In the past two years, there has been a kind of fruit that has been very popular, and it has even been called "the healthiest fruit in the world", that is, the acai berry that looks like a blueberry brother and sister, and many people on major platforms are pushing it 👇
Screenshot of Xiaohongshu
Today we will take a look at the true face of this "superfood". Who is it? Where does it come from? Does it really have so many awesome effects?
A new generation of "superfoods".
The name Acai may be unfamiliar to many people. Unlike its predecessors such as quinoa and avocado, the new generation of superfoods is not presented to us in its original form.
The purple-black fruit, which is native to South America and looks like a blueberry, is processed into a freeze-dried powder before it is added to the yogurt bowl. Its original flavor is not obvious in front of the heavy sugar-free yogurt.
Acai bowl
But if we look at its homeland, we will be surprised to find that in the country of origin, they are not special health foods; It's less high-end and more like street food. Locals process acai berries into juice and ice cream. There is a bit of contrast between the down-to-earth painting style and the "superfood" of self-discipline and elite temperament in the propaganda.
Acai juice of origin
图源：Wikipedia
So, what kind of existence does acai really have?
Truth of life: Is acai a "berry"?
Familiar berries such as blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc., are fleshy and juicy "berries" (in fact, botanically different fruit types), often used to make desserts and juices, and in yogurt bowls, berries are also commonly used to add flavor. Therefore, it is easy to think that acai is a blueberry-like fruit.
Yogurt bowl full of berries
In fact, acai berries are different from most of the berries we are familiar with, and although they have a name and look like berries, the fruit is hard, probably thanks to the huge seeds that make up 60-80% of the fruit's volume.
is like a brother and sister of a blueberry, but in fact, the kinship can't be beaten
Acai is the fruit of the millina palm (Euterpe oleracea). This palm, also known as the acai palm, native to the Amazon basin, is an important local cash crop, and in addition to the fruit, its young stems are also a common source of the vegetable "palm heart".
With up to 25 meters tall and pinnate leaves up to 3 meters long, they are native to the eastern Amazon rainforest, especially in the alluvial plains of Brazil. Acai berries, which are only about 1 centimeter in diameter, grow in bunches on the branches of these tall trees.
Acai palm trees
图源：Wikipedia
The tropical rainforest climate allows the millifa palm to continue flowering and fruiting almost all year round, but it can only be harvested during the dry season. Because the fruit is not easily stored and transported, it is almost impossible to see the fresh fruit of acai outside of the place of origin.
Acai berries still on the tree
Image source: Wikipedia
Acai berries are small and have thin flesh, making them not a very attractive fruit. Therefore, acai berries are made into freeze-dried powder, which is used to add flavor to other foods, which has become the most common way to open it. Ice creams and milkshakes with acai powder often have a beautiful purple color and a nut-like woody aroma.
Acai flavored cold drink
In addition to acai, the fruits of many other palm plants have long been added to human recipes. The oldest edible palm fruit is coconut and date palm.
Coconut water is a sweet and delicious liquid endosperm of an unripe coconut, which can be fermented to make coconut fruit. The latter is extracted from the solid endosperm of ripe coconut, which has a milk-like texture and a rich taste.
Native to Western Asia, dates have a soft and waxy taste and can contain up to 62% sugar, making them a favorite delicacy of Arabs. The snakeskin fruit, which was introduced earlier, is also a fruit of the palm family.
The skin of the fruit is like a snakeskin pocket, and the review link has been prepared at the end of the article
Also a fruit of the palm family is the "sea coconut", which has been used as a milk tea ingredient in recent years, and is the endosperm in sugar palm seeds. In addition to eating, the fruit of the palm family oil palm can also be extracted from oil, and the obtained is palm oil, one of the world's three major vegetable oils.
Jelly-like crystal clear "sea coconut"
图源：Wikipedia
In fact, acai berries can also be extracted for oil, a dark green or purplish-black liquid known as "acai oil" with a light aroma and rich in oleic and palmitic acid, which can be used in cooking or salads, but more often than not, they are used to make shampoos, soaps and cosmetics.
Acai oil
图源：Wikipedia
If you are still curious about the taste of acai berries here, don't worry - acai berries have already been introduced in China, and not long ago, the acai berries tested by the World Tropical Fruit Window in Qionghai, Hainan Province, have successfully borne fruit, and they are said to have a dark chocolate-like aroma. Perhaps, in the near future, there will also be a chance to taste acai berries in the south of the mainland~
Nutrition Truth: Directly hitting the pain points of contemporary people, however...
Having said all this, does acai have any miraculous effects? In fact, the efficacy and nutritional content advertised by acai berry are not new, but there is no doubt that it directly hits the pain point of contemporary people: it has low sugar content and no obvious sweetness, which is very in line with the needs of sugar control; The well-known antioxidant effects of anthocyanins and vitamin C have also led to its belief in whitening and slimming, anti-aging, and eyesight protection.
It sounds like this is simply the most ideal healthy food for young people today, especially those who lack exercise, stare at computer screens for a long time, often eat takeout, and eat a diet high in oil and salt (I won't say who got shot).
Placing an order for acai powder, or replacing the yellow stewed chicken and spicy tang with a yogurt bowl, seems to have chosen a new lifestyle for yourself and has a better tomorrow of health and self-discipline.
Who can say no to a healthy dessert?
But is that really the case? Or is this another dream?
A common plant in the eastern Amazon basin, acai berries were indeed once thought to have medicinal properties. The inhabitants of the plains of the Amazon basin have been collecting and eating these fruits since at least the 18th century. Aboriginal people are said to use acai berries to stop bleeding and treat a variety of symptoms such as diarrhea, parasitic infections, malaria, ulcers and muscle aches.
Since the '80s, the Gracie family in Brazil has been adding acai berries to energy drinks, or eating them with bananas and cereals, and these new products have been popular, which has led to the emergence of local artisanal workshops and processing plants that process acai juice and freeze-dried powder.
Acai freeze-dried powder
Acai was listed as a "superfood" in 2003, about 20 years ago.
After all, the concept of "superfoods" only caught on at the beginning of this century. "Superfoods" are often foods that are considered to have special nutritional and health value or therapeutic effects on specific diseases, many of which are local ingredients with strong national characteristics, or emerging agricultural products that have not yet been produced on a large scale.
Quinoa, the first "superfood".
Low yields, high prices due to inconvenient transportation, and even special flavors that do not meet the public's preferences are easy to accept under the halo of "superfood".
"Superfood" is not a term that has been accepted by the scientific community, and there is no official definition. That's why, as early as 2007, the European Union restricted the use of the slogan – ingredients that must have credible research to prove their health benefits or special therapeutic effects are allowed to be sold as "superfoods".
Despite this, "superfoods" continue to emerge, with the number of products labelled as "superfoods", "superfruits" and "supergrains" at least doubling between 2011 and 2015. It was during this period that quinoa became one of the first Internet celebrity foods known as "superfood".
Interestingly, the term "superfood" first appeared in a 1949 advertisement in a Canadian newspaper to describe the great flavor and nutritional value of muffins, a refined dessert like a cake that is clearly shunned by today's "superfood" fans.
The muffin looks like this
图源：Wikipedia
Indeed, some research suggests that acai berries may protect against cardiovascular disease, and for people on high-fat diets, daily intake of acai juice can also reduce the health risks associated with high fat. In experiments with mice, anthocyanin-rich acai extract was able to reduce obesity caused by a high-fat diet, insulin resistance, and hepatic steatosis.
However, there are no studies that have proven that adding acai pulp to the human diet can help reduce weight or body fat. Even if the efficacy has been proven, there is a lack of research on the specific intake and use of it. There is no evidence that acai berries have irreplaceable unique effects compared to other common fruits.
If you just want to supplement anthocyanins, blueberries, which were listed as "superfoods" earlier, are even more convenient
In 2012, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission fined five companies that sold acai products totaling $80 million for promoting their benefits for weight loss and preventing colon cancer.
It can be seen that acai berries and other "superfoods" are far from being as miraculous as everyone expects, and their efficacy has not been recognized by authoritative institutions. Over-reliance and superstition on "superfoods" can also lead to an overly homogeneous diet.
Acai berries and a few leaves that I don't know where to pull randomly
But in any case, the curiosity about new things and the yearning for a healthy and disciplined life are things to celebrate. "Superfoods" may not be a lifesaver for us to live a healthy and disciplined life from now on, let alone be superstitious and expensive to follow. But as long as the economic situation allows, it is not impossible to try and occasionally adjust as a new thing in life.
If you have eaten acai powder, you can also come to the comment area to talk about its taste
Bibliography:
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[6] Marcason, W. (2009). "What is the Açaí Berry and Are There Health Benefits?". Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 109 (11): 1968. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2009.09.017
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Written by | Wu Ke
Part of the picture | Pixabay, Picture Worm Gallery
WeChat edit | Not the end