With tons of superfoods and supplements available on the market, you may find yourself wondering, "Which one should I pick?". And the decision-making process, in this case, could make you dizzy because every supplement has different dosages, forms, and, what's most important, effects on your health. But is there at least one superfood to fit your basic needs?

Actually, there's a product that can cover your primary goals like supporting a healthy heart or powering up your brain performance. So you can consume it daily without grabbing any pillboxes or taking bunches of pills at a time. Ladies and gentlemen, meet acai berry! In this article, we're going to uncover all the benefits of this potent superfood and find out how to take it most efficiently.

What is acai berry, and why is it so popular?

In a nutshell, acai berry is a dark purple berry that grows on acai palm trees native to Brazil. It tastes like a mix of grape juice and dark chocolate, making it a perfect topping for bowls, desserts, and oatmeal. But aside from being really delicious and picturesque food, acai berries are also incredibly healthy and beneficial to your body.

You can find acai berries mostly in three forms: puree, juice, or powder. That makes it easier to add this superfood to your meals and drinks to load them with healthy nutrients. So no wonder they have become a hot trend among food bloggers and healthy lifestyle devotees. But is this a justified trend, and which benefits acai berry can bring to the life of ambitious achievers? Let's find out!

Benefits of acai berry supplements

Acai berries are extremely rich in antioxidants

If you were looking for an antioxidant-rich natural supplement, then acai berry products are what you exactly need! Acai berries contain anthocyanins - a type of flavonoids with a potent antioxidant effect. These compounds can help your body fight free radicals, providing anti-viral and anti-inflammatory effects.

What's more, this superfood can help you get on your feet after a cold faster. Research shows that taking additional anthocyanins can reduce symptoms of a cold. It's especially relevant if you're in the middle of a vast project or about to finish your urgent assignments and catch an unpredicted cold. In such depressing situations, get an acai berry supplement together with a hot tea, and watch how annoying disease recedes.

Acai berries burst with energy-boosting vitamins

When you feel tired most of your weekdays, it doesn't necessarily mean you're working too hard. Energy slumps could happen because you lack some essential nutrients or your energy metabolism isn't so effective. Luckily, acai berry supplements can help you solve both issues!

Researchers have found that this superfood is extremely rich in vitamins B2, B3, B6, and vitamin K. These micronutrients help your body boost energy metabolism and get more energy with consumed foods. So instead of filling yourself with hearty snacks and still remaining hungry, you can actually feel the long-lasting satiety from your meals. At the same time, these vitamins increase your body's ability to produce ATP energy-carrying cells, which means you'll be able to work out more effectively.

Acai berries may level up your brain capabilities

Being a busy achiever means that you are full of ambitions and aspirations, which require a sharp mind and incredible decision-making skills. And acai berry supplements can help you take the plunge towards a striving career!

This Amazonian superfood appears to be a fantastic brain protector and mood enhancer. University of Para's study discovered that consuming acai berry products reduce oxidative stress, closely related to depression. In turn, depression can lead to memory loss, poor productivity, and motivation drops, negatively affecting your career growth. By consuming acai berry supplements, you can decrease oxidative processes and reduce depression symptoms, maintaining your brain health.

Besides, taking acai supplements may turn on a self-cleaning process in your brain, also called autophagy. It helps remove dead or damaged brain cells and replace them with new ones. That way, your brain would be able to create more long-term memories and perform more effectively at cognitive and demanding tasks. So if your goal is to achieve more in your chosen field, start fueling your brain with acai supplements and see the difference!

Acai berries help support your heart health

Are you worried about your heart health, just like 68% of adults? Though it's never late to start taking care of it, and acai supplements can be of much help here! This superfood may help you reduce the symptoms of certain metabolic diseases, which increase your risk of getting heart issues.

Nutrition Journal study has found that you can reduce your total cholesterol, especially "bad cholesterol" markers, by consuming acai berries. Moreover, consuming acai may help you lower blood glucose and insulin levels, which is beneficial if you want to avoid diabetes and following heart disorders. Due to its high antioxidants content, acai supplements are also effective if you want to protect your arteries from hardening. In other words, taking acai berry supplements is a convenient way to maintain blood vessels health!

Acai berries could enhance your skin health

A healthy, agile body and productive brain aren't the only keys to a successful career. Another essential part of your image and charisma is your skin condition. Still, most people think that a facial cream would be enough to keep your skin protected and youthful. And that’s where they’re completely wrong! The most substantial effect visible on your skin appears when you support it from the inside.

The acai berry contains high levels of antioxidants so it can be used both topically for skincare and internally to provide skin health benefits. As an antioxidant, it may reduce the inflammatory process in your skin barriers, reduce redness and irritation. Acai berries may also give your skin a healthy, radiant glow.

Other perks of acai supplements:

1. Acai berries are super-rich in fiber - just 100 grams of these frozen berries contain 14 grams of fiber. That means acai is beneficial for reducing "bad cholesterol" levels and supporting your digestion health.
2. This superfood delivers different minerals to your body, including iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and copper - a huge mineral load!
3. Acai berries are a source of 19 different amino acids, making them a perfect after-workout food to recover muscles and tissues faster.
4. Due to the high antioxidant content, scientists claim that acai berries also have anticancerous effects and may help your body destroy cancer cells.

So it's pretty apparent now that acai berries are much more than just a social media or fitness trend. This Amazonian superfood is bursting with healthy micronutrients and has many excellent benefits for your health and productivity. But how can you add acai berries to your regular nutrition? Here are the most convenient ways to incorporate acai berries into your diet!

Best ways to eat acai berries

Mix acai berries powder with your favorite drinks

If you prefer supplements powders over capsules, consider mixing acai berry powder with your favorite drinks. It will bring a dark chocolate taste to your banana or wild berries smoothies and enhance the benefits of any juice or even yogurts!

Add raw or frozen acai berries to your bowls and desserts

You can always eat acai berries as a regular topping for your meals. Since it's hard to find fresh acai berries in the local shops, you can always get a pack of frozen acai. Add it to your sweet bowls, ice cream, oatmeal, or fruit salads to get more fiber and antioxidants with every spoon.

Drink acai juice

It's another healthy option of acai berry product, which delivers tons of antioxidants and at the same time hydrates your body. Though it contains less fiber than acai berries, acai juice still provides all the superfood benefits. Try to pick those options that aren't mixed with other sugary juices or contain no added sugar.

Take acai berry supplement capsules

When you don't have time to look for the acai berries in the store or cook bowls & smoothies, there's still a way to load up with the antioxidants! You can get yourself acai berry supplement capsules and take them daily to receive all the health benefits. Just don't forget to put them in your pill case.

Acai meal ideas you should definitely try

The acai berry was once only eaten by the indigenous people of Brazil, where it grows naturally. However, berry has become popular worldwide since the discovery of its tremendous health benefits. So you can try adding it to many dishes to make them healthier and enhance their taste! Read on to discover the easiest & most delicious acai meal ideas:

Acai bowl

These berries might look small, but they pack a lot of punch! Acai berries make great desserts like acai bowls. Smash acai berries into a puree, then mix it with your favorite grains, yogurt, and nuts. You can add bananas, strawberries, coconut milk, and seeds to your bowl, depending on what you enjoy eating!

Raw acai berry cheesecake

It's a perfect vegan pie for a wholesome dessert. Blend dates, almonds, and cacao powder to make a crunchy, sweet crust. Then mix raw acai berries into a puree, add rice malt syrup and fruity powders berries layer. You can also add coconut oil and baking extract (like almond or vanilla) to enhance the taste if you decide to bake your cheesecake.

Acai muffins

Are you ready for some baked treats? Whisk together the acai berry powder, flour, baking powder, sea salt, and arrowroot starch in a medium bowl. Mix until well combined. Mix a portion of the dry ingredients with milk-cider mix and coconut oil, stirring until there are no lumps. Add in the maple syrup and vanilla extract last. Then, add some blueberries and spread the mix into butter-covered muffin baking pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake for 25 minutes.

Acai pancakes

You can make acai pancakes in two different ways - yet both of them are crazily delicious & healthy. You can create an acai jam by mixing frozen acai berries, a little acai juice, and a teaspoon of vanilla. Boil these ingredients, add some sweetener, and cook until the mixture is thickened. Virtually no cooking skills are required! Eat your original pancakes with this healthy topping to enjoy all the benefits of acai berries!

Another way is to use acai powder in your pancake mix - just use less flour and add a little milk. It will create an unexpected burst of flavor and add health perks to your regular meal.

Acai smoothie

Meet the simplest recipe ever to add more acai berries to your diet! Yeah, it’s a well-known smoothie, but even healthier this time - with the help of acai berries. You’ll need one cup of frozen blueberries, spinach, and banana. Mix them in the blender into a puree, then add 1 tbsp of acai berry powder, 1 tbsp of chia seeds, and a few drops of vanilla extract. You can also pour coconut milk or liquid yogurt into the blend to make it more nutrient-dense. Sounds like a perfect deal for lunch or a snack before dinner, huh?

Wrapping up

Even though acai berry supplements are a hot trend in social media and among fitness lovers, not everyone realizes how many benefits this superfood can bring. These Amazonian berries are bursting with antioxidants, providing anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects. Plus, if you strive to become more energized in your daily life, acai supplements deliver energy-boosting vitamins to your body, making you more vigorous.

What's more, acai supplements also have anticancerous effects on your body and may help you skyrocket your brain performance. So they cover all the primary needs of busy achievers, who want to keep up with the busy pace of life without becoming sluggish or dizzy. And the fantastic thing about acai supplements is that you can try them in different ways: mixing them into smoothies, adding to desserts, or taking them as a standalone drink.

Resources:

• Brazilian Acai Berry Antioxidants Absorbed By Human Body, Research Shows (2008)
• What Are Anthocyanins? (2020)
• Acai Berry Nutrition Facts (2019)
• Antidepressant And Antiaging Effects Of Açaí ( Euterpe Oleracea Mart.) In Mice (2019)
• Modulation Of Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, Autophagy And Expression Of Nrf2 In Hippocampus And Frontal Cortex Of Rats Fed With Açaí-Enriched Diets (2017)
• Autophagy: Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms (2010)
• When It Comes To Heart Health, Americans Don’t Know Their Numbers (2017)
• Effects Of Açai (Euterpe Oleracea Mart.) Berry Preparation On Metabolic Parameters In A Healthy Overweight Population: A Pilot Study (2011)
• Acai Shows Heart Health Benefits: Pilot Study (2011)
• Acai Berry Nutrition Information (2019)
• Acai Berry And Cancer (2018)