This berry has popped up in mixes, smoothies, juices and supplements, leaving even the most conservative consumers wondering just how magic this little berry might be.
We asked our National Body Challenge Online Community Fitness Expert Jonathan Ross to set the record straight about the acai berry and its weight loss promises.
What it is:
Acai (pronounced "Ah-Sah-Yee") is a berry that grows in the Amazon rain forest. It has a rich, berry-cocoa flavor, and has a lot of antioxidants (slightly more than blueberries or pomegranates), and healthy fats, plus a small amount of protein and dietary fiber.
As a berry, it is very healthy. In general, all berries are great sources of lots of the nutrients that are good for us.
What it isn't:
Anything more than the above! It is not the second coming of Jesus in food form. It will not help you lose weight unless you eat it instead of deep-fried chicken wings. It is not magical just because it grows in the Amazon and we don't see the real berries for sale in the store.
(The reason for this? These berries are very fragile and must be processed almost immediately after harvesting. This is why they come in smoothie packs or powders. This also accounts for the higher-than-most price.)
It is just a healthy berry. Stop asking it to be more than that. I had some acai with breakfast this morning and it didn't give me super powers or melt fat immediately off of my body.
We have to not allow our imaginations to run wild every time someone promises us they have found the unicorn.
Just like with any of the following:
Japanese Coral Calcium
Arctic Krill
Hunza Bread
Goji Berries
Any time anyone claims that anything that comes from the deepest seas, the highest mountains, and is available only from some exotic location is the holy grail of human health - they are lying to you.
It is marketing...nothing more.
Remember one question to pierce the marketing of these and any future product with a similar pitch:
If these precious compounds were oh-so-critical for human health, how have we been able to heavily populate every corner of the globe without everyone having access to the magical acai berries?
Healthy foods are good for you, and unhealthy foods are bad for you. And these foods exist on a spectrum from healthy to unhealthy - there is none that rises above all others. This is great news since it means that there is no absolute one thing you just HAVE to have in order to be healthy.
