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Acai:
Another overpriced, overhyped fad food
August 19, 2009
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Is
açai for you and me?
It’s hard not to wonder. Like a flashing neon sign,
ads for the latest food fad seems to be appearing everywhere.
I delete a dozen or more spam email messages about açai
every morning with subject lines that read like this one:
“All stars use Açai Elite to have a hot body.”
Ads for açai run on TV, and even Costco now carries
an açai-blend beverage, just like every natural foods
store in the country.
The draw?
Açai is touted primarily as a weight loss aid, but
advocates also push the little berry for its antioxidant content
and claims of associated health benefits, like protection
against heart disease and cancer and unique fatigue-busting
powers.
What is açai?
Açai (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) is a small, dark blue
berry that grows in massive clumps high up in the leaves of
the açai palm in Central and South America. These are
the same trees that give us the whitish hearts of palm served
in salads.
The berries are processed and packaged into supplements as
powders and capsules. Numerous news reports and public interest
organizations have warned consumers about Internet-based scams
touting free trials that end in recurrent credit card charges
that are hard to stop.
At the least, açai is an overpriced and overhyped fruit.
There is no science to support claims that it promotes weight
loss or enhances performance – of any type.
But while there is little research to link açai specifically
with heart health or cancer prevention, it’s reasonable
to assume that health benefits attributed to other colorful,
fresh fruits might also be extended to açai.
Deep, darkly colored fruits and vegetables such as blueberries,
blackberries, peaches, mangoes, tomatoes and – yes –
açai are rich sources of several phytochemicals, including
antioxidants associated with lower rates of coronary artery
disease, some forms of cancer and aging.
Is açai special? That depends on what you mean by special.
It’s an interesting fruit until recently unfamiliar
to most of us. In that regard, it may be a nice change of
pace.
Other than that, it doesn’t contain anything that you
can’t find in many other fruits for a lot less money.
Here’s my advice about what to make of açai:
* Nix the supplements. There is no science to support claims
that açai extracts, powders or any other form of supplement
have any bearing on health, performance or weight control.
I repeat: the supplements are a waste of your money.
* Watch the calories. Most drinks contain açai blended
with other fruit juices or cane juice (sugar water). One cup
can total 150 calories or more.
All of us are better off drinking water and other calorie-free
beverages. Get your fruit in the form of whole, fiber-rich,
fresh fruits, not juices, most of the time.
* Enjoy the novelty. If you’re going to have a juice
drink and want to try something different, it doesn’t
hurt to drink açai as a change of pace.
I tasted two varieties. Plain açai (with cane juice)
tasted to me like a blend of chocolate and raspberry. A strawberry-açai
smoothie also contained apple juice and banana.
* Eat other colorful foods. Don’t rely on açai.
Super-nutritious and much less expensive options include other
whole berries such as blackberries and blueberries as well
as deep green, orange, red, yellow and purple fruits and vegetables.
Like pomegranate and oat bran before it, açai is the
new fad food. It has merits, but they don’t come close
to the hype. Save your money.
Suzanne
Havala Hobbs is a licensed, registered dietitian and clinical
associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and
Management and the Department of Nutrition in the UNC Gillings
School of Global Public Health. Send questions and comments
to suzanne@onthetable.net.
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