Friday, April 9, 2010

New Maqui Juice

Dr. Tim's Juices Announces New Maqui Juice

Maqui & Acai or is it Maqui or Acai?

I’ve been asked a lot of questions about Maqui and how it compares to Acai. I think Maqui is another great “Super Fruit” and has some unique characteristics that make it a very valuable addition to this family. But don’t be ready to throw out the Acai just yet. Maqui does have nearly 2 times the ORAC that Acai has and it is a true berry. Maqui taste very good and has been used by the Mapuches Indians in the Chilean Patagonia. However, Maqui lacks the oils and the Omegas 6 & 9 that Acai has. Acai is a whole food supplement while Maqui contributes a good tasting juice. My recommendation is to use both and enjoy the unique benefits from both.

Our bodies are designed to utilize many elements for nutrition. The last time there was just one food available with all of the nutrients was during biblical times when manna was supplied from the heavens. So keep eating a variety and drink a variety of juices. And we'll keep making them.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

So, what is all the fuss about over Acai on the internet?

Why is it such a big deal? Why has this product been so over-promoted, maligned and praised?

INTERNET FRENZY
Our world gets smaller and smaller each day as access to information real or otherwise accelerates. The internet facilitates this access and spreads information at lightening speed. At times it is hard to know what is real and what is not. Overnight stores pop up on the internet selling or should I say creating the latest craze. Last year the Acai berry became an unsuspecting victim of this internet phenomenon.

OVER-PROMOTION
The internet and Multi-Level-Marketers played a pivotal role in the over-promotion of Acai. While this nearly esoteric fruit brought out of obscurity by a couple of dumb-lucked surfer dudes really has health benefiting properties the perpetrators of these extreme and questionable business plans greedily overstated the value of Acai. Both business plans spawn minions through affiliate sites and “independent distributors”. And just like the old game “Secret” where one person begins whispering a benign phrase into the ear of another and so on and so on until it reaches the end distorted and obtuse so do these affiliates and independent distributors zealously fuel their minions with dreams of riches and half truths about Acai.

THE MALINGERERS
Acai became somewhat maligned in 2009 through the half baked claims of miracle weight loss. Offers for “Acai diet pills” and “free offer trials” inundated the electronic market place like a tsunami. Both unsuspecting and careless consumers signed up in droves to get their “free” bottle of acai miracle pills only to find out that they were trapped in recurring charges on their credit cards and that the pills were useless placebos. But, who could resist with the likes of Oprah and Dr. Oz, Matt Lauer, CBS News and others seemingly promoting the touted effects of these pills on these web sites? The truth of the matter is that the images and or likeness of all of these celebrities and organizations were plagiarized and misquoted. It turns out that the companies who developed this strategy to take advantage of Acai, celebrities and consumers were pursued by the law. Several states Attorneys General went after these unscrupulous firms requiring them to be forthcoming with the details of their programs and shuttered many of them through large financial judgments.

PRAISE THE BERRY
So how is it then that this Acai berry is till growing in popularity? Are people really praising it? I think the answer to the first question is that because the Acai berry has legitimate health benefits. And that is the answer to the second question as well. Acai has been used for centuries along the Amazon River basin. There is even a legend about the Acai berry that originated with the tribes of this region. It has been used as a food staple in the diets of these individuals for centuries. The berries are collected and used in everyday cooking. It has a nutritional profile that adds important elements such as fiber, antioxidants, omega 6 & 9, B vitamins and other health promoting components. The people of this region thrive on the Acai. Studies of groups of individuals who eat Acai on a regular basis compare to those who do not show that those who use Acai have higher levels of HDL the good cholesterol and lower levels of the bad cholesterol LDL. They also were found to be free of heart disease and had healthier hearts. Acai also helps to strengthen the immune system and improve both skin and hair health.
Acai came to the States as a novelty heralded for its energizing capacity, no doubt a welcome side effect from the heart health benefits. The Acai berry is a fickle fruit. The taste of fresh Acai is unforgettable and peculiar. It is not at all disagreeable when prepared fresh. It is not sweet but has a raw sense that is smooth and faintly avocado-like. The locals eat it with shrimp, fish or mandioc. Then in an instant they transform this savory purple porridge into the most remarkable dessert. With a touch of honey or a splash of fruit juice the flavor explodes into a desirable and deliciously unique chocolate berry like ambrosia. No wonder the people of the Amazon protect the rainforest to allow the Acai to grow prolifically.
But Acai fruit is as delicate as it is fickle. Once harvested by hand, the only way it can be done, it must be rushed within hours to market or the local processing plant. At market it is both bought and sold for fresh consumption that very morning. At the processing plants it is prepared for international distribution. It is here where all Acai sold outside of Brazil is turned into a penetrating purple pigmented puree. As a frozen puree the Acai loses its fresh raw avocado-like sense and turns somewhat bitter and uncharacteristically distasteful. “That is why we formulated our Acai drink with just two other juices at just the right ratio to bring out the true Acai flavor that is both sweet and delicious” says Dr. Tim of Dr. Tim’s Juices. Dr Tim’s Juices is a Southern Utah based company selling this juice into retail outlets. They are the only company that cares about bringing the real taste and quality of the Acai to the US consumer. They developed their own processing technology that protects the juice. “Our customers tell us all of the time that they like the taste of our juice over others”. Dr. Tim says “I want the US and even the global consumer to be able to enjoy the real taste of Acai in a delicious ready to drink format and reap the health benefits as well”. Science is catching up to acai as well with new article published monthly validating its’ health benefits.

The realistic praises and benefits of Acai seem to be stabilizing the presence and reputation of the berry. Acai is more readily available and used more widely today than it was even a year ago. It is finding its way into the diets of hundreds of thousands as a daily supplement. It is proving itself to be the real deal by improving the health of its users. It has survived a most curious course to popularity and is here to stay. So go find some acai and give it a try.