The Acai berry is a small grape-sized berry that grows in the Amazon forest and in parts of Brazil and Peru. It is a small round fruit and is purplish in color. Its seed makes for up to 80%-90% of the fruit, the remainder of which is the pulp and the skin of the fruit. These berries are harvested for food and in some regions of the Amazon constitute over 35% of food intake amongst the locals. Originally, the fruit was harvested by climbing up the palm-like 25 meter high tree.

Interestingly, the acai berry has a legend associated with it. Folklore has it that when an Indian tribe was facing food scarcity, the discovery of acai berry saved them from extinction. Unfortunately, the berry was discovered following the death of the village chief’s daughter. Her name was Iaca, and the berry was named after her (Iaca spelled backwards is Acai).

This berry which saved the lives of the Indian tribe has been a part of the Brazilian diet for hundreds of years. It is usually served as part of breakfast and is a large part of their diet. In fact, the most famous proponents of jiu-jitsu, the martial arts, the Gracie family insisted that all students eat this berry before their morning workouts. It is also popular among football players of Brazil who have the frozen pulp of this berry to get an energy boost naturally. Americans and the rest of the western world have only just discovered the fruit and it is already popular in their juice bars as smoothies, soda, in juice blends, ice creams and other products.

So, what is it that makes this Amazonian fruit so popular with both the natives and the rest of the world? Acai berry is considered to have the highest nutritional value compared to any other fruit in the world. It is also amongst the highest sources of antioxidants. For instance, they have more than 10-15 times the antioxidants found in red grapes. Antioxidants prevent the slow and irreversible damage caused by the use of oxygen in our body. Acai berries also boast about a number of other benefits. They help improve our stamina and are natural energy boosters. They help improve our immune system, which helps prevents diseases and infections.  Apart from various other health benefits, they are also known to help reduce obesity.