Acai Health Watch

Ever wonder what MonaVie tastes like but aren’t ready to commit to buying a big bottle?  Here’s an interesting report on one person’s experience with MonaVie from a “layman’s” perspective.  He defines superfoods and explains how acai beverages like MonaVie provide health benefits.  There are several MonaVie acai juice formulas that promote different aspects of your health.  One called MonaVie Active enhances joint health.  Another, MonaVie Pulse, delivers heart health benefits.

“I tried it. It tastes good, like a fruity V8, but somehow cooler.  It’s not a “drink,” think about it like a liquid vitamin that you drink a little bit of every day. It comes in bottle form, a energy drink and a gel.  My favorite is the energy drink MonaVie EMV, it isn’t quite as thick as the traditional MonaVie bottled drinks and tastes great.  I would put up against Red Bull in a minute.  Not only does it taste great with Vodka, but apparently if you drink it with out the booze, it is actually much healthier for you than the every day energy drinks.”

Superfood, Super Tasty, Super Good For You. – Pace of Chicago.

Are you sometimes skeptical when you’re reading the health benefits of acai berry juice put forth by the juicemakers themselves?  You should be!  As you know, false claims (lose 10 pounds in 10 minutes!) abound when it comes to antioxidant-rich superfoods like the acai berry, pomegranates, mangosteens, etc.

Here’s a more impartial article from WebMD that gives it to you straight on the health benefits of the acai berry.

“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.”

Acai Berries and Berry Juice — Are There Any Health Benefits?.

Written by a dietitian, this article is a great overview on how to select the best ingredients for fruit smoothies.  As you may have seen, the acai berry has been showing up on smoothie menus around the country.  But is an acai smoothie healthier than another type of fruit smoothie?  Not necessarily.  You’ll find flavonoids, antioxidants and potentially other disease-fighting nutrients in plenty of other fruits.

The author also provides tips on what not to include in your fruit smoothie.  This includes ice cream, sorbet and fruit purees, which lack the nutritional value of whole fresh and frozen fruits.

“When it comes to picking the ingredients for a smoothie, you really can’t go wrong by starting with any kind of fruit, whether fresh or frozen. Bananas are probably the most common choice, partially for the taste, but also because they add a rich texture, especially if they’ve been frozen before blending. As for the calorie content, don’t be afraid: While they are one of the more energy-dense fruits, the roughly 110 calories a banana provides is quite low compared with many other snack foods — and few foods of any kind are as rich in blood pressure-lowering potassium.

Aside from bananas, berries of any kind are a great choice for their antioxidant and fibre content, as well as their relatively low calorie content.”

Just juice it for better health.

Surely you’ve seen grocery refrigerators overflowing with beverages that are neither juice, nor water.  They are vitamin enhanced drinks and many promise benefits such as energy and relaxation.  You may have seen flavors such as acai pomegranate or acai blueberry.  Many vitamin drinks are low calorie and include natural sweeteners and tasty flavors.  But do they deliver on their promises?

“One consumer group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, filed suit against Coca-Cola Co. in January, accusing the soft drink giant of attempting to deceive the public with marketing claims about its version of the beverages, Glacéau VitaminWater.

In a statement released when the lawsuit was filed, CSPI said, “Coke markets VitaminWater as a healthful alternative to soda,” but according to CSPI nutritionists, “the 33 grams of sugar in each bottle do more to promote obesity, diabetes and other health problems than the vitamins in the drinks do to perform the advertised benefits listed on the bottles.”

Stephen Gardner, litigation director for CSPI, said the companies selling the vitamin beverages are “playing on people’s view that vitamins are good.” He said not only do most of the beverages contain a fair amount of sugar, but CSPI’s scientists say the drinks “aren’t a great vitamin delivery system.”

Vitamin-enhanced drinks: Better than water?

Acai works well in both sweet and savory recipes.  We liked this zesty acaiberry salad dressing featuring organic acai berry and pomegranate juices.

Acai Pomegranate Vinaigrette

• 2 oz organic Acai juice
• 2 oz organic pomegranate juice
• dash garlic powder
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• dash onion powder
• 1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp tahini

Blend all ingredients.

Sambazon Acai – Acai – Acai Berry – Acai Fruit – Acai Supplements – Acai Juice – Acai Smoothies- Acai Sorbet – Acai Antioxidant – Sambazon Acai:: Recipes.