extracts from acai (ah-SAH’-ee) berries triggered a self-destruct response in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested"

“Acai berries are already considered one of the richest fruit sources of antioxidants,”

“Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased risk for many diseases, including heart disease and cancer,” said Bomser, who researches the effects of diet on chronic diseases. “Getting at least five servings a day of these items is still a good recommendation for promoting optimal health.”