Acai Health Watch

The perfect gift for yourself or an acai loving, health conscious friend. The Ultimate Acai Smoothie Cookbook has over 120 acai recipe ideas for delicious blended acai drinks for enjoyment any time of day. It is written by Donna J. Pliner Rodnitzky, who is the author of many smoothie cookbooks, so she is a real pro when it comes to blended drinks with ice cream, yogurt, fruits and juices. You’ll see there are so many ways to enjoy the delicious chocolately berry flavor of acai just in smoothie form!

The Ultimate Acai Smoothie Cookbook came out last year. In addition to recipes, it provides instructions on how to select and store fruit like different types of berries and melons, so that you’ll enjoy their maximum health and taste benefits.

The recipes are organized by fruit. For example, if you have bananas on hand, you can go to the banana section and find smoothies containing acai and bananas. (A delicious combination, I might add). Recipes tend to use 3-9 ingredients, most of which are readily available. Access to fresh fruit, dairy and soy milks, yogurts, sorbets, juices and nutritious additions
like flaxseed and wheat germ, are all you need to enjoy most of the acai recipes in this book.

You might opt for something pretty straightforward like an acai, raspberry, banana, blueberry yogurt smoothie. Or, venture a bit farther afield with an acai, pineapple, peach, banana, tofu and peach soy yogurt smoothie. Either way, you’ll never tire of the many smoothie recipe combinations, or the unique flavor of acai.   Enjoy!

 p.s. There’s a good price the Ultimate Acai Smoothie Cookbook here on eCampus: The Ultimate Acai Smoothie Cookbook: More Than 120 Smoothie Recipes Made With the Age-defying Acai Berry

Canadian television has notified viewers that certain acai berry products, including acai weight loss and anti-aging supplements are impure, and that they contain trace elements of slidenafil, also known as the prescription drug Viagra.  Many of these acai products are available for purchase throughout North America through the Internet.  Serious side effects can occur when Viagra is combined with other medications, so steer clear of these products until we have more information.

• Anti-Aging Acai Berry
• Guarana Blast
• Brazilian Pure
• Anti-aging Vital Rez V
• Weight Loss VitalAcai
• Dietary Supplement Acai Power Blast
• Muscle Mass

CTV News | Health Canada warns against using certain acai products.

There are so many great ways to try the acai berry, and while acai powders and supplements are great, they aren’t exactly cheap.  So we were delighted to find this Teavana Imperial Acai Blueberry White Tea.  This unique tea blend is aromatic and soothing. Slightly sweet and never bitter, it’s great iced or hot, or even mixed into a fruit smoothie.  For either the acai berry devotee, tea enthusiast or someone just beginning to explore the medicinal, calming qualities of tea, this makes an ideal gift. It’s a wonderful way to relax and pamper.

What are the health benefits of drinking tea? Green, black and white teas have been found to inhibit growth of cancer cells.  Older women who drink tea are less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.  Drinking tea considerably decreases the chance of death as a result of a heart attack.  It is high in antioxidants which may help protect against cell-damaging free radicals. Drinking tea also helps maintain strong bones and may even help treat symptoms of diabetes.

Also check out Teavana Youthberry White Tea which includes finely ground acai paired with white tea and tropical fruits.

People enjoy acai not only for the energy boost or its antioxidant properties.  They like it because it tastes good!  You’ll find that many recipes, both sweet and savory, that call for berries or figs can use the acai berry as a delicious substitute.

Lamb chops are a natural fit for a tart acai berry compote with a nutty crunch.  This particular recipe calls for acai juice, but you may also try it with frozen acai berries that are becoming more available in health food grocery stores.

Açai and Nut Compote

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 1 ½ cups pure açai juice (note: you can find this at many Latin grocery shops if your local grocery store doesn’t carry it. Failing that, you can find the juice online).
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• ½ cup toasted pine nuts
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Method:

1. In a saucepan, heat oil; sauté shallots until golden Add açai juice, vinegar, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer until reduced by one-third.
2. Add pine nuts and thyme; simmer for 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Serve with lamb, pork or chicken.

Açai and Pine Nut Compote for Meat: Brazil’s Super-Food With Frenched Lamb Chops | Suite101.com.

You may know that chocolate is poisonous to dogs.  But did you know that the acai berry is as well?  Chocolate and acai have an alkaloid in common called theobromine.  Like caffeine, theobromine is a substance that can effect the nervous system.  But while it is safe for humans, dogs metabolize theobromine much more slowly, and consumption can be fatal, particularly in small dogs.  While we don’t expect you to have massive amounts of acai berry products sitting around the house during the holidays, please be mindful of its potential effects on dogs.

Daily Herald | Chocolate, cola, tea and acai berries can be poisonous to dogs.