Fat Loss 4 Idiots Opinion

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Rachel Rays Acai Berry Show

By Megan Smith

We all know Rachel Ray drinks acai juice. Acai is a berry promoted by Rachel Ray amongst other celebrities such as Oprah and celebrity doctors such as Dr. Oz and Dr. Perricone. Acai berry is dark purple or green in color and grows atop palm trees in the Amazon rainforests of Brazil. For centuries the local population used the berries to make a fruity pulp that was used as a food flavoring ingredient. Acai is a relatively new concept in Europe and North America but it is really catching on and is now commonly found in most health food stores. and Europe.

Acai berries are a significant source of anthocyanins which are a particular antioxidant nutrient. This nutrient is the same as that which provides red wine with it's health benefits. Acai are also a good source protein and fiber. Lastly, acai berries also provide a good quantity of vitamins and omega fatty acids. Acai Berries provide a remarkably powerful combination of many healthy nutritional benefits.

Acai has enjoyed a great deal of publicity and attention since being introduced to the world by Dr. Nicholas Perricone in his book The Perricone Promise. It has caught the attention of many celebrities. Rachel Ray uses acai regularly and speaks about it on her show. The book unabashedly calls the acai berry the most perfect food on the planet. He rates the Acai Berry among his top ten superfoods that if taken regularly are supposed to make a person look and feel younger within 10 days.

Healthy diets and healthy lifestyle information are becoming common knowledge these days. We are aware that we should eat more raw foods and foods that are richer in good fats whole grains. It is commonly known that antioxidants are absolutely critical to enjoying good health. Antioxidants reduce inflammation and that help us fight the ongoing threat of illness and the debilitating effects of aging.

I have always respected Rachel Ray and her opinions on food. I wanted to learn more about Rachel Ray and acai berry. I was interested to read that recently a team of investigators decided to research just how much antioxidant power was in commercially available acai juices. Three store bought and readily available acai juice blends containing varied but unspecified percentages of acai juice and/or acai pulp were compared for in vitro antioxidant capacity against other well known and common antioxidants such as six types of pure fruit juice, tea, red wine and pomegranate juice. The antioxidant capacity of the acai juice was actually ranked lower than that of Concord grape juice, pomegranate juice, blueberry juice, and red wine. The average antioxidant capacity was approximately equal to that of black cherry or cranberry juice, and was higher than that of apple juice, orange juice, and tea. So what does this mean for Rachel Ray and acai? Simply put it means that commercially available acai juice blends are good for you and provide a health benefit. They are significantly better for you than orange or apple juices, but not as good antioxidant-wise as red wine or pomegranate juice.

The results using pure acai juice might be significantly different. I have seen acai juice blends and there is no telling whether they are mostly acai or rather pear juice with a splash of acai berry juice for flavor. The problem with this study is that it uses juices with unspecified concentrations of acai. In the interests of fairness and giving her the benefit of the doubt to Rachel Ray and acai she might promote a juice that is 100% acai. - 17269

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