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Are acai berries worth the high price?
I won’t be buying acai berries any time soon because after tasting a few acai berry drinks with little enjoyment, I’ve decided that the high priced fruit was one I could live without.
Acai berries are the latest craze in the world of nutrition and I’m certain you must have seen acai berry juices at your grocery store and you might even have seen some acai berry supplements on the market.
Acai berries are cultivated in Brazil and they’ve been used by tribes living in the Amazon for thousands of years for their medicinal properties.
These little dark coloured berries are packed with antioxidants and you have celebrity doctors like dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone and heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz who have promoted the benefits of this superfood on Queen Oprah’s daytime show.
In fact, acai berries became such a popular food that sales jumped to $13.5 million in 2007 from $435,000 in 2005. That’s an exponential growth and I’m sure that many acai berry famers were laughing all the way to the bank. You also had a series of multi-level marketing companies who were also promoting their own house brand of acai berries supplement.
I have no doubt that with the turn of events in the economy, the sales of acai berry supplements will surely drop like the sales of so many other things.
There are many reasons why acai berries became the huge phenomenon that we saw in 2007:
* Acai berries contain 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes
* They contain 10-30 times more protective flavonoids than red wine.
* They contain key enzymes for your body.
* They help reduce inflammation.
The only problem is that acai berries and acai berries supplements are super expensive. I’ve found that an acai berry juice will cost 50%-75% more than pomegranate juice and as I’ve said earlier in this post, I’m not a big fan of the taste.
When it comes to acai berry supplements, you’re looking at about $10 per week.
There is no doubt that the acai berry is a superfood, but if you want to keep on your food budget on a healthier side, you might want to consider more affordable antioxidant-packed options such as blueberries, oranges and tomatoes!
Photo by Breno Peck
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August 2nd, 2009 at 9:09
Great blog!
I try to buy local berries or pick wild ones.
August 3rd, 2009 at 7:46
I really got a good information on which I am looking for. Recently I tried acai berry juice and got many benefits with it. Many grocery stores will provide acai berry.
August 9th, 2009 at 18:01
This is a great post on Acai berry.
I was wondering if they worth the price.
I agree with Randy Allen Bishop, I also quite like berry picking at my local farmer’s market.
Maybe I will stick to that since acai berry seem good for your health, but quite expensive.
Julia