Other ways to benefit from the Acai Berry beyond the smoothie
Posted May 8th, 2008 by Erin KaeseFirst, the pronunciation: Ah-sigh-ee
Second, what is it? It’s a fruit that comes from a palm tree in the Brazilian Amazon. It’s likened to a small grape with less pulp. Because the berry loses nearly all of its nutritional value 24 hours post harvest, the berries are immediately turned into a puree, flash pasteurized, and then frozen.
Third, why is it considered a superfood? Loads of antioxidants (more than blueberries, 20x what is in red wine and 10x that of grapes), amino acids, flavonoids, and fatty acids (meaning healthy omega fats). This is a helpful summary of the acai berry’s super food properties.
Last, what does it taste like? The answer depends upon which product you are trying. The pure, no sugar added, acai is rather bland. A sort of berry flavor that is a little gritty.
There are numerous acai based products. Whole Foods sells the Sambazon brand which manufactures juices, pre-made smoothies, energy drinks, sorbet, frozen smoothies packs, and even supplements (freeze dried powders and capsules).
With the exception of a certain type of smoothie pack (Sambazon Pure Acai) and the supplements, nearly all acai based products have added sugars.
So, this brings me to the topic at hand–how to benefit from the acai without making a smoothie, taking a pill, or drinking a special juice that has extra sugars? After learning about the berry and all of its nutritional benefits, I wanted to introduce acai to our 2 year old daughter, who only drinks water and milk (meaning the juices were no-go). While a smoothie would work, I wanted something easier.
My solution? Oatmeal!
When I make a batch of oatmeal, I melt in one of the pure acai packets. Each packet is 100 grams, yields 80 calories, 6 grams of total fat with 4.5 grams being the healthy type, 1 gram of fiber and 2 grams of protein. Vitamin A comes in at 15%, C at 8%, Calcium at 4% and Iron at 6%!
I typically prepare 1 cup of the old fashioned oats on the stove and use 1 acai smoothie pack. I may sweeten with a little honey and/or agave nectar. Our daughter loves it. And one “batch” lasts through 3-4 breakfasts.
Other ideas: mash the acai with bananas, or mix into plain Greek style yogurt–which will keep it from getting too runny.