Acai Berry Smoothies – Ultimate Guide and Recipes

In our quest to eat healthy, we are always on the lookout for fresh, new ingredients that can add a boost to our diet while still tasting great.

For the last few years, one of the most widely touted fruits is the Acai Berry. You have probably seen advertisements for extracts featuring this ingredient, with everyone saying that it can help with almost everything, from losing weight to preventing cancer.

While it would be incredible that such a fruit can do everything that people claim, it’s important to look at everything with a discerning eye.

Thus, to help you weed through the facts and sort out what’s true and what isn’t, we will take an in-depth look at the Acai Berry.

What is Acai Berry?​

First and foremost, it’s pronounced ah-sah-hee, not a-sai or a-kai berry. While the correct pronunciation is not necessary for you to enjoy it, I always like to call new or exotic ingredients by their real name.

These berries hail from South America, where it is grown and harvested from the Acai palm tree. The fruit itself looks almost like a blueberry, in that it is small, round, and has a dark, purplish color.​

How Does Acai Berry Taste?​

Fortunately, this fruit tastes as good as it looks, with a flavor that is a combination of a rich blackberry mixed with raspberry and red wine.

Overall, the taste is succulent and delicious, which is why it is such a great ingredient for smoothies and salads.

The berries themselves burst with juice and flavor, although you have to wait until they are fully ripe to get that experience.

Some people say that there is a lingering aftertaste that resembles chocolate, but that depends on who is eating it.

Is Acai a Superfood?​

First, let’s get this out of the way. While many different media outlets have lifted the Acai Berry as being the best thing for your body, the fact is that while there are plenty of various benefits of eating this fruit, it’s not inherently better than anything else you can find.

Most of the hype comes from the fact that it was not well known outside of Central and South America until a few years ago. That meant that people trying to sell it could label it as a “hidden secret” that promised a long life and a slimmer body.

Now, we’re not trying to say that Acai has no health benefits, but if you see a claim that says it’s a “superfood,” then it’s probably false. In fact, the term superfood was coined by the media as a way to sensationalize new findings for various fruits and vegetables.

What are the Health Benefits of Acai?​

While the berry may not qualify for super status, it does have a lot going for it.

In fact, pound for pound, Acai can have a greater impact than other berries, such as raspberries or blueberries.

This video explains more about the healthy and weight loss advantages of Acai:​

Here are the top benefits that you can expect from this fruit. Each of these claims has been well researched.

Antioxidants

This term has also gotten a lot of buzz lately, with many different food products being touted for their high levels of antioxidants.

If you’re not familiar with the definition, however, an antioxidant is a substance that helps slow or prevent cell decay that occurs as a result of oxidation.

Another thing that antioxidants can do is stabilize and neutralize free radicals. Those are naturally occurring molecules that have an odd number of electrons, and they can do a lot of damage when they build up. Although more research is needed, it’s believed that free radicals can help lead to serious problems, like cancer.​

With regards to the Acai berry, it has more antioxidants in it than other similar fruits, such as cranberries, strawberries, and blackberries. The antioxidants in the berry are in the form of polyphenols, which occur naturally and help prevent cell damage.​

Having a high amount of antioxidants in your diet can give you a lot of different benefits, but they aren’t a miracle cure for anything. Each person is different, so one user may experience different results than someone else.​

Exercise Recovery​

One thing that Acai can do well is help you recover faster from a high-intensity workout. While the benefits are minimal, over time they can accumulate and give your body an easier time bouncing back after hitting the gym.

The benefits of Acai on your body in recovery are more noticeable as you age when it becomes much more imperative that you allow your muscles and tendons to heal before you work them out again.​

Anti-Inflammatory Agent​

Inflammation is a common problem that gets worse as we age. Our joints and muscles get inflamed for various reasons, and the results can be mild to severe, depending on the degree of the situation and the reaction our body has.

Common issues with inflammation are soreness and tenderness around the site. One of the biggest symptoms of this problem is arthritis, which is when our hands and knuckles become sore and weak over time.​

Acai berries have excellent anti-inflammatory properties, making them ideal for anyone who suffers from joint pain or muscle soreness.​

Again, the results can vary depending on the person, so don’t assume that taking Acai will mean that you don’t need to take any other medication.​

Bone Health​

In recent studies, Acai Berry was put to the test to see if it could aid in the prevention of bone deterioration over time.

Because the berry has high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, it is believed that it can assist with bone health. Over the course of the study, the berries had a net positive impact in treating bone loss.​

While the berries are not as robust as other foods, the study did prove a correlation between using acai extract and having stronger bones.​

Lower Cholesterol​

One of the biggest claims that people have regarding Acai is that it can help you lose weight fast.

The idea is that it has so many beneficial ingredients that it will supercharge your body and boost your metabolism, thereby making you process food much more quickly and allow you to shed pounds instantly.​

While the real benefits are not quite as robust as that, a recent study has shown that consumption of the berry can lead to a slight reduction in cholesterol.​

While the numbers aren’t revolutionary, it does seem like prolonged ingestion of the fruit could result in a net positive impact, especially as you get older.​

While the results are promising, much more research needs to be done to quantify the benefit that the berries have on our bodies.​

Heart Health

Another side effect of having high levels of polyphenols and anti-inflammatory agents is that the Acai berry can improve vascular health.

For most Americans, heart disease is a real killer, so anything that can help our hearts get stronger and be more resilient is a huge win.

Again, the tangible benefits are not necessarily life-changing (adding Acai won’t negate that double cheeseburger), studies do show a positive correlation between the fruit and improved vascular health.

This interesting and informative video summarizes the research findings, which are mostly quite encouraging:​

Will Acai Help Me Lose Weight?

For most people, the idea of eating a particular food to lose weight is desirable. Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could shed pounds without having to change your diet drastically?

Well, if you’re looking to Acai to be that magic ingredient, we have some bad news for you. While you do get plenty of health benefits from eating the fruit, they do not outweigh any bad decisions that you might make otherwise.​

Overall, Acai, like all other fruits and vegetables, is but one component in creating a healthier lifestyle. Adding an Acai smoothie without making any significant change to your eating habits won’t do anything to help you lose weight.​

However, if you do make substantial revisions to your diet and you include Acai in your daily lifestyle, then you will notice a boost to your overall health. While we can’t say that it will melt the fat off of you, it will make you feel much better.​

Where Can I Buy Acai?​

Because the berries are so fragile, they do not travel well. That means that it’s almost impossible to find raw berries, even if you go to a specialty health food store. Instead, you can buy them frozen or freeze-dried.

Most people scoff at the idea of frozen foods, perhaps because it conjures up images of a TV dinner. The fact is that freezing the fruit after it has been picked, preserves more of the nutrients than having it fresh.​

Think about it like this: if you plucked some berries from the tree and set them on your counter, how long do you think they will stay fresh? Whatever number that is, subtract the several days that it took for them to reach you from South America, and then you’ll know why frozen is usually better.​

My personal favorite is the quality Acai frozen puree by Amafruits. It contains pure Acai, unsweetened in dedicated smoothie packs.​

My personal favorite is the quality Acai frozen puree by Amafruits. It contains pure Acai, unsweetened in dedicated smoothie packs.​

Another way to get Acai is to buy freeze-dried extracts, but that is a risky proposition. Because there is no regulation for supplements in the US, you may not be getting what’s on the label.​

That being said, if you can buy it from a reputable source that guarantees its products, you can find high-quality Acai Berry Extract (ABE).​

As for health benefits, eating the berries whole, pureed or blending them in a smoothie is the best way. Extracts may work, but they have been so overly processed that a lot of the nutrients are lost along the way.​

Acai Pomegranate Smoothie​

The Acai berry has a rich and robust flavor. Pomegranates also have a unique taste to them, and blended together they are incredible.

In this case, it will be best if you can have fresh pomegranates, but if you use juice that will be okay.

If you do that, though, be sure to get juice that doesn’t have a lot of fillers, including sugar.

The acai will make your drink sweet enough, and fillers will impact the flavor.​

For best results, try to freeze everything but the pomegranate. If you decide to use juice as your base, then you can even freeze that into ice cubes.

The reason that you want everything to be cold is that it will result in a smoother, creamier icy texture.

Ingredients

• 3.5 ounces of frozen acai pulp (or one tablespoon powder)
• Two tablespoons of fresh pomegranate juice
• One-half cup of liquid (water or unsweetened almond milk)
• One half banana (frozen ideally)
• One-half cup of frozen blueberries

Preparation

Simply blend everything together until you get your desired consistency.​

Acai Strawberry Smoothie

If you want to mix and match and get more nutrition out of your smoothie, then this recipe will be perfect for you.

What’s best about this version is that it is entirely vegan, meaning that anyone can enjoy it.

One note, however, which is that some people might not like how orange juice blends with the rest of the ingredients.

If that is the case, then use juice that you’re more comfortable with, as long as it won’t overpower the other fruits.

Ingredients

• 3.5 ounces of frozen Acai pulp (or one tablespoon powder)
• One frozen banana
• One cup frozen strawberries
• ¾ cup orange juice (or juice of your choice)

Preparation

Blend everything until you get your desired consistency. For an added boost, use chia or flaxseeds as a topper when it’s done.

I really hope this post helped you learn all you need to know about Acai berries and how to incorporate them into your smoothies. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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