The world's most powerful superfood?

The acai berry consists usually of a pit, and only 10 per cent of the berry is edible. It is small, round, and dark purple in color. It resembles a grape, but it is usually smaller and darker. It consists of an enormous seed and very little percentage of pulp (or skin). It is usually mixed with energy drinks, ice cream, and even energy bars. Healthy acai requires quick processing right after its harvest. 

Though it is not actually considered organic, the acai can actually be said to be better than organic as it grows in the rainforests of the Amazon. The rain forest is untouched, and everything is grown naturally, and cared for by the natives. No mass farming or mass production exists. 

The acai berry was not found in North America until two years ago. It is a small, dark, purple fruit from the palmberry tree. It usually grows in the wild Amazonian jungles in Brazil, where it is harvested by natives who have been reaping its health benefits for generations now. 

Acai is usually served pureed, and consumed as you would a drink. You can even enjoy it as Brazilians do-as fruit shakes, where it is mostly sold along the beaches of Brazil. 

Because it is rich in anthocyanins, an antioxidant that battles cholesterol and free radicals, regular intake of acai will help prevent blood clots, improve blood circulation, and relax blood vessels. 

It is also a great help in preventing arthresclerosis and a powerful combatant of cancer. Red wine has been said to be healthy, and this is because of the anthocyanin content found in grapes. Acai actually has 33 times more anthocyanin than the grape. Anthocyanins also help treat diabetes retinopathy. 

Aside from anthocyanins, the acai also includes oleic acid, an acid that is very good for the heart. Oleic acid also keeps a cancer-causing oncogene, usually found in breast cancer patients, from acting up. Acai is also rich in iron and is a great help for people who suffer from digestive malfunctions. 

What makes acai so good is that it is also low in calories and fat, yet high in fiber. Its benefits can usually be found in its skin, which includes nutrients such as phytosterols, vitamin C, vitamin E, manganese, chromium, copper, and even boron. Acai also boasts of more calcium content than milk. 

Acai also includes more proteins than that egg you have for breakfast. It also serves as a revitalizing product, giving you the energy equivalent to that of a raging bull, which helps increase your sexual drive and performance. 

It also includes a roster of the nutrients that you need: phosphorus, calcium, iron, potassium, plus the vitamins thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and tocopherol (vitamin E). It also has monounsaturated linoleic acid, known as Omega 6, to help lower your harmful cholesterol (or LDL) while still maintaining good cholesterol (HDL) in your system. Its 12% linoleic acid (Omega 9) content is polyunsaturated, which also helps maintain cholesterol levels. It contains amino acid complex and trace minerals that will help improve muscle contraction and regeneration. It contains low sugar levels and also helps you detoxify. 

Aside from all these, acai contains valuable phytosterols. These sterols provide several beneficial qualities, such as helping reduce your blood plasma cholesterol. These sterols are also being used to help treat symptoms associated with Blood Pressure. 

Studies show that aside from the benefits mentioned, taking acai helps protect you from viruses and prostate concerns. It also helps improve lipoprotein metabolism and reinforces your immune system. Another positive factor of acai is that it is also considered a potent aphrodisiac, because of its revitalizing qualities. To come up with your energizing aphrodisiac, simply mix your acai pulp with Brazilian guarana. The mix acts like a caffeinated drink. You can also mix it with a number of other mixtures, as nothing in the acai's composition has been considered dangerous when mixed with other drinks. You can mix it in with citrus juice, milk, or even beer. 

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Green tea is good for you

Today, there is ample evidence that tea is good for you as a daily tonic in the interest of preventing or treating a wide range of maladies, including: cancer, hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, premature aging, food poisoning, dental decay and bad breath, and even arthritis. 

In traditional Chinese medicine, tea helps to clear the eyes and head, resolve excess phlegm, promote urination, relieve toxins, aid the digestion, and quench thirst. As with so many foods and medicines, the traditional Chinese medicinal thoughts are being proven scientifically in modern times. 

Green tea may be good for your waistline. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo. 

Tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke. 

Tea is good for your prevention and treatment of cancer: 

• Scientists also discovered that EGCG from green tea can help to prevent metastasis, or the movement and spreading of cancer cells from one organ or tissue to the other by bloodstream or lymph. Cancer cells secrete special enzymes in order to enter and colonize tissues. Research shows that EGCG stops the secretion of these special enzymes. 
• A case study that was done in China, reports that those women who drank green tea regularly had a 50% lower risk of developing esophageal cancer. Men showed less risk as well, but not as significant as women. 

• Researchers from Sweden reported that green tea blocked the development of new blood vessels in the lungs. By blocking the development of new blood vessels in the lungs, tumors are less likely to grow and metastasize. Scientists believe that EGCG plays a significant rule in blocking the development of tumors. Similar results were achieved in breast cancer, colon cancer and melanoma studies. It is believed that drinking green tea for an extended period of time will help to prevent and might cure cancer naturally. 
• The antioxidants found in tea--called catechins--may selectively inhibit the growth of cancer. In laboratory studies using animals, catechins scavenged oxidants before cell damage occurred, reduced the number and size of tumors, and inhibited the growth of cancer cells.National Cancer Institute researchers are investigating the therapeutic and preventive use of tea catechins against a variety of cancers. 
• One Chinese study involving over 18,000 men found tea drinkers were about half as likely to develop stomach or esophageal cancer as men who drank little tea, even after adjusting for smoking and other health and diet factors. 
• In the laboratory, studies have shown tea catechins act as powerful inhibitors of cancer growth in several ways: They scavenge oxidants before cell injuries occur, reduce the incidence and size of chemically induced tumors, and inhibit the growth of tumor cells. In studies of liver, skin and stomach cancer, chemically induced tumors were shown to decrease in size in mice that were fed green and black tea. 

Tea is good for your immune system: 

• Scientists at the Saitama Cancer Research Institute discovered that there were fewer recurrances of breast cancer, and the disease spread less quickly, in women with a history of drinking five cups or more of green tea daily.

• A Japanese report found that men who drank ten cups of green tea per day stayed cancer-free for three years longer than men who drank less than three cups a day (there are approximately 240 - 320 mg of polyphenols in three cups of green tea). Meanwhile, a study by Cleveland's Western Reserve University concluded that drinking four or more cups of green tea per day could help prevent rheumatoid arthritis, or reduce symptoms in individuals already suffering from the disease.

Tea is good for your blood pressure: 

• At the the end of a 5 week experiment, one group with the regular diet showed blood pressure increases. For the catechin fed group, the blood pressure stayed normal. After this initial testing the scientists switched the diets for the two groups. This switch led to a reversal of the blood pressure trends. The study concluded that drinking moderate amounts of green tea each day can help to prevent high blood pressure. 

The catechins in green tea have addiitonally been shown to help prevent excess cholesterol in the blood, killing the bacteria that causes food poisoning, lower blood sugar, additionally tea is good for your high blood pressure by supressing the production of angiotensn II. Catechin is also a strong anti-oxidant, which aids in aging related concerns. 

Green and white tea leaves are less processed than oolong or black teas, which prevents oxidation and retains the highest levels of beneficial compounds. But all tea is good for you, so find the ones you like and drink them daily!

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Advantages of Drinking Green Tea for Weight Loss

Green tea can helps you with weight loss by boosting your metabolic rate, regulating your blood sugar, suppressing your appetite and giving you something else besides that high calorie, high sugar coffee beverage to drink in the morning. While it's not the magic bullet, it can definitely give you a boost in weight loss and in your overall health!

How does green tea help you lose weight? And does it really work or is it all just hype? This article gives you the real facts about drinking green tea to lose weight. 

Advantages of Drinking Green Tea for Weight Loss: 

1) Green tea revs up your metabolism 

A study reported on in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that green tea extract resulted in a significant increase in energy expenditure (a metabolism 'boost'). 

The researchers also concluded that that over a 24-hour period, green tea extract increases the metabolic rate by 4àThese effects are probably due to the high concentrations of catechin polyphenols found in green tea. These work to help intensify levels of fat oxidation and thermogenesis (the rate at which your body burns calories). 

2) Green tea inhibits fat absorption and helps glucose regulation 

Experts tell us that the catechins in green tea help to inhibit the movement of glucose into fat cells. Green tea may also act as al glucose regulator. It helps to slow the rise in blood sugar after a meal. This prevents high insulin spikes (lots of insulin promotes fat storage) and the subsequent fat storage. 

3) Green tea may help reduce appetite 

Scientists at the University of Chicago found that green tea caused rats to lose up to 21 percent of their body weight. Rats injected with a green tea extract lost their appetites and consumed up to 60 percent less food after seven days of daily injections. This may have something to do with the blood sugar regulating effects of green tea. 

4) Green tea can help you save calories on your morning brew. 

We are a nation hooked on our java. Be it the regular double-cream, double-sugar standard or that mocha, dappa, frappucinno, the calories we ingest just to get our morning caffeine is wreaking havoc on our waistlines. 

If you want to save mega-calories in the morning but still get your caffeine fix, try substituting green tea for coffee. Or have a green tea in the afternoon instead of that 700 calorie mocha-chillate dream. You’ll definitely notice the difference in your waistline after a few weeks. 

So there are 4 ways that green tea can help you with weight loss. But how much do you actually have to drink to get these amazing metabolism boosting effects? 

Experts vary but the general consensus seems to be that 3 – 5 cups of green tea per day is optimal. Doing this can help you burn an extra 70 calories per day which amounts to 7 pounds per year. Pretty good for not exercising or cutting calories, right? 

However, 3 – 5 cups can be a lot for some people, so you might also want to consider green tea extract, green tea pills or a green tea patch. 

Disadvantages of Drinking Green Tea For Weight Loss: 

1. Green tea is not a magic bullet 

While some people will tell you that green tea is the be-all-end-all for weight loss success, I think the keyword here is balance. You’re not going to eat 5000 calories a day, drink a cup of green tea and make it all go away – it just isn’t going to happen. A healthy diet and increased exercise will go a long way in helping you lose weight and keep it off. 

2. Be cautious of the caffeine if you have health problems 

For some people that have heart troubles, high blood pressure or stimulant sensitivities, the caffeine in green tea may not be the best idea. If you’re worried about the caffeine from green tea, try taking green tea extract. Most green tea extract is made from decaffeinated green tea so you can still get the weight loss benefits without the caffeine. 

If you think the caffeine may be a problem, make sure to consult your doctor before starting green tea for weight loss. Also make sure to consult your doctor before starting green tea if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. 

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