Has anybody tried this stuff ? Acai Berry



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Live life abundantly and enjoy yourself in your “Journey To Wellness” because it is by the grace of God that we are able to do so. ~Gail~

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I haven't tried it. I'm nowhere near enough to goal to add juices to my plan. Here's some information, though. Doesn't sound to me like it's much better than other fruits:

"Nutritional content

Most of the research to date on açaí has focused on a particular freeze-dried form referred to as Opti-açaí. This powder preparation of freeze-dried açaí fruit pulp and skin was reported to contain (per 100 g of extract) 533.9 calories, 52.2 g carbohydrates, 8.1 g protein, and 32.5 g total fat. The carbohydrate portion included 44.2 g of fiber.[2] The powder was also shown to contain (per 100 g): negligible vitamin C, 260 mg calcium, 4.4 mg iron, and 1002 U vitamin A, as well as aspartic acid and glutamic acid; the amino acid content was 7.59% of total dry weight.
Açaí has an exceptional content of fats, including oleic acid (56.2% of total), palmitic acid (24.1% of total), and linoleic acid (12.5% of total),[2] and also contains a high amount of beta-sitosterol (78-91% of total sterols).[2][3] These oil compartments in açaí fruit harbor dense contents of polyphenols such as procyanidin oligmers and vanillic acid, syringic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid, and ferulic acid which were shown to degrade substantially during storage or exposure to heat.[4]
[edit]Antioxidants of açaí raw materials

A comparative analysis reported that açaí had intermediate antioxidant potency among a variety of frozen juice pulps tested. Antioxidant potency was: acerola > mango > strawberry > grapes > açaí > guava > mulberry > graviola > passion fruit > cupuaçu > pineapple.[5]
A powdered preparation of freeze-dried açaí fruit pulp and skin was shown to contain anthocyanins (3.19 mg/g), including cyanidin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-rutinoside,[2] yet the contribution of anthocyanins to overall antioxidant capacity of açaí is only about 10%.[6] The powdered preparation was also reported to contain twelve flavonoid-like compounds, including homoorientin, orientin, taxifolin deoxyhexose, isovitexin, scoparin, as well as proanthocyanidins (12.89 mg/g), and low levels of resveratrol (1.1 μg/g).[2]
In a study of different açaí varieties for their antioxidant capacity, a white species displayed no antioxidant activity against different oxygen radicals, whereas the purple variety most often used commercially was excellent against peroxyl radicals, good against peroxynitrite and poor against hydroxyl radicals.[6]
Freeze-dried açaí powder was found to have high antioxidant activity against superoxide (1614 units/g) and peroxyl radicals (1027 μmol TE/g) and milder activity for peroxynitrite and hydroxyl radicals.[7] The powder was reported to inhibit hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidation in neutrophils, and to have a slight stimulatory effect on nitric oxide production by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages in vitro.[7]
Extracts of açaí seeds were reported to have antioxidant capacity against peroxyl radicals, similar to the capacity of the pulp, with higher antioxidant capacity against peroxynitrite and hydroxyl radicals.[8]
[edit]Antioxidant activity of açaí juice

When a commercial açaí juice was compared for in vitro antioxidant capacity against nine other fruit juices, wine or tea, it ranked lower than pomegranate, Concord grape or blueberry juice and red wine, was the same as black cherry or cranberry juice, and was higher than orange or apple juice and tea.[9]
Studies have demonstrated that blood antioxidant capacity increases within two hours of consuming a commercial açaí juice.[10]
[edit]Other research

Freeze-dried açaí powder was shown to have mild inhibitory effects on cyclooxygenase enzymes COX-1 and COX-2,[7] and chemically-extracted polyphenolic-rich fractions from açaí were reported to reduce the proliferation of HL-60 (experimental leukemia) cells in vitro.[11] Similar anti-cancer effects in vitro were demonstrated with extracts from açaí pulp oil.[12]
Orally-administered açaí has been tested as a contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging of the gastrointestinal system.[13] Its anthocyanins have also been characterized for stability as a natural food coloring agent.[14]"

(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Açaí_Palm)

I think Acai is another fad just like goji berries. Raping the tropical rainforests and paying villagers pennies to destroy their surroundings. But that is just my opinion.

I have heard good things from a friend of mine, but never actually tried it myself. I am sure it is not a magical diet pill that you don't have to exercise, but it may help you get there a little quicker?

Whoever it is that has covered the entire internet with ads for this stuff certainly has a lot of money.

I ran across an interesting blog the other day that spoke of the numerous acai berry scams on the Internet these days. It listed several. Apparently, they offer a free sample, but you have to pay shipping. Once they have your credit card number, they keep charging you every month for additional stuff. When you try to call them to cancel, the posted phone numbers are no good.

If you have to try Acai, I suggest NutsOnline.com or Amazon.com as your supplier. (instead of those scam sites)

I tried it (from NutsOnline in powdered form) and it did nothing but make me gag trying to choke it down each day for a month.

A couple of the girls I work with tried it and nothing. Although they have no desire to change any of their habits. No pill can do everything. Unfortunately

One of my co-workers bought the pills from one of those "free trial" websites. I told her to cancel ASAP after I found all the info on the scams. She has been taking it for a week and notices no difference.

From the composition of the berries, it looks like they're mostly fiber. Sure, eat or drink enough fiber and you'll probably lose weight. You don't need those, or any, particular berries to do it, though.

Meg