What are Acai Berries and Acai Berry Juice -- What Are the Health Benefits?

We have all heard about acai berries? But what about the health benefits of acai berries and berry juice? Acai berries are highly promoted by marketers who say it’s one of the top superfoods with anti-aging and weight loss properties. Some manufacturers use acai berries in beauty products. But do scientific studies support these claims of acai benefits?

How to Enjoy Nutritious Exotic Fruits
What is the acai berry? The acai berry is a 1" long reddish, purple fruit. It comes from the acai palm tree, which is native to South America, especially Brazil.

Research on the acai berry has focused on its possible antioxidant activity. Theoretically, that activity may help prevent diseases caused by oxidative stress such as heart disease and cancer.

Is the acai berry healthy? Acai contains several substances called anthocyanins and flavonoids. anthocyanin comes from two Greek words meaning “plant” and “blue.” Anthocyanins are responsible for the colorful hues in many fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Foods that are richest in anthocyanins -- such as blueberries, red grapes, red wine, and acai -- are very strongly colored, ranging from deep purple to black.

Anthocyanins and flavonoids are powerful antioxidants that help defend the body against life's stressors. They also play a role in the body's cell protection system. Free radicals are harmful by-products produced by the body. Eating food rich in antioxidants may interfere with aging and the disease process by neutralizing free radicals.

By lessening the destructive power of free radicals, antioxidants may help reduce the risk of some diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.
Are there known health benefits of acai?

Some studies show that acai fruit pulp has a very high antioxidant capacity with even more antioxidant content than cranberry, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, or blueberry. Studies are ongoing, though, and the jury is still out.

People eat acai berries to address various health conditions. But so far, acai berries have no known health benefit that’s any different than that of other similar fruits.

Research supports eating a diet rich in antioxidants. There’s no doubt that berries and other fruits are a key part of any healthy diet promoting weight loss. The jury’s still out on whether there is something special about acai’s ability to shed excess pounds.

Dr. Tim's Weight Loss Plan

With Acai Detox-Rx, Brazilian Acai Juice & Jungle Juice

This is a really simple plan. We have combined the most effective ingredients to support and aid you in your efforts to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Our products are designed to follow the oath I took as a young doctor to “First Do No Harm”. Begin with the “Jump Start” option using our Dr. Tim’s Acai Detox-Rx for a clean start. This will help you flush toxins, fat & free radicals while eliminating excess water weight. This fresh and healthy cellular Detox will help to support your body as you follow through with the rest of the plan below.

#1. DR. TIM’S ACAI DETOX-Rx ALL NATURAL DIETARY CLEANSE FORMULA

I developed Dr. Tim’s Acai Detox-Rx to help those who want an effective and efficient detoxifying agent in an easy to drink juice. It is a great way to jump start your cleansing program and goes along with your diet and weight loss efforts. I recommend that you use our Detox-Rx 2 days prior to starting the Weight Loss Plan for optimum effect.

Dr. Tim’s Acai Detox-Rx combines the powerful antioxidants of Acai with one of the most effective cleansing herbal blends, our own proprietary DT27 Complex. Acai is a remarkable fruit and provides powerful antioxidants that help with cleansing and rejuvenation. But Acai alone won’t do the job nearly as well without our DT27 Complex. DT27 Complex was designed to affect an efficient and thorough cleansing and detoxification flushing toxins, fat and free radicals from the body. This all natural scientifically designed and medically approved formula supports metabolic restoration and cellular rejuvenation eliminating excess water weight and bloating.

Dr. Tim’s Acai Detox-Rx tastes great. When mixed properly it has a delicious Acai tea flavor that makes it an easy addition to your personal health-care plan. It is gentle yet effective and you will be pleased with the results.
#2. Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai

Juice Next, I recommend that you take 1 ounce of Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai in the morning and then again 30 minutes before your evening meal. You may also supplement with more Acai during the day if you get hungry. It works great to help you overcome those “munchy/snacky” times of the day. The Acai works to provide powerful antioxidants, anthocyanins, fiber, protein, vitamins, iron and other nutrients that help cleanse and support your body functions to boost your efforts at weight loss. You can add additional Acai shots throughout the day as needed.
#3. Dr. Tim’s Jungle Juice
All natural real energy

Then you will take at least ½ of the Jungle Juice mid morning and the other half mid afternoon to safely boost your energy levels. You may drink the entire bottle of Jungle Juice in the morning or afternoon as well. Remember that Jungle Juice will provide hours of focused energy. Jungle Juice works by fueling your energy plant in your cells called the Mitochondria. It then works to mobilize fat to be burned as fuel and create more energy for you. Then it delivers a powerful appetite suppressant to stave off the munchies.
#4. Low Glycemic Food Plan

I recommend that you follow a low-glycemic diet and that you add 45 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise. You can find more about the glycemic index at www.glycemicindex.com.
#5. Exercise Plan

If exercise is a new element in your daily routine and be sure to check with your doctor to make sure that you are healthy enough to start an exercise program. Then start with 30 minutes of walking 3 to 5 times a week and build to 45 to 60 minutes a day 5 to 6 times a week. Working up a good sweat and getting your heart rate up to fat burning zone will feel tough at first but then your body will develop a craving for this. Remember that typically it tales about 2 ½ weeks or so for your body to adjust to the new demands you are making on it both from an exercise requirement and a food intake change. Make a plan that allows you to achieve this goal over a 30 day period or longer if needed.

Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day here or there. If you miss a day or two or three just accept it and get back on track, you can do this. Also, set reasonable expectations regarding the amount of weight you want to lose and a healthy time period in which to achieve your goal. And finally be careful about the foods you eat. This is where following a low-glycemic diet plan works with you for success. Remember, in the end, it is all about the calories in vs. the calories out.

To Your Success, Dr. Tim

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.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The female name “Mona” and the word “vie” literally means to challenge the woman named Mona. I am not sure how this applies to a multilevel marketing company intent on selling fruit juice blends with Acai juice among 18 other juices. Perhaps the real task is to challenge the quality and value of the juice called by the same name. If you take a bottle of this product and do the math on the contents per ounce it turns out that there would only be 1.3 ounces of each juice in their 25 ounce bottle. One ounce is the equivalent of approximately 30 milliliters or one Tablespoon. Their recommended daily dosage is one Tablespoon. So in that one Table spoon optimally you would be receiving only .05 ounces per serving of any one of the 19 juices in their Acai fruit punch. That is only 5% of the volume of a Tablespoon. That is as small as a teardrop. Now one bottle can cost $40.00. There are 25 servings per bottle which then comes to $1.60 per ounce. On a national average gasoline is only 4cents per ounce. Other companies sell 32 ounce bottles of 100% acai for the same $42.00 price but the taste of 100% pure acai is very bitter and hard to swallow. It seems the reasonable middle ground in this purple berry fight is to find a juice that is high in quality, content, ready to drink or rather good tasting and half the cost of these $40.00 bottles. The only product we have been able to find that fits this category is Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai. A 32 ounce bottle of Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai contains 85% real Acai with the remaining 15% a mixture of just two juices for flavor. And the good news is that the taste is outstanding. It really tastes like Acai. The cost is only $18.95 per bottle and when purchased in groups of 5 the shipping is free. No need to cry any tears over finding high quality, great tasting reasonably priced Acai with Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai.

Europe welcomes Dr. Tim's Exotic Juices.

Image by Samuel Rönnqvist via Flickr

SAINT GEORGE, UTAH May 19, 2009 Retail News Printer Friendly Print this News

(PRLEAP.COM) May 19, 2009 Saint George, Utah - Dr. Tim’s Exotic Juices were accepted by a large distributor based out of Sweden where the juices were reviewed and accepted. Plans to distribute throughout the European Union are set and the products will have great success given the current demand. Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai just last week was accepted for distribution into Japan.

Europe is a market with a growing demand for the amazing purple berry of the Amazon. Europeans have a growing affinity for the taste and the benefits. There has been very limited distribution for this kind of product in Europe due to the high governmental standards for imported beverages. The Europeans understand the benefits of using natural products as dietary supplements. And with the explosion of these Exotic juices in North America the demand for these healthy antioxidant packed juices grows stronger.

"We are so pleased and excited to have received this approval for our Dr. Tim’s Exotic Juices" said Dr. Tim. "It is really amazing how the success of the quality and taste of our products is growing so rapidly not only domestically but globally." Dr. Tim’s Exotic Juices is a Saint George, Utah company specializing in the formulation and production of natural products derived from exotic fruits. Besides the Acai they also produce Tibetan Goji, Thai Mangosteen and Polynesian Noni products. Dr. Tim is the president and CEO of Dr. Tim’s Exotic Juices. Their products can be found in supermarkets and health food stores throughout the United States and online at www.brazilbotanicals.com.

Japan Welcomes Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai

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May 14, 2009 Saint George, Utah: Dr. Tim of Dr. Tim’s Exotic Juices has signed a contract with a large distributor in Japan. Now Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai will be available in Japan. Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai was presented to a large group of distributors at a meeting in Tokyo where it was reviewed and accepted. Mr. T. Hashimoto president of the distribution chain says “We have never had such a high quality Acai drink available here in Japan” He continued “ Japanese standards are so demanding that we have only accepted Dr. Tim’s Brazilian Acai to distribute in Japan.”

Japan is a market with a growing demand for the amazing purple berry of the Amazon. The Japanese people have a growing affinity for the taste and the benefits. There has been very limited distribution for this kind of product in Japan due to the high governmental standards for imported beverages. The Japanese people understand the benefits of using natural products as dietary supplements. And with the explosion of western diets the demand for healthy alternatives grows stronger.

“We are so pleased and excited to have received this approval for our Brazilian acai” said Dr. Tim. Dr. Tim’s Exotic Juices is a Saint George, Utah company specializing in the formulation and production of natural products derived from exotic fruits. Besides the Acai they also make Tibetan Goji, Thai Mangosteen and Polynesian Noni. Dr. Tim is the president and CEO of Dr. Tim’s Exotic Juices. Their products can be found throughout the United States and online at www.brazilbotanicals.com

78 Million American Baby Boomers Face Memory Loss

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Just last January the oldest of the baby boomers began to turn 62. For the next 18 years a member of the baby boomer generation (the 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964) will reach that age every eight seconds. Boomers have long been famous for their desire to stay or at least act young. As an integral part of that effort to stay young is the ability to remember.

Many of us remember the Oscar winning performance of the late Henry Fonda in the movie On Golden Pond. In that movie he portrayed Norman Thayer. In the movie Norman learns not to take life for granted by enjoying it. He also learns not to be so crotchety, and not to dote on death. One unforgettable scene in the movie was when Norman got lost in the woods near his cabin. A place that he knew better than any other yet he became confused, lost and terrified

In an article written by Katie Hafner of the International Herald Tribune the global edition of the New York Times she reported the following “: When David Bunnell, a magazine publisher who lives in Berkeley, California, went to a FedEx store to send a package a few years ago, he suddenly drew a blank as he was filling out the forms.

"I couldn't remember my address," said Bunnell, 60, with a measure of horror in his voice. "I knew where I lived, and I knew how to get there, but I didn't know what the address was."

Bunnell is among tens of millions of baby boomers who are encountering the signs, by turns amusing and disconcerting, that accompany the decline of the brain's acuity: a good friend's name suddenly vanishing from memory; a frantic search for eyeglasses only to find them atop the head; milk taken from the refrigerator then put away in a cupboard.

"It's probably one of the most frightening aspects of the changes we undergo as we age," said Nancy Ceridwyn, director of educational initiatives at the American Society on Aging. "Our memories are who we are. And if we lose our memories we lose that groundedness of who we are."

The possibility of losing ones’ memory is freighting. Not too long ago it was believed that there was not much that could be done to prevent such an occurrence. Now we know that there are things that we can do and foods that we can eat that will help us.

In an article by Wendy Hodsdon, ND she shares that foods and supplements can support memory.

“A balanced diet with protein, good fats and complex carbohydrates can balance the activity in the temporal lobes of the brain. Eating protein at every meal can help stabilize blood sugar levels and help prevent the brain fog that sometimes happens after high carbohydrate or high sugar meals.”

Antioxidants play a pivotal role for memory improvement.Antioxidants in the diet can improve memory by decreasing the free radical damage that can occur with age. Foods highest in antioxidants include fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables. Some of the best antioxidants are found in berries (such as acai, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries), spinach, brussel sprouts, plums, broccoli, beets, avocados, oranges, goji, red bell peppers and cherries. Eating many colors of fruits and vegetables ensures a wide variety of antioxidants to nourish and protect the brain.

Supplements can improve memory, learning and verbal skills. Some of these Supplements that support memory include antioxidants such as alpha-lipoic acid, vitamin E and vitamin C. Ginkgo biloba is an herb that enhances circulation in the brain, which can improve memory and concentration. Phosphatidylserine is a nutrient that is found in food and in cell membranes in the body. In studies where it is given as a supplement, it increases the metabolic activity in the brain and improves memory, learning and verbal skills.

Sharon Begley wrote in an article dated Wednesday, February 25, 2009 3:07 PM that “there is more than enough evidence that physical exercise is good for the brain, bringing benefits like lower cholesterol and blood pressure, but here’s more: it can increase the size of your hippocampus, the structure responsible for the formation and storage of new memories as well as for spatial navigation--finding your way around.

In a paper to be published in the journal Hippocampus, scientists report that elderly people who are physically fit generally have a larger hippocampus and better spatial memory than peers who are less fit. Previous studies have shown that challenging the hippocampus—exercising its spatial skills and its memory abilities—can increase its volume, too. London cabbies have bigger ones than your average Londoner, and experienced cabbies have larger ones than newbies, suggesting that making the hippocampus find its way through London’s labyrinth can boost its size. And exercising its memory-making skills seems to do the same thing: a study of German medical students found that the hippocampus got larger as they studied for finals. This is the first study, however, to show that plain old physical exercise, which does not engage the hippocampus to any real extent, can also give it a boost.”

As we progress through this mortal experience there is no escaping the effects of time and age. However there are things that we can do to optimize our health so as to take full advantage of our own allotted time. Staying fit with regular exercise and eating foods and utilizing dietary supplements rich in antioxidants can help us keep our minds sharp and our memories active as we make the most of our life experience.

Acai recognized for its ability to reduce inflammation

I am often asked by many of our great customers as to the major benefits of taking our juices. All of the juices are high in antioxidants and each brings its own respective profile to the equation. I recently came across some very interesting information regarding the acai berry that you might like to read about. I want to first point out that the acai berry is really a date or a date palm berry not a true berry. It is very useful with reducing the effects of inflammation. It was recently identified as one of the top ten foods that can help reduce inflammation. Here are some quotes that support this claim; “All hail, antioxidants and the Amazon berry that has an abundance of them—açai (pronounced: ahh-sa-ee). According to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Açai-rich juice may reduce levels of inflammation markers linked to conditions such as heart disease by protecting cells from oxidative damage.”

“Given the high content of certain specific polyphenols in the juice blend, the increased antioxidant protection [in the body] after consumption of the juice blend, and the anti-inflammatory capacity in vitro, further research is warranted to evaluate whether juice blend consumption may provide reversal of risk markers in subjects with conditions such as arthritis, obesity, chronic viral diseases, cardiovascular disease and compromised cognitive function, as well as other conditions associated with chronic inflammation,” wrote lead author Gitte Jensen from Holger NIS Inc., a contract research laboratory.”

“Other research has indicated that the açai berry contains a wide array of inflammation-fighting antioxidant compounds and has great potential to be used as a natural inflammation remedy.”