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The Best Ways to Use the Acai Berry Diet

The Acai Berry Diet has gained popularity as a weight loss supplement since the turn of the 21st century. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has featured Dr. Mehmet Oz and dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone, both who endorse acai berries for their antioxidant properties. Though these small berries of the Amazon rainforest have health benefits, they are not a miracle weight-loss product. The Acai Berry Diet, though, can support health and weight loss when combined with lifestyle changes.

  1. What Are Acai Berries?

    • Acai berries are small, dark-purple fruit that look like tiny grapes that grow on palm trees found in the Amazon rainforest. Unlike grapes, much of the acai fruit is seed, covered by skin and containing pulp. Its antioxidant properties and amino acids place it in the same nutritional category as red grapes and blueberries. PowerSupplements.com states that these miniature fruit have 10 times the antioxidants of red grapes and twice as many as blueberries. They taste like semisweet fruit with a hint of chocolate.

    Eat as Snack or with Meals

    • The Food Pyramid suggests you get approximately two to four servings of fruit a day, so acai berries can provide one or more of this daily allowance. For breakfast, add them to hot or cold cereals, yogurt and whole-grain pancakes. You can add dried acai berries to your lunch or dinner salad or low-fat frozen yogurt, or serve them alone. Grocery and health food stores stock dried acai berries, likely in the same section as raisins, dates and dried blueberries. Acai berries provide a healthy alternative to candy bars as a morning or afternoon snack.

    Drink Juice

    • Acai berry juice contains vitamins and nutrients not found in sugary sodas and juice cocktail drinks. Organic Natural Health says acai contains B vitamins, minerals, such as copper and manganese, as well as protein, omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, which aids in digestion. You can drink the juice as a naturally sweet pick-me-up in the afternoon. It also serves as a natural energy drink after a workout. You need to read the labels on acai juice drinks to make sure they contain real berries. Juice cocktails and beverages are no different than sodas.

    Warnings and Suggestions

    • Acai berries have become the health buzzword of the early 21th century, so many diet manufacturers have cashed in by creating acai products in pill, liquid and powder form. FitDay states that the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate acai dietary supplements, and many supplements claiming to contain acai may not have any at all. Even supplements that contain acai will not magically make you lose weight and get healthy. You need to make dietary and lifestyle changes for an overall healthy life.

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