The Acai Berry

I have a long standing love affair with berries of all sorts.  When I lived in the northwest for a few years, while finishing a degree in English literature, premier berry growing country I might add,  I was always on the look out for a new berry.  In my own backyard I grew gooseberries, purple huckleberries, red huckleberries, Tay berries (from Scotland), alpine strawberries, and blueberries along with a hedge of roses that produced a bumper crop of rose hips the size of cherry tomatoes.

I learned to forage too.  I knew exactly what time of year to go out looking for wild blackberries.  Blackberry season coincided with my daughter's birthday in mid-September and invariably her birthday cake would be decorated with the luscious hard-won delicacies.

When I travel to a new area I like to seek out farmer's markets.  The one item that I am most likely to pay more money for is - you guessed it - berries.  I am particularly susceptible to berries that I have not tried before.  On a trip to Salt Lake City I was delighted to find flats of black currants, red currants, white currants, red gooseberries, and the traditional green gooseberries.  I bought them all - and was in berry heaven.

My daughter and I like to forage together - perhaps a throw back from her childhood in Seattle - and we have sampled quite a number of elderberries along the way.  Sometimes we dry the berries and then cook them into a thick syrup to make medicine for the coming cold and flu season.  Sometimes we make fermented beverages from the berries and the flowers.  Sometimes we make jelly.

Now that I live further south I look forward to pomegranates in the autumn, and buy the rest of my berries either frozen or on occasion from local organic growers - strawberries, boysenberries, even blueberries, raspberries and the like are being cultivated here.

I like berries for breakfast.  I like berries in smoothies.  I like berries in jams and jellies.  I like berries on salads.  I like berries for dessert.

One thing I know for certain is I can't seem to get enough berry goodness.

Considering my enthusiasm for berries it surprises me that it has taken me so long to discover acai.

I certainly cannot forage for acai - nor will I find it at a local farmer's market.  Acai is a Brazilian Rainforest fruit that grows to be about the size of a grape.  Acai puree is sold here in the U.S in little frozen packets.

I found acai in the freezer section at Whole Foods market.

I have been throwing frozen acai packets into smoothies lately.  Today when I came home from the farmer's market with the first fresh strawberries of the season I decided to make a celebration acai bowl.   My celebration acai bowl contained a delicious assortment of berries - acai, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and cherries - topped with freshly made grain-free granola.  It was heavenly.

Health benefits of acai berry

• Acai berry, like most berries, has very good levels of anti-oxidants, minerals, and vitamins that have health benefiting and disease preventing properties.
  
• Unlike other berries and fruits, acai has high caloric values and fats. In fact, fresh acai berry has been the dietary staple of native Amazonian for centuries.
• Acai berry contains many polyphenolic anthocyanin compounds like resveratrol, cyanidin-3-galactoside, ferulic acid, delphinidin, petunidin as well as astringent pro-anthocyanidin tannins like epicatechin, protocatechuic acid and ellagic acid. Scientific studies suggest that these compounds contain anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer properties . In addition, tannins are known to have anti-infective, anti-inflammatory and anti-hemorrhagic properties.
  
• Primary research studies suggest that ellagic acid in acai has anti-proliferative properties.
  
• Acai berry is also rich in medium chain fatty acids like oleic acid (omega-9) and linoleic acid (omega-6). These compounds help reduce LDL-cholesterol level and raise good HDL-cholesterol levels in the body and thus help prevent heart disease. In addition, the essential fats help prevent skin dryness by maintaining adequate moisture in the skin.
  
• Acai pulp has good levels of dietary fiber.
  
• Acai berries contain a good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, copper, iron, and magnesium.
  
• Acai are rich in B-complex vitamins and vitamin-K. They contain very good amounts of niacin, vitamin B-6 and riboflavin which function as co-factors and help the body in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.