Although it is popularly known for its dehydrated (powdered) version to mix with yogurt or as pulp to prepare the famous bowls, it is a fresh fruit that many consider a superfood.
What is açaí?
Technically, açaí is a drupe – a fruit with a single large seed and surrounded by a thin layer of pulp – that grows on the Euterpe oleracea palm. Before conquering social networks, açaí was – and continues to be – a staple food in Amazonian communities, especially in northern Brazil. In our environment it is sold as an extract, puree or juice and it is not common to find fresh fruits.
Origin and characteristics of this Amazonian fruit
Açaí thrives in moist soils rich in organic matter, especially along river banks. Not in vain, 95% of the world’s açaí production occurs in Pará, a region crossed by the Amazon and full of várzeas (flood zones).
Açaí is a fruit the size and color of a blueberry with a large central stone that grows in clusters from the branches of palm trees. To obtain the pulp in the form of a thick puree, the bay must be soaked in water and processed quickly to avoid its rapid oxidation.
What does it taste like?
The flavor of açaí is often described as slightly earthy, with hints of cocoa and a background of wild berries.
Nutritional properties of açaí, what is it for?
You may have come across açai puree, extract or juice under the name “superfood”, however, this is a marketing term, not a legal name. This is what Natalia Toro, a dietitian-nutritionist, defends: «No food provides all the nutrients necessary to survive. Some have more nutritional density than others and by consuming a good variety of them we can enrich the diet and not have deficiencies.»
Specifically, the expert points out, the nutritional value of açaí is high: it contains a large amount of phytochemical-antioxidant compounds (polyphenols and flavonoids such as anthocyanins) in addition, it also has a good lipid profile of healthy fats, «mostly Omega 9 fatty acids (oleic acid, above all) which are also found in olives and avocados in greater proportion,» she highlights.
According to scientific studies, like other berries, açaí has B vitamins, vitamin A and minerals, especially copper, magnesium, potassium and zinc, which contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system. “Finally, being a fruit, it provides the diet with a high amount of fiber, especially prebiotic dietary fiber, which is very healthy for gastrointestinal health,” he points out.
Health benefits
The studies are not conclusive regarding the habitual consumption of açaí and its effect on health, and most of them are animal or laboratory studies. Some aim to improve the lipid profile, others to a protective effect against oxidative damage.
As a fruit it can be an important source of vitamin A which is key to the health of the skin, vision or the immune system, or manganese which is essential for bone health.
But to know if its consumption fresh or in the form of an extract or puree has an effect on health, large-sample, long-term randomized clinical studies are needed, which are currently lacking…
Contraindications
«Given that there is not enough scientific evidence on the contraindications of eating açaí, beyond having an allergy to the fruit, it is recommended not to consume excessively – especially in powder form, as a supplement – to vulnerable people (young children, pregnant or breastfeeding women), because its safety in them has not been tested,» explains the expert, who points out:
“It is considered excess for this vulnerable population group to consume more than one tablespoon a day of açai in the form of fresh fruit, but it is unlikely, and difficult in our food environment, to exceed these quantities.”
How to consume açaí
In Spain we find it in puree or powder form to add to smoothies, yogurt, kefir or to drink as if it were a kind of sorbet with toppings of fruit, nuts, etc. “You may find recipes to make açaí infusion,” says Natalia Toro, who clarifies: “In that case, as it is made with other parts of the plant, not the pulp, it does not have the same nutritional values.” It is best to consume açaí pulp in cold preparations to maintain the maximum antioxidant compounds.
If you choose the açaí bowl option, you should choose the toppings carefully, so as not to unbalance the recipe. «If you add granola with sugar, a large amount of nut creams, grated coconut, chocolate, cookies, powdered milk, etc. to a fruit-based preparation, it can become a recipe with an unhealthy nutritional profile due to excess fats or sugars, says the expert. With the risk of consuming an excessive amount (and therefore extra calories) because it is considered something very healthy.
Frequently asked questions
Does açaí lose weight?
Natalia Toro clarifies: “To lose fat you must follow a balanced diet and exercise within a healthy and individualized plan with a nutritionist dietician.”
Açaí can be an ally for those who feel increased hunger or anxiety from eating sweets between meals. In these cases, the recommendation is to consume the powder mixed with yogurt or in a healthy smoothie. “That way you feel satiated and avoid large blood glucose spikes that make you more anxious to eat.”
Is it advisable to take it every day?
Yes, you can eat açaí every day, in recommended doses of one or two tablespoons (between 10 and 30 grams per day), but if you do, it should be because you like its flavor or texture, but not because it is a superfood since its nutrients can be found in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables common in the Mediterranean diet.
Is it the same as blueberry?
No. Both are rich in antioxidant phytochemicals such as anthocyanins, but blueberry has practically no fat and does not have the same level of fiber.
Not being a superfood, açaí is a food rich in certain nutrients that should be consumed within a varied and balanced diet, and that in our environment, can also be incorporated from a wide variety of foods such as nuts, fruits, vegetables or legumes, according to Toro, who concludes: «Eating a healthy diet makes your body function normally and reduces the risk of chronic non-communicable diseases (obesity, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, diabetes) whose prevalence is high in our country.”
The ALDI Council
Açai is nutritious, but it is not a miracle superfood. Enjoy it in bowls or smoothies combined with other fruits, nuts and seeds
Natalia Toro. Graduated in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Ramón Llull in 2007, graduated in Food Science and Technology from the University of Barcelona in 2009 and graduated in Biology, specializing in Molecular, Cellular and Systems from the University of Barcelona in 2014. Official Master in Food Safety from the University of Barcelona in 2010. Doctor in 2014 in the Food and Nutrition program. Nutrition from the University of Barcelona with the thesis entitled «Nutritive and biofunctional value of soy and almond beverages stabilized by ultra-high homogenization pressure», directed by doctors M. Carmen Vidal Carou and M. Teresa Veciana Nogués. Award from the Catalan Association of Food Sciences 2015 for the work ‘Nutritive and biofunctional value of a Mediterranean product, almond drink, compared to soy drink’ and with Extraordinary Doctorate Award from the University of Barcelona.
