Archive for July, 2009

by Travis Van Slooten

After reading this Perfect Acai review, you will see why this is a supplement that should be on your short list of acai supplements. When you step into the acai berry supplement market, you are wading into a cesspool of scams and inferior products. One way to avoid falling for one of the frauds is to go with an established brand like Perfect Acai. So what makes this supplement better than most?

Acai Berry Basics

Before we go directly to the brand, let’s first brush up on the basics of this once little-known berry. Acai is called by many as the number one super fruit because of its nutritional value and high antioxidant content. You would be amazed to find so many nutrients packed into one small berry the size of a grape. In terms of potential benefits, it ranks far above avocados and cranberries which were perceived before as the reigning super fruits. The only drawback you may find with acai is that its high fat content causes it to spoil quickly, making it impossible to be shipped to other countries. Luckily, manufacturers have found a way to process acai berry such that the nutrients contained can still be maintained even without having fresh acai.

Things to Look Out For

You have to first know what to avoid in order to keep from getting scammed or ripped off. This is a very important thing to do as there are many shady companies out there looking to scam people who want to buy acai berry supplements. Keep an eye out for companies which offer free trials. Typically, this is done to get you to make a commitment without knowing you are paying for it. Perfect Acai never makes offers for free products. No real company can afford to. A free sample is a major red light for a scam. You may also notice certain ingredients in inferior products that have no business being there. Drinks may contain caffeine and powders may contain maltodextrin, a product adding when the acai is spray-dried. Perfect Acai offers only a pure product with no cheap or unhealthy fillers taking up space and wasting your money.

Another product to avoid is an extract. The acai berry is healthy in its entirety, so why would you want to take an extract of only part of the fruit? Perfect Acai offers the entire fruit of the acai berry and all of its benefits. Well, they don’t process the entire berry, but that is a good thing. Some companies will include the seed in their acai supplement. While the seed is harmless, it composes a majority of the acai berry and has no nutritional value. This means you are getting half the benefit for the full price. Perfect Acai gives you only pure acai berry fruit, so you get the most bang for your buck.

What to Look for

Acai supplement companies can be very sneaky when it comes to making a buck as the devil is in the details of the product label. The best way to preserve the full nutrients and flavor of the berry is to freeze dry the pulp. However, some companies will spray-dry the pulp. To give you an idea of the quality differences between these two types in terms of nutrients, freeze-dried acai contains 50 times more antioxidant power than spray dried products!

Spray drying is a process wherein the liquids are heated out of the fruit. Then, the product is sprayed with maltodextrin, a polysaccharide which the body absorbs as glucose. However, the company does not need to list this on the label since it is added during the manufacturing process and the FDA does not consider it an ingredient. The only way to avoid it is to make sure your product specifically says that it is freeze dried. Perfect Acai is only freeze dried and specifically states that they never use fillers or include the seed in manufacturing their product. And they always use fresh acai berries which have been harvested and processed while they are still ripe and nutritious.

Perfect Acai doesn’t stop at making their supplement top quality. The devil is in the details, after all. Most companies package their supplements in gelatin capsules which are often made from cowhide! Not only is this unacceptable to vegetarians, but many people can have allergies to these capsules. Perfect Acai uses capsules made from an easily-digestible vegetable cellulose.

Before you go and buy just any other acai supplement brand, bear in mind that no company will ever tell you that their products are substandard. They will all claim to maintain high-quality acai supplements and promise effective results. That is why it is important to remember what things you should look for and what to avoid before making the final decision. But then again, why bother looking around when you know that Perfect Acai meets all the standards of a good acai supplement? The facts are all here in this Perfect Acai review.

About the Author:
by Beatrix Drinkwater

Have you ever tried losing weight and managed quite well, only to gain it all back when leaving the weight loss diet you’re on? And it doesnt matter what diet you choose, they are all the same.

Hold on!This is not true for the low glycemic index diets. These will certainly make you lose weight, but also make you slim for life!

Other diets don’t work because they depend on the idea of cutting the energy supply short, in an attempt to make your body take advantage of the fat stored in your cells. Unfortunately, your body will do quite the opposite. When you finally put some food in your stomach, your body will grab all the energy available in it and save it in your cells.

And this is why you commonly put on even more weigth when you stop dieting than you lost doing it. Your body simply adapts to the starvation, and saves as much energy as it can out of the available food.

What makes low glycemic index diets work? This kind of diet is not primarily designed to make you lose weight, but to make you eat in a way that your body is designed for. Way back when the human body developed through evolution, do you think there where any sugar around? Or white bread? Or donuts?

Definitely not. When you eat stuff like that, your insulin levels will spike as a direct response to the high blood sugar levels, making your cells go bananas and store as much of the energy as possible as fat. On the other hand, if you eat food that will make your blood sugar levels rise slowly and only to a moderate level, your insulin levels will only rise moderately as well.

And you know what? Your body’s cells will indeed start to burn fat instead! The fact is, if you’re looking for permanent weight loss, the low glycemic index diets are the only way

Do I have to starve then? Most certainly not. Quite the contrary as a matter of fact. You will feel more content and full than ever before, and you will not get the cravings for sweets and pastry that so often is the case when you are on some other starvation diet. You will feel energetic, be in a better mood and feel less irritable.

About the Author:

Does Acai Berry Fruit Work?

by Miles Vitnar

The acai berry (ah-sigh-ee) is grown in the Amazon Rainforest and looks a bit like a purple marble. The acai fruit is 90% seed pit and 10% pulp and must be handled carefully before eaten. During the process the acai fruit berries and water are put into a machine and are agitated. This process separates the pulp from the seed to produce a thick acai fruit pulp puree.

OK so you say, but does acai berry work on a nutritional and weight loss level? If anyone can answer that with 100% positivity, they would be a very rich person indeed!

The acai fruit has a unique tropical fruit flavour and provides a high level of nutritional benefits. It contains high levels of antioxidants, omega fatty acids (healthy fats), amino acids, fibre, iron, as well as many other vitamins and minerals.

The Amazonian natives from the river region of Northern Brazil have included the acai fruit as part of their diet for many years purely for its nutritional value. So on the nutritional level, does the acai berry work? I would think on that count, it is sound. In addition, it is claimed by many to have healing and wellness powers as it contains antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic properties as well as benefiting the cardiovascular system.

Acai berries contain very high amounts of the essential fatty acid & omegas proven to lower LDL & maintain HDL cholesterol levels. They also have a remarkable concentration of antioxidants to help combat free radicals and combat premature aging. In fact there are 10 times the antioxidants in acai fruit than can be found in grapes which are high anyway. The ORAC value of acai fruit is higher than any other edible berry in the world so acai is also an excellent source of dietary fibre!

Besides its outstanding content of protein and unsaturated lipids, acai is also rich in carbohydrates which provide your body with the necessary energy while working or practicing any kind of sport. That is why acai is served in most gyms, sport clubs and beaches all over Brazil.

Apart from the energy and fluid replacement, Acai Berries provide a nutrition profile complete with vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids (omega 3, 6 and 9) and it ranks low on the glycemic index and contains only 247 calories per 100 grams.

Does acai berry work? It should. Acai is high in essential fatty acids, essential for a healthy nervous system and necessary to combat heart disease by increasing healthy cell development. They also help rapidly repair and rejuvenate muscles after intense exercise.

The amino acids in acai are vital for proper muscle contraction and regeneration and for endurance, strength, sustained energy and muscle development. Natural vitamin E and anti-oxidants will help protect against premature aging. Theobromine will help keep air passages open in the lungs thereby increasing endurance, strength, and athletic performance. Photosterols are used to treat benign prostate hyperplasia and also help promote a healthy cardiovascular system and contributes to a healthy digestive tract.

Does acai berry work? Based on the nutrients it should! Does it help with weight loss is another question. As it is low on the glycemic index and calories it should not hamper weight loss. Celebrities have claimed to kick-start their diets with acai and it is possible that because it improves the feeling of well being, it would therefore decrease the tendency to overeat but that’s a personal opinion.

The conclusion here is that acai fruit is at least worth a try and given the properties it contains it should at least give your body what it needs.

About the Author:
by Travis Van Slooten

If you’re an avid follower of what goes on in the health industry, by this time you have probably tired of hearing all about the benefits of acai berry. These perceived benefits run the gamut of increased energy to miraculous weight loss to disease prevention and even anti-aging properties. The acai berry does contain a lot of the nutrients we need for our overall well-being, but let’s sift through all the hype and get to its real benefits.

Our First Defense: The Immune System

The first thing you’re likely to hear about acai berry is that it is rich in antioxidants. Cranberries, long believed to be the most antioxidant-rich food you can eat, has only one sixth the ORAC rating of acai berries. Free radicals are believed to be at least partly responsible for many illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and a variety of cancers. Antioxidants are known to slow the progress of free radicals. Studies are being done to determine exactly how effective acai berries are at prevent or fighting many problems brought on by free radicals.

Boosting Your Body

The obesity rate in America is staggering and this is clearly indicated by the growth of the weight loss market which is now said to be in the billion-dollar vicinity. But how does acai contribute in addressing the weight loss problem? Here are the facts: acai berry is rich in fiber and fiber is known to improve one’s digestive system, makes you feel fuller, and promotes energy. Basing on these data alone, you can deduce that acai can help in weight loss by allowing you to have more energy for your exercise routine and daily activities without having to eat more. Acai also has unsaturated fats or good fats that are a rich source of Omega fatty acids, which can help lower bad cholesterol.

Staying Young and Looking Young

Acai berries are also being studied for other health reasons. They contain a chemical in the skin called anthocyanins. Found in grapes as well, this pigment was studied as a part of The French Paradox. It was discovered that French people suffer from lower rates of coronary heart disease even though their diet is rich in fats. This is believed to be in part because of the anthocyanins in the red wine they drink often. The vitamin E and antioxidants in acai berries are also thought to help reduce the damage the sun causes to your skin. This could lead to reduced signs of aging. Native Brazilians also refer to the acai berry as “rainforest Viagra.” The potential benefits there are fairly obvious.

Acai is in no way a fits-all cure for all health ailments as other promoters are touting it. Mind you though, these claims are not totally baseless as acai berries are a terrific source of all the nutrients our body needs such as antioxidants, anthocyanins, fiber, and healthy fats. The best thing for you is to try it and see which of these potential health benefits of acai berry are most valuable for you.

About the Author:

Acai Berry -Amazon Story

by Dana Hawkes

The acai berry is an original production of the Amazon River basin in Brazil. The fruit is not seen anywhere except here. For decades, the native people of the Amazon region have been eating and benefiting from the acai berry fruit. The natives of Brazil call it “icacai” which means ‘fruit that cries’. There are a number of stories and legends related to this fruit. For over generations a particular story has been told over and over again.

This story is about an Indian girl by the name of Iaca, whose father was a tribal chief. The tribe had grown so large that there was not enough food to feed everyone. The chief ordered that all newborns should be killed so as to curtail the number of mouths to be fed. When Iaca’s child was killed, she went into mourning and one day heard a child’s cry.

On searching for the baby she found a palm tree shooting from a group of berries. The next day the tribesmen found Iaca’s body under the palm tree. The fruit of this palm tree satiated the hunger of the tribe and injected a new energy in them.

After this incidence the chief ordered to name the fruit after his daughter and we find that acai is the reverse of Iaca. From then on the acai fruit has been known for its health benefits. This story has been told from generations to generations.

The current form of acai has been evolved over a long period of time. The fruit was first brought out into the open by a pair of surfers from California who had been surfing in the beaches of South America. It was their effort that the health benefits of the acai fruit were brought to light in front of the whole world. Today the acai berry fruit and its supplement find a great place in the health food category

About the Author: