Acai Smoothie Recipe: Tropical Super Fruit – Nutrition and Benefits

The acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) berry is an antioxidant rich super-fruit native to South and Central America. The acai berry is smaller than a grape in size and has a dark purple color. It has gained immense recognition in recent years for its nutritional superiority and delicious taste. The acai berry is a renewable resource that can provide a sustainable livelihood for harvesters, while causing no harm to the Amazon Rainforest.

Recently discovered health benefits of the acai berry suggest that it can encourage cardiovascular health and efficiency. Acai also has a remarkably high concentration of antioxidants that help combat premature aging by reducing inflammation. The fatty acid content in Acai resembles that of olive oil and is rich in antioxidants. Acai juice can be found in many health food stores.

The berries are not often available since they are very perishable and will not survive transportation from the southern hemisphere. For this reason, the berries are usually crushed into pulp immediately after harvesting, then frozen and shipped. Acai is available in pulp form or powder form, both of which retain the nutritional benefits of this super-berry.

Source: www.nutrition-and-you.com, www.webmd.com, www.acaiberry.org

Acai berry smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen acai pulp or puree
• 1 tsp honey (2 tsp if you like it sweeter)
• 1 banana
• 1 cup milk or almond milk 
• Handfull of ice (4-6 pieces)

Instructions:

• Combine all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Serves 2.