Acai Berry Tales and Truths

Filed Under (health) by Caitin Ryan on 24-03-2009

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by Caitin Ryan

If you are looking for a miracle fruit that offers optimum , beautiful skin and radiant hair, you might have to search a bit farther than the produce department. How about the Brazilian rainforest? Not a big fan of jungle critters? No worries, this super fruit called Acai berries is now available on this side of the equator.

Acai (pronounced Ah-SIGH-ee) berries have become quite popular in the past few years, but the people of the Brazilian rainforest have long revered this gorgeous purple fruit that grows on a palm tree.

According to folklore, the daughter of an Amazon Indian tribal chief is responsible for acai berries. Tragically, the chief had to order that all newborn babies be killed because there was not enough food to feed his growing tribe. His daughter, Iaca, was not spared this decree and her baby was the first to be killed.

She mourned her child to the point of hearing the cries of a baby outside her hut. She desperately searched for what she thought was her newborn baby crying for her. Instead, she found a new palm tree growing in the midst of the Amazon rainforest. Terribly heartbroken, she lay beneath the palm tree and died.

When the villagers discovered her, they also discovered the palm, which bore berries plentiful enough to feed and sustain the entire village. The tribal chief was able to lift the decree and named the berries Acai berries after his dead daughter. Acai is Iaca spelled backward.

Clever story, but the truth behind acai berries is just now being realized. Scientists are finding that acai berries just might be the most potent fruit available because they contain super antioxidants, essential amino acids and omega 3 fatty acids.

Antioxidants are all capable of fighting cancer by fighting free radicals that damage cells and are the prelude to cancer and the aging process. The super antioxidant in acai berries that gives the berries their royal purple color is called anthocyanin. This super antioxidant has been found to slow and stop the growth of tumors. Antioxidants are also necessary for repairing damaged cells and replenishing tissue.

Because free radicals are also responsible for the aging process, acai berries are also great for preventing premature aging and slowing the biological clock.

In addition to other powerful antioxidant, acai berries have an unusual plant characteristic. Only animal protein contains a complete source of essential amino acids, but acai berries come pretty close! This makes them an excellent source of protein without the damaging effects of saturated fat also found in animal protein.

Acai berries do not contain saturated fat, but they do contain the good fat, omega 3 fatty acids which can lower LDL (bad cholesterol)and raise HDL (good cholesterol) making them excellent (just like fish) in preventing cardiovascular disease.

Acai berries are able to improve your , prevent disease and slow the aging process. Available in a number of ways, acai products can truly benefit your overall and restore a more youthful appearance.

Make sure you do not fall prey to acai juice that is mostly corn syrup and chemicals.

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How Can I Lose 10 Pounds

Filed Under (health) by Michelle Johnson on 23-03-2009

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by Veronica Johnson

If I’m neither slender nor fit, what can I do? That’s why the question is more than legitimate: How can I lose 10 pounds? 10 pounds just to begin with. I searched the web and looked through some books written by dieticians and I found out that it is possible to get rid of this weight. Certain harsh diets can even help you wipe out the weight in seven days only.

In doing my research I have found some helpful tips that you might find as useful as I did when the question - How can I lose 10 pounds? - as I started to get obsessed with it. Think for instance how many liquids you drink per day, hydration is vital for diets. An average person should drink about 200 gallons of liquid a year that usually include lots of soda, ice tea, and milk. What is left to 200 is made of other kinds of drinks like tea, coffee, and wine.

If you change your drinking habits there is a good chance to . Needs come before pleasure, that is the idea of a healthy hydration. It’s not that I am suggesting drinking only water but reconsider the way you drink liquids and the amount of liquids you take in each day. I am sure you have heard that liquids fill you up. A pulpy juice will not only quench your thirst but hunger too, while also bringing vitamins and minerals to the body. The problem is with the liquid diet that it is not easy, you should keep in mind its long-term effects. You will get rid of 35,456 calories in one month only. And this is close to the 10 pounds. A natural fat burner is tea, on the condition you drink the right tea. Green tea seems to be the best as it contains a natural compounds that increase the metabolic rate within your body. You would be astounded to find out that green tea is able to free you of 5,000 calories within 4 weeks of use.

And again: how can I lose 10 pounds? Other people claim that you can do it easily without any stress. But some overweight suffers claim the need for self honesty. Such an approach tells you to set a realistic related to the ideal weight and how to reach it. Take it one step at a time don’t set your goal to be too over the top that will only make reaching your goal the more harder. Last but not least you must increase your physical activity. If you take the elevator start taking the steps, park your car further away from entrance in stores. Any extra physical activity will help.

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