For all those you have internet or a TV, we know Rachel Ray loves Acai. Acai is the new superfood promoted by Rachel Ray, Oprah, Dr. Perricone and Dr. Oz. For those who haven’t heard of it, the acai berry is dark purple or green in color. This berry grows naturally and without cultivation at the crown of fast growing palm trees which dominate the rain forests in the Amazon, particularly in parts of Brazil. Every six months, the local population harvests the berries and uses them to make a fruity pulp which flavors a variety of different foods. In its raw form this berry pulp has a short shelf life and needs to be used quickly. If not used immediately after harvest the pulp needs to be flash-frozen in order to prevent spoilage.

Acai berries are a significant source of anthocyanins which are a particular antioxidant nutrient. This nutrient is the same as that which provides red wine with it’s health benefits. Acai are also a good source protein and fiber. Lastly, acai berries also provide a good quantity of vitamins and omega fatty acids. Acai Berries provide a remarkably powerful combination of many healthy nutritional benefits.

Acai has gotten a lot of press since being introduced to us by Dr. Nicholas Perricone on the Oprah show. He wrote a book in which he states acai berry is the most perfect food in the world. Acai Berry ranks among his top ten superfoods and if these superfoods are taken regularly they are supposed to make a person feel significantly younger within 10 days. Acai berry has captured the imagination of many celebrities. Rachel Ray drinks acai berry juice daily and speaks about it on her own television show.

It is commonly known that antioxidants are essential for good health. They help us fight the on-going threat of disease and the deteriorating effects of aging. We are regularly hearing that we should eat more foods rich in antioxidants such as raspberries and blueberries and spinach. Antioxidants have long been recognized as an essential and critical part of a healthy diet.

I think highly of Rachel Ray and her opinions on wellness, drink and food. As a science oriented person myself, I was interested in learning about Rachel Ray and acai berry. As you can imagine, I was thrilled to read that recently a team of researchers decided to investigate just how much antioxidant benefit was actually in commonly available acai juices. Three store bought and readily available acai juice blends containing unspecified and presumably varied concentrations of a?a? juice and/or acai pulp were compared for in vitro antioxidant capacity against other commonly known antioxidants including tea, six types of pure fruit juice, red wine and pomegranate juice. The results are surprising at first glance. The antioxidant capacity of the acai juice blends was approximately equal to that of black cherry or cranberry juice, and was higher than that of apple juice, tea and orange juice. The antioxidant capacity of the acai juice blends was actually ranked poorer than that of Concord grape juice, pomegranate juice, blueberry juice, and red wine. How does this make me feel about Rachel Ray and acai? Acai juice blends are significantly better for you than orange or apple juices, but not as good antioxidant-wise as either red wine or pomegranate juice. Simply put it still means that readily available acai juice blends provide a health benefit.

The results using pure acai juice might be significantly different. I have seen acai juice blends and there is no telling whether they are mostly acai or rather pear juice with a splash of acai berry juice for flavor. The problem with this study is that it uses juices with unspecified concentrations of acai. In the interests of fairness and giving her the benefit of the doubt to Rachel Ray and acai she might promote a juice that is 100% acai.

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