Why Do Your Kids Need Acai? May 5, 2008

 

An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away… Or Does It?For years we have from parents that “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” While the premise behind this appears to be true, there are certainly issues with the quality of the fruits and vegetables we are purchasing in the grocery store, providing our kids are even eating them in the first place. With fruits, such as Acai, bilberry, blueberry and cranberry, we now know that these fruits are more nutrient dense and provide a wider array of nutrients than the old standby fruits of our childhood - apples, oranges, bananas, etc, which are some of the more common fruits consumed by Americans.

How many times have we heard the phrase, “let those bananas/oranges/apples rippen on the counter before you eat them.” What we fail to realize is that fruit can only rippen on the tree. What we really should be saying is, “let those bananas/oranges/apples rot for a while before you eat them.” Which is exactly what is happening, they are oxidizing; which is why there color enhances for the short term before they start turning brown (they are rusting).

Acai is in a class of emerging fruits called Super Fruits. You have seen and learned about some of the Super Fruits if you have explored this site. The reason they are called super fruits is they are more nutrient dense and provide phytonutrients sorely lacking in the “fast paced” diets we have. The Acai, and many of the other Super Fruits, are high in antioxidants, fiber, minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients which can help our families better maintain their weight, help prevent disease and ultimately allow us to live longer, healthier lives.

Like most fruits, Acai is low in fat, sodium and calories, but that’s pretty much where is stops. This is no ordinary fruit and has been called the most nutritious food, not just fruit, on earth. This all sounds good, but what is this fruit going to do for our kids health?

Anthocyanins - Acai is a leading source of anthocyanins, a class of powerful antioxidants shown to help control cholestrol, plaque buildup in arteries and ultimately protect the walls of the blood vessels. While our kids shouldn’t be drinking wine, this fruit contains 30 times the anthocyanins found in red wine.

Minerals - This berry is loaded with minerals, and contains calcium, chromium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc and copper.

Vitamins - The main vitamins found in the berry are Vitamin A, B1, B2 and B3, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. These work together to help bolster the immune system, improve cell function and reduce inflammation.

Amino Acids - As we learned in school, amino acids are the building blocks of protein, are an essential part of a healthy diet and are critical to proper function of muscles in the body. There are 19 essential and non-essential amino acids in the Acai berry, which equates to all the amino acids found in an average egg; with an even higher level of protein.

Essential Fatty Acids - While these are usually found in fish and nuts, essential fatty acids are rarely found in fruit. Acai has the presence of Omega-6 and Omega-9 acids, which assist in maintaining proper cholesterol levels and enhances brain function. The health fat profile of this berry has shown to resemble that of olive oil. The primary purpose of the essential fatty acids is to help cell membranes be supple, function more efficiently and aid the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.

Phytosterols - These are also known as plant sterols, and contain plant chemicals that are valuable in helping lower cholesterol and maintaining normal blood pressure.

Polyphenolic Flavonoids - Polyphenols have anti-inflammatory and immune system enhancing properties.