The Acai Berry and Business

It was just over three years ago when I was in Seattle and walking through a Barnes and Noble bookstore put me in front of The Perricone Promise. Always looking for new motivation for getting healthy - I have learned my lesson, it isn't about losing weight, it is about being healthy; typically when you choose to have better health, if you need weight loss that comes with it - I am pretty open to exploring new ideas and material.

To say the least, I purchased that book and started reading it over a hamburger and fries, not being able to finish my meal. I quickly started to learn some wonderful things about sugar, and enriched bread and white flour and all kinds of things about how I am killing myself. "Okay", I thought to myself, "I know I shouldn't eat some of those things", which isn't anything new in a health book. I can go down this road of what I shouldn't do, but that really hasn't worked yet, so I asked the question,"What should I eat?"

Sifting through the book while grabbing a couple more fries and dipping them into the ketchup, I ran into what this expert has to say about good things to take into my body (after all, I am an Olympian when it comes to being able to take things into my body). The ACAI BERRY - what? I had never heard of this berry, in fact I said it wrong for months - I wanted to make the "c" sound like a "k" instead of an "s".

Went to the natural food store down the street, only to find that you can't actually get the berry here in the US and they didn't have a different form to delivery to me. After all, I found out, the berry grew in Brazil and would spoil if transported to a produce market here in the US.

With that I left it alone, realizing that I would have to do some digging when I got to another obscure little health food store in some other city. No dice!

Until I came across the unique opportunity to distribute the berry itself in a juice form. For anybody who has read enough about the berry to be educated to the fact that it is not just good for you, it is a food that sets itself apart from any other fruit or vegitable out there. From benefits to ORAC score, to the natural (no side affects) absorbancy of rich cellular health and the cleansing effects for each of us. To be able to not only educate, but to distribute as an independent franchise is a no-nonsense approach to anybody who is trying to make a big business or even just a car payment through a viable product that really has no parallel.

If you have never explored network marketing, look for a few more posts coming in the next couple days as I try to couple the acai berry with a rich opportunity.

Check it out!

Benefits of the Acai Berry

With any product that has a lot of public talk about physical health benefits and dramatic impact and changes, many are cautious and wonder not just how real those benefits really are, but we also wonder if we will have a similar experience and be able to see and feel the changes we hope to have . . . even if we are just seeking a preventative result.

Dr. Oz (famous for his Oprah appearances) is ready to introduce a new entry to his hall of fame—the acai (pronounced "AH-sigh-EE"), a small fruit from South American rainforests that is often found in the United States in juice. "It has twice the antioxidant content as a blueberry, so it's a wonderful alternative," Dr. Oz says. "Look at the food label and make sure they don't have too many carbohydrates in there. It's available in all major stores now. It's just sort of breaking through."

Dr. Oz says you should eat about five servings of antioxidant-rich foods a day.

The prominent research on the acai berry has has been done by Dr. Schauss, who has acknowledged and is readily associated with MonaVie. Now whether you like or dislike MonaVie, the benefits of the acai berry has to be considered for w

hat they are. This can be seen by comparing the benefits to truth. Whether we like the truth or not, it doesn't change it, and so it is with the acai berry and its benefits - whether we like them or not, if that is what you receive by consuming them, you can't deny them.

So what are the acknowledged benefits of the acai berry (yes, even in MonaVie - which I personally love and drink everyday - check out www.get-monavie.com).

1. Acai’s high Protein levels, which are actually higher than the protein in an Egg, make it an ideal food source for protein in your diet. Usually protein comes with high levels of cholesterol, so simply replacing your morning Egg or Ham with equal weights of fresh Acai pulp is a very effective way to lower your cholesterol and still get enough protein.

2. Acai’s Antioxidant spectrum includes more different Types of Antioxidents than any other known food source. Let’s face it, no single antioxident will allow you to live forever. The hope is now that a regular intake of ALL antioxident types will give your body the best chance to slow or even stop the ageing process. If there is any food likely to prevent serious illness like Cancer, the Acai’s vast antioxidant spectrum is like a big, bright, purple beacon.

3. Specifically, Acai’s Anthocyanins (30 times the amount found in red grapes) are the most efficent way to ingest anthocyanins known to date. If you believe that the French Paradox is caused by Anthocyanins, as most nutritional scientists do, then this is a very important acai benefit to consider.

4. Acai’s mineral Spectrum is also as complete if not more complete than any other single food source. It is probably true that you can’t survive your entire lifetime on any one food source, but Acai comes the closest with traces of every beneficial mineral known to mankind.

5. Acai’s Trace Elements are some of the most complete ever seen, both on the Macro and Micro scales. Dr. Schauss’s study was very explicit on this part of the testing, testing down as far as 2 parts per billion! They said that it was very challenging cataloging all of the different trace elements, and they beleive it has the most on record of any single food source as well.

6. Many other random Acai Benefits: High levels of glucosamine and other important nutrients round out this all-perfect food

(These benefits found in referring article on www.acaibenefits.org)

Supporting scientific papers should be studied to verify the said benefits. Once confirmed in your own logic, start taking the berry - it really can change how you feel. I love that Dr. Perricone calls the Acai Berry the Energy Fruit. It is so true!

1. Schauss AG. Acai (Euterpe oleracea): An Extraordinary Antioxidant-Rich Palm Fruit. Biosocial Publications: Tacoma, 2006.
   (His book on Acai, 1st printing, out of date.)

2. Schauss AG, Wu, X, Prior RL, Ou B, Patel D, Huang D and Kababick JP. Phytochemical and nutrient composition of the freeze-dried Amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae Mart. (Acai). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2006: 54(22); 8598-8603.

3. Schauss AG, Wu X, Prior RL, Ou B, Huang D, Owens J, Agarwal A, Jensen GS, Hart AN and Shanbrom E. Antioxidant capacity and other bioactivities of the freeze-dried Amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae Mart. (Acai). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2006: 54(22); 8604-8610.

4. Schauss AG. Acai (Euterpe oleracea): An Extraordinary Antioxidant-Rich Palm Fruit, Second Edition. Biosocial Publications: Tacoma, 2006.
   (His book on Acai, $9.99 at Amazon)

5. Schauss AG, Ou B, Wu X. High radical oxygen scavenging (ROS) and antioxidant activity in freeze-dried Euterpe oleracea (OptiAcai) palm fruit pulp. [abstract] FASEB J, 2006; 20(4): A145.

6. Bank, G. and Schauss, AG. Antioxidant testing: an ORAC update. Nutraceuticals World, 2004, 7(3): 68-71.

The Acai Berry and ORAC Scores

Most people would be afraid if they knew more about the foods they were eating - the good that the food was doing and the bad that the food was doing. Most people don't know how to measure and in many cases don't care to measure the health benefits of what they eat.

We are convinced that as more public awareness of disease and lifestyle changes caused by poor diets takes place, the more we will learn about what we eat and try to do things that will help us live healthier lifestyles where energy, comfort, ability and more become connected with what we allow into our bodies.

In an article on the Acai Berry and ORAC scores (what they are first of all and why they help us learn about the benefits of foods), we find that acai berry is so powerful in strengthening (not just maintaining) a healthy body with higher energy levels.

Read this and form your own opinion:

"

Acai Berries and ORAC

Over the years, Acai berries have been gaining quite a reputation due to the many benefits associated with a high level of antioxidants. Through the consumption of antioxidant-rich foods, one may combat fatigue, illness, and disease, including heart ailments, cancer, and other degenerative concerns. To better understand the health benefits associated with Acai berries, it is important to become familiar with ORAC values.

What is ORAC?

The ability to control oxygen free radicals is expressed through an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) number. Using test tube analysis, the ORAC number is assessed by the measurement of antioxidant activity for any given substance. Higher ORAC numbers means that a substance possesses stronger antioxidant powers. A variety of foods provide a high ORAC score, which includes Montgomery tart cherries, prunes, raisins, kale, spinach, cocoa, pomegranates, black raspberries, and Acai berries.

Benefits of High ORAC Values

The buzz regarding foods with high ORAC values, such as Acai berries, has centered on early findings that revealed the consumption of many fruits and vegetables with high ORAC scores may slow down the oxidation process linked to aging. It is a belief that antioxidant-rich foods possess the power to ease the detrimental changes concerning the body and brain that are caused by aging. Many middle-aged and younger individuals have started to increase the number of high-ORAC foods included in their diet in hopes of combating the diseases and illnesses associated with getting older.

Additional benefits connected to high ORAC values include the chance to combat long-term memory loss; slow down the deterioration of learning ability; boost brain cell activity; and prevent oxygen damage in different parts of the body, such as the capillaries (tiny blood vessels).

The ORAC Number of Acai Berries

In order to reap the benefits of antioxidants, a diet high in foods showcasing a high ORAC number is suggested. Fruits and vegetables are often assigned a high ORAC number. The USDA suggests a daily intake of 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units. Unfortunately, the typical person in the United States is only consuming less than 1,000 ORAC units per day. In actuality, the recommended "5-a-day" fruit and vegetable requirement established by the USDA generally delivers an ORAC score of 1,750 units.

Common fruit favorites, such as the apple and banana respectively provide an ORAC score of 218 and 221.The blueberry is considered one of the healthiest berries in the world and offers an ORAC score of 2,400. However, when it comes to fresh Acai, the fruit holds an impressive ORAC score of 5,500. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on freeze-dried Sambazon Acai, you may take advantage of an ORAC value nearing 35,000 per 100 grams."

-www.acaihealthnews.com

If this is worth exploring how the Acai Berry can help you, click here to find out more.

Drink the juice - it can literally cleanse your body and improve your health.

PubMed.com Articles on The Acai Berry

So how real are the benefits of the Acai Berry?

In researching what has actually be tested and tried with the Acai berry to date I came across a very well written article on pubmed.com. Among the several that I have read I found this article to be the most friendly to my ability to understand, although I found many positive results (for example the high absorbancy of the acai berry in the human body, essentially passing very little which could be concluded that the berry is very conducive to the bodies intestinal absorption and breakdown process - see this article)

The acticle titled

Antioxidant capacity and other bioactivities of the freeze-dried Amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae mart. (acai)

This article has this statement which I think is so powerful to somebody trying to learn more or try out the benefits of what so many authoritative people have said about the berry's power on the human body.

"(the acai berry has) an extremely high scavenging capacity (and is) by far the highest of any fruit or vegetable tested to date"

Check out the article.

To try the Acai Berry, Click Here.

Dr. Perricone on the Acai Berry

Check out what Dr. Perricone, author of The Perricone Promise, a fascinating book on achieving your best levels of health, including weight loss, but more importantly achieving a balanced health habit.

this is what I found on Oprah's website about the acai berry.

"Dr. Perricone's 10 Superfoods

No. 1: Açaí

Nature's Energy Fruit

It may seem odd to start this list of superfoods with one you’ve likely never even heard of. But studies have shown that this little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world! Açaí (ah-sigh-ee) is the high-energy berry of a special Amazon palm tree. Harvested in the rainforests of Brazil, açaí tastes like a vibrant blend of berries and chocolate. Hidden within its royal purple pigment is the magic that makes it nature's perfect energy fruit. Açaí is packed full of antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids. Although açaí may not be available in your local supermarket, you can find it in several health food and gourmet stores (often in juice form). A new product featuring the unsweetened pulp is now also available, and I highly recommend that you choose this form of açaí.

Açaí pulp contains:

• A remarkable concentration of antioxidants that help combat premature aging, with 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and 10 to 30 times the anthocyanins of red wine.
• A synergy of monounsaturated (healthy) fats, dietary fiber and phytosterols to help promote cardiovascular and digestive health.
• An almost perfect essential amino acid complex in conjunction with valuable trace minerals, vital to proper muscle contraction and regeneration.

The fatty acid content in açaí resembles that of olive oil, and is rich in monounsaturated oleic acid. Oleic acid is important for a number of reasons. It helps omega-3 fish oils penetrate the cell membrane; together they help make cell membranes more supple. By keeping the cell membrane supple, all hormones, neurotransmitter and insulin receptors function more efficiently. This is particularly important because high insulin levels create an inflammatory state, and we know, inflammation causes aging."

The Açaí is absolutely amazing and if anything is worth trying. To try is out in a product that has figured out a proprietary way to retain the intensity and effectiveness of the berry from Brazil unlike anybody else who tries to delivery this across the globe - click here.

ORAC Scores, Antioxidants and Free Radicals - www.get-monavie.com

There is a lot of talk around antioxidants and how fruits, vegetables and legumes compare to each other in their ability to fight negative effects free radicals, which in layman terms is what negatively effects the healthy cell structure and leads to many different issues for maintaining strong general health and eventually can lead to poorer conditions.

Free radicals the are what antioxidants fight. An understanding of free radicals is that they cause or are a main part of the oxidizing process that a body goes through in the breakdown of cells. A good example of this is what happens when you cut open an apple and leave the inside exposed. We all know that eventually the inside begins to brown as it is exposed to elements which will eventually completely breakdown the apple. This process is an oxidation process that is natural and normal to the degree that there are elements that cause change in us and the environment around us.

Now with that said, as humans we are not only exposed to the "elements" like the apple; exposed to oxidation and thus the breaking down or damaging of our bodies by free radicals. Our bodies are remarkable and we are able to rebuild our bodies, however with time and age the ability to maintain or keep up with the breakdown because unrealistic. Add to this the affects of stress, high impact exercise, unhealthy eating habits, etc and the affects that damage the body are magnified.

All of this creates the simple but clear understanding that aiding the protection from and reduction of oxidation by/through free radicals is essential. So if we need antioxidants to aid us in this process, what is the best source of antioxidants?

The Acai berry has been show to be such high levels of antioxidants in small service that the daily repetition of consuming the acai berry in an easy, realistic and optimal form must directly assist in getting each one of us to a place where we are achieving our best defense against oxidation.

Currently, finding a fresh berry itself in the US can be extremely challenge; since it only grows in Brazil. A liquid form of the berry through the Mona Vie product is something I have found to be an ideal solution to traveling to Brazil daily/weekly - although I wouldn't mind. I have found some very valuable information on www.get-monavie.com and a way to get the berry in juice form with ease. It costs about $35 a bottle retail, however there are ways to get it for less. It can last several weeks, which is relatively inexpensive when you consider how much fruit costs these days.

Check it out.

What is the Acai Berry?

There is a ton of talk around the Acai Berry - it is on Oprah and I have read that there is the phytonutrient benefit of 13 servings of fruit in as little as 4 ounces of the juice.

I think that is amazing, since I don't think I eat 2 servings of fruit in any given day.

Looking up the acai berry on wikipedia there are words bigger than I understand, but the antioxidant levels and activity in fighting specific free radicals clearly has a science behind it.

Any comments or thoughts on what you have read, seen, experienced, etc?