ACAI: The New Superfood

The nutrition world has found a new fruit to rave about: ACAI (pronounced: ah-sigh-ee). It's a fruit the grows on the Acai Palm tree in the Amazon Rain Forest. It's smaller than a grape and dark purple in color. 90% of the Acai berry is seed that no one eats. It's tasty with a mild chocolate after taste.

Often called "The Tree of Life", Brazilian natives use the berry for energy and traditional healing by a medicine man. Although they are not high in fat, Acai has the same beneficial fatty acids that are found in the Mediterranean Diet. Greenpeace says that the manner in which Acai is grown can be part of the solution to saving the Amazon Rain Forest.

Acai is a very perishable fruit and spoils within 24 hours after being picked from the palm tree. It can be bought as frozen pulp (used in smoothies) and be dehydrated into powder or freeze dried. It can be put into capsules in a concentrated form.If you're considering purchasing it, look for USDA organic Certified Acai which lets you know that it has been produced, processed and certified to meet national organic guidelines to give the most benefit. Non-organic products may contain harmful pesticides and toxins. When purchasing Acai juice, look for ones that have no added sugar as that will reduce it's anti-inflammatory benefits.It should be preservative free as often added preservatives will cancel out the health benefits. Always purchase the juice in a glass bottle. Authentic Acai juice is thick; no water should be added. Acai juice should contain at least 3000 ORACs (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) per ounce.

There are many health benefits from ACAI including:

*boosting energy levels
*improving digestion
*promoting sound sleep
*strengthening the immune system
*fighting cancerous cells
*supporting weight loss
*improving circulation
*minimizing inflammation

Olive Oil: a key part of the Mediterranean Diet

Olive oil, a major part of the Mediterranean Diet (see 8/25/09 post) is a natural juice that preserves the taste, aroma, and vitamins of the olive fruit. It can be consumed, as-is, freshly pressed. Some olive tress that are hundreds of years old continue to bear fruit.

Once olives have been picked, they need to be processed immediately or the acidic level will climb too high which affects the flavor. Cleaned olives are run through a press that turns them into a paste. The paste is subjected to the malaxation process (slow mixing so that droplets of oil begin to adhere to other droplets). The paste is put under pressure to get the liquid oil along with water from the fruit. Olive oil is separated from the water which is discarded. When bottled, less than 1% acidic levels result in extra virgin olive oil that is rich and intense in flavor. Olive oil with higher acidic level is referred to as virgin.

The beneficial health effects of olive oil are due to the high content of monounsaturated fatty acids and its high content of antioxidative substances. Olive oil offers protection against heart disease by controlling LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels while raising HDL ("good cholesterol").

Extra virgin olive oil, from the first pressing of the olives, contains higher levels of antioxidants particularly vitamin E and phenols, because it is less processed. Olive oil has helpful benefit on ulcers and gastritis. Also, Spanish research suggests that olive oil in a diet may help prevent colon cancer.

95% of the olive trees cultivated world wide are in the Mediterranean region with most of the production coming from Southern Europe, North Africa and the Near East. In 2002, Spain contributed about 45%of the world's production and in 2006, Turkey accounted for 5% of the world's production.

Greece (see 6/26/09 post) devotes 60% of its cultivated land to olive growing. It's the world's top producer of black olives and has more variety of olives that any other country. It is 3rd in world olive production. About half of the Greek olive oil production is exported yearly with exports mainly going to Europe (Italy in particular). The Republic of South Africa, also a producer of extra virgin olive oil, is seeing an increase in demand for their product.

Eat Healthy With The Mediterranean Diet

I LOVE MEDITERRANEAN FOOD !! I've been to Greece twice and Morocco and Turkey one time each and have eaten some of the best food in the world in those places.

The British Medical Journal tracked 23,000 Greek adults. It was learned that eating a lot of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes (like beans and peas) had the greatest impact on longevity. Consuming small/moderate amounts of alcohol and meats also contributed to a longer lifespan. A high intake of cereal and seafood had little or no positive effect.

A study in the Archives of Neurology showed that the Mediterranean diet reduced people's risk of dementia and/or helped reduce it's progression.