“I heard if you want to live forever, eat acai,” my physical therapist said recently. Nelson is nearing 50, looks 35, and is fitter than most men of twenty-five. Of course, this is partly due to his habit of practicing what he preaches to his patients: plentiful exercise.
But fruits and juices were the subject of our discussion, and I had asked him about the South American berry because he was originally from Chilé.
Acai, pronounced a-sigh-ee, is a small, purple berry like a blueberry but smaller, and so dark it is almost black. Acai has ten times the anti-oxidant properties of grapes and doubles the amount found in blueberries. A native of South America from Belize to Peru, the fruit is increasingly found in juices, ice creams, and energy bars. If a tenth of the claims for its health benefits are true, it is a miracle food, promising everything from cancer prevention to enhancement of sexual desire. This website claims acai contains the “most highly concentrated form of anthocyanins” found thus far. Anthocyanins are protective elements that protect us from a wide variety of ailments, and act as anti-aging compounds. Also high in fiber, this fruit is useful in cleaning the gastro-intestinal system, and regulating digestion. It is effective in reducing cholesterol.
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is an old and well-worn cliché which is based on far more profound truth than was known in the day the adage was written. Apples should come with a nutrition label, just to show how wonderful they are. Fat-free, they have no cholesterol and no sodium and are rich in life-sustaining potassium. Apples reduce cholesterol and help prevent strokes and heart attacks. Research indicates they may reduce the risk of cancer, asthma and diabetes. Apples help regulate blood sugar levels for people who are already diabetic.
Those of us who haven't heard of the health benefits of grapes recently must have been hibernating. Research has shown this small, delicious snack food and its juice to be useful in preventing heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's, as well as other age-related diseases. For a time, research suggested that wines made from grapes might be responsible for the so-called “French Paradox,” the phenomenon that the French, who eat more butter, cream and red meat than almost everyone, appeared to suffer much less from heart disease and strokes. More recently, it's been suggested that the disease figures were underreported, but scientists still believe the health benefits of grapes are phenomenal. The vitamins, minerals, fiber and even protein found in grapes make them one of the most intensely healthy foods.
Some of the value of citrus fruits-oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, and the like-has been known since British sailors were dubbed “limeys.” As most of us know, the British navy used limes for sailors aboard ship to ward off scurvy, a disease caused by lack of Vitamin C in the diet. Scurvy causes liver spots, spongy gums and bleeding from mucous membranes. Plentiful Vitamin C in the diet is anti-aging, helps prevent cancer, stroke and heart disease and helps regulate blood sugar levels.
Protection from these three diseases and from aging appears to be an attribute held in common by most, if not all fruits. Do we need a better reason to make fruits our best friends? Fairly recently, the USDA recommended that we make sure our diets contain at least five to seven servings of fruit per day. And if these servings replace a few portions of red meats, pasta, and sugary desserts, so much the better. Eat fruit!
