Archive for November, 2008
At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old duffer I want to say that I find all recipes suggestions on packets and in cook books and on those endless TV cooking programs simplistic and insulting. It is mildly interesting to know for instance how the Brazilian natives eat their acai berries but take a look at this smoothie recipe. They not only tell you the ingredients they tell you the exact quantities in both metric and imperial units.
7 Oz (200 grams Acai Juice)
½ Cup Soy Milk or Juice
Fruit (one banana, ½ half apple, or 1 cup of other fruit)
Directions:
Blend all ingredients together. Serve in a bowl and top with granola, sliced fruit or whipped cream.
Variants:
Add ½ cup yogurt or ½ cup ice. Also, frozen acai pulp may be used in place of the juice.
I showed this to my 17 year old daughter and she had two questions. Firstly what is acai juice and secondly what is an ‘oz’? Then I tried this recipe and ended up throwing half the concoction down the dispoal unit because it was too much for me alone. I loved the taste of the acai juice though. I certainly don’t need to be told that next come the directions and ‘oh by the way’ you can use this or that instead. And do they really think I’m going to lick it off the table top and my fingers?
What is it with people today that we need detailed instructions on how to feed ourselves? My mother was great cook and never looked at a recipe in her life. We don’t need to depend on others to find interesting ways to get the nourishment of the acai berry into us. We just need to follow our instincts and put together what appeals to us in the amounts that we need, The first Amazon tribesperson to eat the lovely purplish fruit has done all the dangerous work for us by not dropping dead with food poisoning. We have all got far too sophisticated and fancy when it comes food.
So here is the classic Brazilian way to get the tremendous nourishing effects of the amazing acai:Some acai roots blended with soy milk, yogurt, ice cream or juice and any other fruit you like but bananas are popular in Brazil.
November 25th, 2008
All the best ideas come from nature. All the best ideas are simple. Take the nutritional labeling of foods for example. A simple color code to tell the buyer exactly how good, or not so good the product they are buying really is. A really good idea taken straight from nature because vegetables and fruit come in myriad colors and the more colorful they are the better they tend to be for us. The acai berry juice from the acai palm berry is a rich deep purple color and it is as if the fruit itself is calling out to us “hey look at me, I’m the best possible thing you can eat”!
The acai berry is loaded with chemical substances called anthocyanins. They give it it’s ‘come eat me ‘ color because they are flexible and abundant flavorful coloring agents. They are found in the red to purplish fruits and vegetables, such as the acai, the purple cabbage, beet roots, blueberries, cherries, raspberries and black grapes. Inside the plants they act as preserving antioxidants and colorings giving to the beautiful healthy hues of edible fruits.
Unfortunately some crazy organizations mix the acai berry juice with others. It all started with the guarana syrup which has caffeine as an ingredient. Then others took up the idea that caffeine could enhance the already perfect. So instead of sticking with the natural way of judging by the color you have to be really careful about what you eat and drink by reading the labels in detail.
The anthocyanins in the acai berry juice and pulp deteriorates very quickly. So, for the best nutritional value, acai juice should never be cooked, rather eaten as it comes as an enhancer to ice cream, or the key ingredient of something normally refrigerated like smoothies. Acai juice must always be kept refrigerated to keep its true health values.
Because the nutritional value drops hugely when heat is applied, you can get the most benefits of acai from the pulp as a frozen product. Freezers should always be kept at minus eighteen degrees and stock rotated within 3 months at the most. Allow your acai pulp to soften and thaw while at room temperature for about an hour. Then crush it and add it to your favorite extras or put it into a blender to break it down further.
November 17th, 2008
The acai berry grows on trees. Big palm trees in the fantastically fertile lands of the Amazon basin in Brazil. Some unique combination of the soil and the climate make the acai berry very powerful as a source of nutrition. Unfortunately where good things grow there also grow parasites. Parasites know a good thing when they see it and they see it in the acai berry.
The most fertile environment for parasites is an atmosphere of fear. Unfortunately the acai berry juice can be and is being used as a lever to gouge money out of frightened gullible people. This is how it works. People are afraid of getting old. People are afraid of getting ill. People are afraid of dying. People will take risks and part with good money at the promise of anything that defies aging, keeps them healthy, or makes them live longer.
Then some parasite comes along on the Internat and promises an acai supplement that has been hyped to the hills as an anti aging, health giving, elixir of life. The parasites offer you a free trial pack or a free trial period. They’ll tell you that the acai berry will detoxify you. They’ll tell you that the acai berry will help you to lose weight and get the body you have always dreamt of. These parasites are scam artists! They are charging a huge price for a near useless acai supplement. Parasites only buy the cheapest of the cheap products in order to maximize their profit margins. The parasites are living off the true and justifiable evidence for tha efficacy of the acai berry juice.
The acai supplement, if of the right quality is a great source of antioxidants and amino acids. It is good for you. But don’t let your anxiety get you carried away with the publicity hype. Take care when considering any ’special offer’. The word ‘free’ followed by a request for your credit card data is a dead giveaway. Scrutinize the small print and the legal terms and conditions. Never trust a website where the only means of payment is Western Union transfer. This is nothing against Western Union, because they are fine institution with a fine service record but legitimate business have all possible means of payment.
The acai berry juice and supplements are good products but beware of the parasites that try to feed off it.
November 10th, 2008
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