Comparison of competitive products

Nutrient-dense fruit juices are a fast growing business and more and more competitive products are coming on the market. Some with Acai, some without.

The two things that jump out are that so many are one-fruit products. While Acai is considered more powerful than Goji or Noni or Amalki and so on, any product that only relies on one fruit, even when it's Acai, is missing the main point of all of the research... and that is that a wide variety of fruits with different skin colors (which means different antioxidants) is necessary for optimal health.

In addition, anyone claiming to give you more than 6,000 ORAC per day is probably spiking their drink, and doesn't understand nutrition. Humans need about 4,000 to 7,000 ORAC in total per day. Even the worst eaters are getting some ORAC already, so if a drink says they have 10,000 ORAC or something silly, don't trust anything that product claims!!!

Products with caffeine and sugar are NOT health drinks. They are energy drinks. If you want to drink these, that's your choice, but don't assume that because it has Acai it's healthy. Caffeine and sugar are added to give you a buzz... leave them alone if you're mainly drinking for your health. There are Acai drinks without caffeine and added sugar.

Juice stands or stores are usually full of sugar. Many Jamba juice blends have hundreds and even thousands of calories. Add a dash of Acai powder... and you're still going to get fat if you drink too many of these sugar-filled drinks.

No sediment probably means it's NOT made from the whole fruit... you want the skin, and you want the natural oils (which Acai is full of). If you get a totally clear drink, chances are you're drinking lots of water, and getting more sugar than you want.

So... when choosing an Acai-based multi-fruit juice drink... look for one with the following attributes:
1. no caffeine
2. no added sugar - so the label should be very low in sugar and carbs
3. the first ingredient should be Acai - what's first on the label is the highest concentration ingredient
4. many other fruits should follow on the label - not things like "citric acid" or sugar or something that is not a fruit
5. research how the Acai is sourced - it all comes from the Amazon, but there's more to it than that
6. research how the Acai is processed - it starts to degrade almost immediately, so when and how are important questions to get quality Acai
7. given the above, cheap probably does mean cheaper lower quality. It's a shame you have to pay a premium, but Acai is not cheap. So if you find it cheap, ask yourself why?
8. look for something that is not perfectly clear - sediment and oils are good - that's pretty much confirms in a non-scientific way that it's packed full of nutrients. After all, why not remove it if it's not good for you since everyone would rather drink a non-pulpy sediment free drink.

So shop around. Don't settle for any old Acai-based drink. And if it does not have Acai in it, you are not getting the "#1 Super Fruit" on earth.