Acai Berry (a-sah-EE ber-ee) scientific name: Euterpe Oleracea
The fruit is a small, round, black-purple drupe about 25mm in circumference, looks similar to grapes but is smaller and has less pulp. It has an ORAC rating of 1,027. In addition, the high level of anthocyanins the fruit has makes it a strong antioxidant – similar pigments can be found in red wine.
Acai berry is also rich in Omega fatty acids. Nearly 50% of the Acai berry are fats – with 74% of the fats coming from unsaturated ones like Omega 3, 6 and 9. In addition, there are 19 different amino acids that have been identified in Acai berries. Since these are the building blocks of protein, there are 8 grams of protein in every 100 gram of Acai.
When buying Acai berries, make sure to look for the freeze dried ones, they keep all the nutrients intact. When buying the juiced version, buy the ones that aren’t heated or pasteurized.
