What Are the Pros and Cons of an Acai Berry Diet?

Among all other berries, acai berries are some of the less-known varieties despite their tremendous benefits. But is acai berry healthy compared to your average berry? Otherwise known as Brazilian gold, these fruits are delicious, invigorating, and pack tremendous nutritional value that can help boost the immune system and prevent specific ailments. You may be wondering about the pros and cons of the acai berry diet. Of course, going on an acai berry diet will have both its perks and its side effects, so let’s take a closer look at what acai berries offer in terms of nutritional benefits.

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An Overview of Acai Berries

These tiny fruits are native to South American rainforests and are about 1-2 cm in diameter. They look a lot like grapes; their seed takes about 80% of the fruit.

Although acai berries are not as common as other berries, such as strawberries or blueberries, they can still be found in natural food stores and ordered online.

The acai berries taste unique in themselves since it gives off a taste that simultaneously reminds of both berries and chocolate. There’s also a slight metallic aftertaste that you’ll undoubtedly feel as soon as you taste these unique natural treasures.

Acai berries are the ‘cool kids’ on the berries block and true superfoods, for that matter. They are a powerful combination of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins that will perk up any immune system when consumed regularly.

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What’s In Acai Berries?

If you’re wondering about the actual acai berries’ nutritional value, you should know that any given bowl of 6 ounces (170 grams) may hold the following nutritional value:

• 211 calories
• 6 grams of fat – provided it’s in moderate quantities, fat positively impacts human health. This is because fat supports cell growth and gives the body energy.
• 3 grams of protein is essential to the human body since it helps boost metabolism and helps burn fat. It also helps maintain weight loss while also increasing muscle mass. Protein is the same crucial factor in lowering blood pressure while offering the proper support for the health of your bone system.
• 35 grams of carbs give the body the energy it needs to carry on daily tasks and activities.
• 19 grams of sugar
• 7 grams of fiber – fiber is essential to the human body since it helps ease gastrointestinal processes and gives a feeling of satiety, which will prevent you from over-snacking. All in all, dietary fiber is essential in maintaining good health and functioning of the human body.
• Vitamin C is one of the most popular and desired vitamins for the human body, and for a good reason. Vitamin C is essential in developing and repairing the body’s tissues. It’s also great in helping form collagen, supporting the immune system, and healing wounds. It also plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy cartilage, bones, and teeth.
• Vitamin A – Besides supporting a healthy immune system, vitamin A is most known for its tremendous role in protecting eye health from natural age-related decline.
• Vitamin D – D is vital in enabling the body to absorb calcium and phosphorus better. It also supports the bone system’s healthy development while resisting certain diseases.
• Vitamin E supports the immune system, prevents inflammation, promotes eye health, and lowers cancer risk.
• Potassium – one of the body’s essential minerals, regulates muscle contractions, fluid levels, and nerve signals.
• Manganese – This mineral is excellent at decreasing inflammation in the body while improving bone health and regulating blood sugar levels.
• Omega 3 – this fatty acid can successfully help in fighting depression and anxiety, can improve brain health, and can fight inflammation and autoimmune diseases, among other benefits.
• Omega 6 – omega 6 is beneficial in treating chronic disease symptoms.
• Omega 9 – research isn’t conclusive on this one, but the oleic acid contained by omega 9 may have significant anti-inflammatory properties
• Linoleic acid is crucial in supporting eye health and improving heart health.

Is Acai Berry Good For Your Immune System?

The answer to this is a resounding ‘yes.’ As described above, its combination of minerals and vitamins makes acai berries veritable superfoods.

• Having said this, a regular intake of acai berries will help relieve inflammatory symptoms in the body, regulate blood sugar, keep your bone health in check, and provide your body with the vital energy it requires to sustain itself daily, among other health benefits.
• Another great side of acai berries is that they are plentiful when it comes to their antioxidant composition. Antioxidants are those compounds that help fight free radicals in the human body and help prevent the natural aging process that occurs at the cellular level, often accelerated by factors such as smoking, pollution, and drinking.
• Acai berries contain high amounts of antioxidants such as anthocyanins, which are cyanidin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-rutinoside.
• Certain studies – among which also Effects of Açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) berry preparation on metabolic parameters in a healthy overweight population: a pilot study – shows that acai berries consumption can be linked to increased brain function, decreased colon cancer cell growth, and lower cholesterol levels precisely due to this antioxidant content.

Acai Berry Diet Pros and Cons

It’s difficult to imagine that such healthy fruits like acai berries would have any side effects to be wary of. They’re indeed incredibly beneficial to human health, but there are some side effects you must be mindful of if you want to integrate them into your regular diet. So what are the side effects of acai berry that you need to pay attention to?

• As acai berries promote weight loss and suppress appetite, they’re not recommended for underweight people who are looking to maintain the weight they have or gain additional weight.
• Acai berries also have a vasodilating effect on the body, which in turn causes a considerable drop in blood pressure. Therefore, if you know yourself to have critical cardiac issues, it may be best to only eat acai berries from time to time and in moderate quantities.
• Small and delicious, these berries may also cause tongue, mouth, lips, and throat swelling. They may also cause respiratory problems, so eating them in moderation is best when suffering from such health conditions.

• Some people suffering from allergies have reported symptoms amplified by acai berries consumption. It’s not a general rule, but it’s advised that you immediately see your doctor if any allergy symptoms flare up when eating acai berries.
• Another side effect may be irritation in the colon and intestinal tract, which may cause diarrhea.
• Acai berries may also negatively interact with painkillers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin. Acai berries may also affect the MRI scan results and may negatively impact the effectiveness of cancer medication.

These side effects are especially applicable when consuming acai berries in their raw form. However, if you’re ingesting them as part of supplements, you should know that due to other components found in supplements, they can take a small toll on your well-being, depending on the case:

• Since they’re processed, acai berry supplements can lead to the buildup of toxins and plaque in the body, leading to other unpleasant health conditions
• Echinacea is a compound that can often be found in acai berry supplements. Although inherently beneficial, when in prolonged use in this form, echinacea may ultimately cause some liver damage
• Lactating women should also avoid acai berries supplements, which may harm the infant. If in doubt, consult your doctor, and they’ll ultimately be able to tell you if you can proceed or not.

So if you were wondering why acai is terrible for you, these are mostly the health aspects in which the effects of regularly eating acai can be controversial.

Having said this, the pros and cons of the acai berry diet must be carefully weighed while considering your specific health conditions and requirements. What can be good in terms of dieting for a person can be harmful to you and the other way around.

Does Acai Berry Make You Poop?

Due to its great dietary fiber content, acai berries will be your best aid in cleansing your digestive system. This is because fiber accelerates and improves intestinal transit, which means you’ll notice an improvement and perhaps even a higher frequency in your bowel movements.

• In other words, thanks to acai berries, your body will find an easier way to rid itself of excess and toxic waste accumulating in the colon and digestive tract. So does acai berry make you poop? Indeed you can say so.
• Regularly eating acai berries will enable accelerated digestion, and you’ll find yourself feeling much lighter than before. This way, foods will no longer stay and ferment for unnecessary periods inside the digestive system.
• Acai berries will also help kidneys remove any unnecessary residue from the system, which ultimately cleanses them. So you can also expect to notice a change for the better in your urinating timetable. Apart from this, considering toxins will be much quicker eliminated from the body, you’ll also feel healthier, lighter, and more clear-headed.
• This natural diet may also benefit you if you’re suffering from IBS – irritable bowel syndrome. One of the symptoms of IBS can be painful and discomforting constipation – so for IBS, acai berries will indeed do wonders.

Is It Bad to Have an Acai Bowl Every Day?

It’s most likely an excellent idea to have an acai bowl every day since that amount of acai berries is enough to boost your immune system, support your body through its numerous health processes and help prevent certain diseases from developing.

However, it’s best to remember that eating this much acai may have specific side effects. Carefully go through the abovementioned ones and see if any of the conditions apply to you or if anything you feel might discomfort you in the long run. It’s always best to prevent it than find ways to treat it along the way.

Even if everything is alright, it’s always a great idea to consult your physician if you plan on making any changes in your diet. Introducing these great little berries into your daily dieting plans will undoubtedly bring changes to your body, so it’s best to ask for a professional opinion before committing to anything. Again, your physician will be better equipped to advise you on the quantity you can indulge.

Conclusion

Despite their relatively low popularity worldwide, Acai berries are some of nature’s most powerful antioxidant fruits. They are, in fact, hidden gems that boast a tremendous amount of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that are enough to keep you healthy, energized and protected from a series of unpleasant diseases.

Introducing them as a regular part of your diet can be a sensible move, especially if you’re mindful of possible side effects and have established with your physician that they do not apply to you. If it’s safe, go ahead confidently and watch what happens. In no time, you’ll feel the incredibly positive results in your body, well-being, and cognitive functions.

Have you ever gone on an acai berry diet? If so, what was it like for you? What are some of the health effects you’ve noticed in your own experience? Please post a comment below and enable other fruit lovers to discover the many health benefits that acai berries can have.