Acai Berries – The Super(est) Superfood

Buzzwords, Always a Trustworthy Source 

A lot of times, yes even in the food industry, we witness trends begin to rise and gradually fall. We hear buzzwords like:

• paleo
• gluten-free
• low carb
• organic
• probiotic
• antioxidants

We hear these words passed around like fruitcake around the holiday season… unless you like fruitcake, I guess.

Superfoods

One of the biggest superfluous words in this category may actually be superfood. What is that?! Even as I just typed that, spellcheck was like, “Um… no. That isn’t even a word.” But I know you’ve heard of an abundance of superfoods in the last several years. Haven’t you?

Standing Out

Okay, playing devils advocate here, let’s say there is such a thing as a superfood. How does a food get promoted from a typical boring, run-of-the-mill, everyday food to a superfood? Is it like achieving sainthood; does it have to accomplish several miracles? Leap tall buildings in a single bound? Maybe it isn’t so much that it’s super, but that the foods we typically are surrounded by have become lack-luster that these unfamiliar foods standout better.

Acai, Superfood Level: Master

This leads me to what I wanted to talk about. There is one-such food that (if you can really call it a “food”… but I guess, technically, it) is. The acai berry (which, because I want to save you the embarrassment of saying it wrong when you go buy them, is pronounced ah-sigh-ee) has been getting a fair amount a press in recent years. This little berry is packed to the brim with tons of awesomeness! They are packed with antioxidants. Yeah, there are even more buzzwords packed into this tropical little Brazilian berry. It’s totally paleo, gluten-free, organic, nutrient-rich and it may be the next best thing, next to actual unicorn tears… but the search is still out for those. Apparently, unicorns aren’t big criers.

What does this all mean? Well, if you had the opportunity to eat better and feel like you’re doing something good for your body and your health, all while eating something that actually tastes good… wouldn’t you say that sounds like the best thing ever? (The answer is yes.)

You get a radical, you get a radical, you all get a radical!

Why are antioxidants important? Well, I could go on and spout off some science jargon, like how they may protect cells from damage caused by harmful molecules in your body called “free radicals,” but I’m not going to. I’ll just tell you that they’re good and may possibly help against diseases like heart disease and cancer. Trust me when I say you don’t want either of those.

So there you have it. The acai berry, which has been blowing up your Pinterest feed since late 2014. Go grab some and make an awesome smoothie, drop some in some oatmeal or granola, or hop back on Pinterest… I’m sure you’d be able to find some terrific recipe to try out.

Have you tried them before reading this? Let me know what you think about them. Drop me a comment on Instagram or Twitter: @25main