By Candy Sho
Acai berry is a small purple fruit the size of a cherry that grows in the Amazonian rainforest on palm trees in the genus Euterpe (Euterpe oleracea). It's taste has been most often compared to a combination of blackberry and nuts. Even though the fruit is relatively unknown here it has been used for centuries because of its medicinal qualities.
Origin and history of the Acai Berry
The legend says that centuries ago an Indian tribe that inhabited the lands at the mouth of the Amazon River in the Northeastern part of Brazil where today is situated the town of Belem was going through a difficult time. The rainforest could not provide enough food for everyone and there were hunger and conflicts because of the limited resources. The tribal chief then decided to artificially limit the population number by killing every single newborn child including the child of his own favorite daughter Iaca.
Iaca was devastated. In her home days on end she mourned her baby's death. Then one day she heard a baby cry from the forest. Young Iaca immediately went on searching the crying baby and came deep into the forest.
What she discovered was not a baby but a huge palm tree that stood out the other trees and was covered in fruit. Iaca realized that if people knew about this fruit they wouldn't starve and her baby will still be alive. Sobbing she fell and died because of the grief she felt. This is how the others found her body fallen under the huge palm that has been covered with delicious purple fruit. The old chief decided that the tree should remind everyone of his lost daughter and named the palm Acai (Iaca spelled backwards) which literally translates as the berry that cries. Thanks to the newly found source of food the killing of children stopped and the tribe survived.
In 1616 the Portuguese captain Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco builds the military fortress Forte do Presepio (now called Castello) in order to protect the region from the attacks of French, Dutch and English pirates. With Europeans come also the infectious diseases that are the reason for the death of 9/10 of the native population that does not have immunity against these. The small Indian community around Belem survives mostly thanks to the immunostimulating qualities of the Acai fruit. Since then Brazilians use Acai berry as energy booster and immunostimulating supplement to traditional diet.
Nutritional values and useful substances of the Acai berry
Acai berry is a plant that is rich in fibers, vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, flavonoids, various acids (aspartic acid, glutamine acid, oleic acid). It is also a source of proteins, omega 6 and 9 fatty acids) that are famous for their preventive function for the right functioning of the cardio vascular system. The exotic fruit is famous for the fact that it is rich in anthocyanins similar to the ones found in red wine that are extremely beneficial to the healthy state of the organism and have anticancer properties.
In conclusion
All present evidence for the health benefits of the Acai berry are related to the fact that the fruit is nutritious and its inclusion in the diet is healthy. The magical effects on the health attributed to the use of the fruit can be achieved only if the person keeps to a healthy lifestyle habits. Most of the advantages of the fruit are valid also when consuming a lot of other products that are cheaper, have been processed to a lesser extent and are readily available such as blueberries and strawberries.
No matter how beneficial to the health a given food supplement is nothing compares to fresh food that has underwent the minimum amount of processing and taking into consideration the fact that you don't live in South America I highly doubt that you have access to a supply of fresh Acai berries.
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