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Superfood #1: AçaíNature's Energy FruitIt may seem odd to start this list of superfoods with one you’ve likely never even heard of. But studies have shown that this little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world! Açaí (ah-sigh-ee) is the high-energy berry of a special Amazon palm tree. Harvested in the rainforests of Brazil, açaí tastes like a vibrant blend of berries and chocolate. Hidden within its royal purple pigment is the magic that makes it nature's perfect energy fruit. Açaí is packed full of antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids. Although açaí may not be available in your local supermarket, you can find it in several health food and gourmet stores (often in juice form). A new product featuring the unsweetened pulp is now also available, and I highly recommend that you choose this form of açaí. Açaí pulp contains: The fatty acid content in açaí resembles that of olive oil, and is rich in monounsaturated oleic acid. Oleic acid is important for a number of reasons. It helps omega-3 fish oils penetrate the cell membrane; together they help make cell membranes more supple. By keeping the cell membrane supple, all hormones, neurotransmitter and insulin receptors function more efficiently. This is particularly important because high insulin levels create an inflammatory state, and we know, inflammation causes aging. Reference: Written by Dr. Perricone |
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| Açaí The juice and pulp of açaí fruits (Euterpe oleracea) are frequently used in various juice blends, smoothies, sodas, and other beverages. In northern Brazil, açaí is traditionally served in cuias with tapioca and sometimes sugar. Açaí has become a fad in southern Brazil where it is consumed cold as açaí na tigela ("açaí in the bowl"). Açaí juice, blends and pulp powder are no longer limited to the Amazon region, but are now part of the worldwide industries of functional foods and nutraceuticals for which açaí is often categorized as a superfruit. |  |
| Cupuaçú The white pulp of the cupuaçu is uniquely fragrant, and it contains theacrine (1,3,7,9-tetramethyluric acid) instead of the xanthines (caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline) found in cacao.[1] Cupuaçu can replace cocoa in many day-to-day foods, especially for children, such as chocolate milk. It is frequently used in desserts, juices and sweets. Cupuaçu seeds can be made into cupulate, which looks and tastes just like chocolate but is cheaper and more resistant to heat.[citation needed] Asahi Foods, a Japanese company, once tried to patent the production and use of Cupuaçu seed fat, but they failed. | |
| Guava Guavais round to pear-shaped, from 3-10 cm in diameter (to 12 cm in some selected cultivars). It has a thin delicate rind, pale green to yellow at maturity in some species, pink to red in others, a creamy white or orange-salmon flesh with many small hard seeds, and a strong, characteristic aroma. It is rich in vitamins A, B, and C (a guava fruit contains more vitamin C than a typical citrus fruit the rind contains over five times more vitamin C than an orange). It also contains high amounts of calcium – which is unusual in a fruit. | |
| Pineapple Pineapple contains a proteolytic enzyme bromelain, which digests food by breaking down protein. Pineapple juice can thus be used as a marinade and tenderizer for meat. The enzymes in pineapples can interfere with the preparation of some foods, such as jelly or other gelatin-based desserts. There is significant evidence pointing to the anti-inflammatory benefits of bromelain. Some have claimed that pineapple has benefits for some intestinal disorders while others claim that it helps to induce childbirth when a baby is overdue.[2] These enzymes can be hazardous to someone suffering from certain protein deficiencies or disorders, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Pineapple is a good source of manganese, as well as containing significant amounts of Vitamin C and Vitamin B1. | |
| Passion fruit Passiflora edulis or passion fruit is cultivated commercially for its fruit in northwestern South America, India, the Caribbean, Brazil, southern Florida, Hawaii, Australia (where it is always spelled passionfruit), East Africa, Israel and South Africa. The passion fruit is round to oval, yellow or dark purple at maturity, with a soft to firm, juicy interior filled with numerous seeds. The fruit can be grown to eat or for its juice, which is often added to other fruit juices to enhance aroma. | |
| Graviola Graviola (soursoap, Brazilian paw paw, guansavana or cachiman epineux) a small upright green tree (15 - 18 feet in height)) with large, glossy, dark green leaves found in the Amazon jungle and some of the Caribbean Islands. | |
| Cashew Cashew is a multipurpose tree of the Amazon that grows up to 15 m high. It has a thick and tortuous trunk with branches so winding that they frequently reach the ground. Cashew trees are often found growing wild on the drier sandy soils in the central plains of Brazil and are cultivated in many parts of the Amazon rainforest. | |
| Mango The fruit flesh of a ripe mango contains about 15% sugar, up to 1% protein, and significant amounts of vitamins A, B and C. The taste of the fruit is very sweet, with some cultivars having a slight acidic tang; it tastes roughly like a cross between a peach and a pineapple. The texture of the flesh varies markedly between different cultivars; some have quite a soft and pulpy texture similar to an over-ripe plum, while others have a firmer flesh much like that of a cantaloupe or avocado, and in some cultivars the flesh can contain fibrous material. Mangoes are very juicy; the sweet taste and high water content make them refreshing to eat, though somewhat messy. | |
| Star Fruit The carambola, more popularly known as star fruit, but also coromandel gooseberry or kamranga, is a golden-yellow to green berry. When cut across it shows a 5-pointed (sometimes 6-pointed or 7-pointed) star shape, hence the name, "star fruit." Star fruits are crunchy, and have a slightly tart, acidic, sweet taste, reminiscent of pears, apples, and sometimes grapes. The fruits are a good source of vitamin C. Its seeds are small and brown. They consist of a tough outer skin and a tangy white inside. |
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