With technological advances bringing computers into more and more homes and work places, and Internet access becoming more and more readily available, products not normally within reach, now are. For example, rare, exotic items from far reaches of the world like the Acai berry from the Americas are now available via online ecommerce sites.

Many consumers taking advantage of these opportunities are focusing on health, seeking natural foodstuffs. Of particular importance are those products that are organic, boast free radicals and antioxidants and of course are still tasty.

Free Radicals and Antioxidants

In a nutshell, free radicals are either atoms or groups of atoms that contain an odd or unpaired number of electrons. These can be united with the interaction of oxygen and some other molecules, making reactive radicals or chain reaction affect.

When these come into contact with some cells, like those in the DNA structure, or even a cell’s membrane, negative reactions con occur. Cells could die or malfunction, for example. To avoid this negativity, antioxidants come to the rescue.

Antioxidants are basically molecules that can interact with free radicals in a safe manner. They stop any potentially harmful chain reaction affect. The main antioxidants that help against free radicals are vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene, plus some of the trace element selenium. .

How Acai Gets into the Battle

The Acai berry contains up to five times more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable, as well as Omega-6, Omega-9, and other important fatty acids. Adding this to your diet means a decrease of not only cancer but also cardiovascular disease, even heart attacks, and an improved immune system. Overall good health is the bottom line with this berry that boasts protein equal to that of an egg.

All fruits, berries and vegetables have great nutritional and food value. For people on-the-go who want to maintain the 5-8 servings of antioxidant foods per day, exotic berries, including Acai berry supplements, are a good snack choice. They contain up to five times more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable, including much touted prunes and raisins.

Where to Find Acai Berries

You can find these helpful berries on the beautiful coast areas of Central and South America on a palm tree, the Acai Palm, species (Euterpe oleracea), to be exact. Palm hearts of the saplings are often used in salads, raw cereal products, and in healthy teas and juices. While large older palm portions are used in roofing, fans and clothing materials.

The small 1-inch berry is juicy inside and a bit firm on the outside. It looks almost like a blueberry, yet tastes almost like a blackberry with a tiny bit of chocolate flavoring. Look out addiction time!

Other important facts are:

1) Note that you need to choose the acai berry from the Amazons in Brazil; anything that is not from there may not be acai or would be very low quality acai.

2) The acai berry is perishable; and the main nutrient may not last long after the process of harvesting is completed. It can last long only when preservatives are added.

3) Many acai products are of very low quality, because the process they go through get rids the acai of its nutrition. Acai Gold is obtained from acai that is refined through a process and checked for quality by IMO in Brazil. Then it is imported to the USA for packing at USDA organic and FDA certified top quality facilities. This ensures that only the fresh and highest quality certified organic and kosher acai products are packaged.

4) The acai product of Monavie has 19 ingredients including acai berry. This nutritional fruit juice has various aspects of this blend of 19 fruits and so has a lesser ORAC score as compared to that of Acai Gold. The ingredient in Monavie does not provide great results, as the acai berry content is less. Monavie content does not make it a magic pill to remove everything that is bad in your body.

In summary, a popular fad right now is the acai berry diet, and Acai Gold is the right choice. Acai Gold is a 100% acai capsule that is inexpensive, high quality, and not filled with sugar and other fillers. Acai Gold ranks in the top three, usually at number one, of all the acai supplements in most acai product polls. Try this for good health and your doubt of whether acai really works will be removed.

Found prospering in the swampy Amazon Rainforest, acai berries provide nutrients our bodies need. In the tropical floodplain areas of Central and South America, the acai palm berry, grows in bunches of 700-900 berries.

Acai has an astounding number of health benefits due to its sizeable amounts of fiber, antioxidants, fatty acids, and proteins. The acai berries require humidity and wetland conditions to grow well. Thousands of palm trees per acre have been recorded in areas of the rainforest.

Acai berries begin as a green color and ripen to a deep purple. Each acai palm stem usually produces four to eight bunches of fruit during the average year with fruits ripening the heaviest in the dry season from July to December.

The acai palm thrives throughout the lowland flood areas where it forms in large groves. In one of nature’s wonders, when one of acai’s stems is cut, more stems will grow back and the cutting encourages more fruit to grow on the remaining stems.

Acai palm is now also the world’s main source of palm hearts. In Brazilian herbal medicine, the oil of the acai berries is used to treat diarrhea; the grated berry rind is used as a topical wash for skin ulcers; and the fruit seeds are crushed and made into a treatment for fevers.

Scientists are currently studying acai to determine just how nutritionally valuable it is. The researchers are discovering ways to use the acai berries to fight such diseases as diabetes, cancer, digestive issues, obesity, blood clotting ailments, obesity, and much more.

Experts are uncertain how much effect antioxidants have on cancer cells in the human body, because factors such as metabolism, nutrient absorption, and other biochemical processes may influence the antioxidants’ chemical activity.

Brazilians have long used acai berries to treat skin conditions and digestive disorders. Current medical research suggests acai products can help consumer’s lower cholesterol, get energized, and lose weight.

We are just beginning to understand all the health benefits of the acai palm. It can also be harvested for its delicious heart-of-palm, which tastes great in salads. In Colombia, where the acai palm grows along the Pacific coast, acai berries are turned into a popular drink.

In a University of Florida study, six different chemical extracts were made from acai fruit pulp and each extract was prepared at seven separate concentration levels. When applied for 24 hours, four of the extracts were shown to kill a significant number of leukemia cells. The UF study shows that research on foods not commonly found or consumed in the United States is extremely important, because it may lead to undiscovered health benefits of food nutrition.

Eating a balanced diet of at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables is recommended for promoting optimal health. Research on the effects of diet on chronic diseases show an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with decreased risk for many illnesses.

One of a kind, acai berries also has a high concentration of essential acids, specifically monounsaturated oleic acid. This nutrient helps diminish inflammation, which is the leading cause of the detrimental health we experience, as we get older.

 

Knowledge Does Not Require Action. Kick the Habit or Kick the Bucket?

• 5,000 people in the US quit smoking in the US a day.
• 1,000 people every single day die from cigarette smoking related disease.
• Tobacco’s association with cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and chronic lung disease account for over half of the deaths in the Us annually

 

 

What Can You Expect When You Quit?

• Money in your pocket.
• Days added to your life
• Decrease medical cost/insurance cost
• Strengthened character
• Influence for good on others

 

 

Step 1 How Are Your Self Denial Muscles?

Are you able to park your car at the end of the parking lot at the mall and then walk to the mall’s entrance? How about on a rainy day? Are you able to have supper without meat? Are you able to pack a lunch for work instead of buying it at a fast food place? Are you able to keep away from other smokers for one week? Only a baby gets to relieve itself whenever it feels like it. Adults know how to delay gratification. Start practicing small denials.

Addiction temporarily gets your mind off your pain, anger, loneliness, sadness. Maybe you had unmet childhood needs like an absent father or an abusive mother. Sometimes life is painful. It’s supposed to be that way. All of us are faced with grief, loss, and struggle. Stay with your pain, don’t avoid the painful feelings and don’t numb them out with addiction. When you’re ready you can take a step to solve the problem. And it’s with struggle that we define and strengthen our character.

Addiction is half mental (Cigarettes give pleasure.), half physical (Give me a cigarette now!) A big part of the mental picture is created by cigarette companies who spend billions to keep their unwitting customers buying their lethal wares. For example the beautiful scenes in magazines, the glamour, macho, and even athletic suggestions to the subconscious mind are not what the end results of cigarette smoking prove to be. The end result is oxygen masks, intravenous medication and literally hours of pain, misery, and gasping for breath. Smoking does not make one glamorous, macho, or athletic. It does make one sick, poor, and dead. The use of hard drugs begins first with alcohol or tobacco.

Admit you have an addiction. Get out of denial. Knowledge does not require action. You don’t need to pretend that smoking isn’t enjoyable – it is enjoyable to watch the smoke curl as it comes out of your mouth. The tobacco companies with their mammoth advertising budget have promoted the idea that smoking is a matter of personal choice. Ask yourself: “Am I addicted to tobacco?” “Am I truly making a freely made choice when I smoke?” You might consider that you need to have a cigarette. Nicotine addiction is as hard to break as heroin or cocaine.

It might make you mad about all the unreliable scientific studies and we need to be careful about accepting evidence uncritically. Those reports which are supported by a government agency, a scientific journal, or scientists known to be reputable are generally reliable. Reports in newspapers and popular magazines seldom discriminate between good and bad results, laymen easily exaggerate the reliability and significance of what they read.

Start saving old magazines and stuffed animals. The reason for saving these materials will be discussed later.

When you’re ready to admit that you have an addiction you may have the desire to quit. You need to find your reason. Maybe you want to be a better example to your children, maybe you want better health, maybe you want to participate in sports, maybe you have watched a loved one die from a smoke related disease. But if you don’t quit and “grieve now” this great friend of yours (the cigarette) will probably turn on you and kill you one day. It’s statiscally equivalent to playing Russian roulette with two bullets in the gun. Functional compromise begins to be evidenced by such benign signs as chronic cough, hoarseness, wrinkling, and lowered immunity.

Faith starts with desire. Faith moves people to action. It takes faith to say I can do it. I can quit. I am willing to do the work. I say you can do it with a plan.

 

Step 2. Make a Written Plan Make it a Reality

• Quit date on the calendar (if you wait for everything to be perfect you will never quit) Christmas, New Year, and birthday parties are harder to quit.
• Need to go shopping (cinnamon gum, cinnamon sticks, straws, mint tea, mint candy)
• Hide the alcohol, sugar and coffee the first week.
• Change your routine (take a different road to work, make your bed in the morning, make homemade juice, go on a vegetarian diet for 1 week etc)

 

 

• Write a daily journal, blog (write me a comment)
• Decide on medication plan (See your doctor)
• Decide on support system (You are not alone)
• Rewards at each milestone (1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 1 year)
• Pamper yourself (baths, aromatic oils, start walking on trails, cycling)
• On the morning of quit date wet the cigarettes and destroy them, wash ashtrays and put them away.

 

 

Step 3 People Who Succeed Best Get Help

A business person gets a lawyer to write contracts, an advertising agency to create ads, a marketing executive to do the marketing, an accountant to do the accounting.

 

Ask for support from family members, friends and co-workers. Ask for their tolerance. Let them know you are quitting and you might be edgy or grumpy. Ask them not to smoke in your presence. Look up American Cancer Society and American Lung and Heart association for Quit Smoking Programs. National Cancer Institute has a Smoking Quit Line offering proactive counseling. You can join a small group of other quitters Nicotine Anonymous. Quitnet is an online program like Nicotine Anonymous. They have a 12 step program based on AA. Reading stories of others help you realize you are not alone. With no program only 5% of quitters are still smoke free at the end of 12 months.

 

Urge to Smoke

Remember the urge to smoke only lasts a few minutes and will pass. The urges gradually become farther and farther apart as the days go by. During an urge you can beat up your stuffed animals, rip up old magazines. The best thing to do is inhale deep. Fill your lungs full of air and exhale very slowly. Inhale and exhale three times. It will be your greatest weapon during strong cravings.

Restore and Replenish Nutrient Reserves

Depending on how long you smoked you have a co-existence issue of toxicity and nutrient depletion. Drink lots of water and sugar free juices especially the acai berry 19 fruit blend in one healthy drink. The antioxidants will flush out the nicotine and other poisons from your body.

Cook with garlic. Garlic is high in sulfur and selenium and helps pull cadmium from the body (a toxic mineral by-product of smoking)

Affraid to gain weight throw away your butter, margarine, and vegetable oils. Only use extra virgin olive oil for salad dressing not for cooking. Olive oil plays a role in improving cholesterol levels and contains antioxidants. Use good quality coconut oil/butter for cooking. It’s impotant not to buy cheap (dried) coconut oil/butter not fit for human consumption. You need to buy fresh meaning processed within 24 hours after picking. Coconut oil does not go rancid even when cooked at high temperatures. It is a natural fat and has no negative impact on cholesterol or the health of arteries.It is available on-line. Don’t have a credit card. Pre-paid ones are available.

The MonaVie Fruits Helpful in Detox

Passion Fruit

• excellent source of vitamin A and C
• potassium and sodium
• good source of iron
• magnesium, niacin, phospherous

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a quote I hear a lot from new Acai fans: “Acai has the richest Antioxidant of any food in the world.”

Yes, you can truthfully say that, it is a quote by Dr. Strauss, who was the first person to run an ORAC evaluation on Acai berries. However, do people really understand what this means?

It’s not really referring to the ORAC score at all, but the high number of Antioxidant Compounds in Acai, which to me is far more impressive.

Most people simply think that relative to other fruits, an Acai berry ranks somewhere around 1,027, while a blueberry, for instance, ranks about 92. Over ten times as much.

Although those are the ORAC designations for fresh Acai and fresh low bush blueberries, this is way too simplistic of a way to think about antioxidants, and frankly some poor eating decisions are likely to be made if you continue to see it that simplistically.

First of all, the 1,027 is a number that represents micromoles (atomic measurements) of Trolox Equivalents per gram of any one Antioxidant compound found inside Acai. In one compound, not separate compounds all stacked up on top of each other.

Trolox is the major Antioxidant inside Vitamin E. People used to take Vitamin for its antioxidant power, but unfortunately what works in a test tube doesn’t work the same way in our bodies, so Trolox is no longer thought of as one of the best antioxidants for our bodies anymore.

However, scientists still measure the Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC value) in micromoles of Trolox’s effectiveness in a lab.

That being said, there have so far been at least 16 Antioxidant compounds discovered in Acai. With many unidentified compounds left to go, there may be more to add to that list.

The most potent Antioxidant compound in the Acai berry is called Anthocyanin, which is the reason you’ve heard that drinking red wine is good for you… Red grapes were the previous best available fruit for Anthocyanins, but now Acai beats them by 33 times!

It’s just the Anthocyanins that are getting measured with the ORAC assay and reported at 1,027 micromoles of TE per gram. The 18 other compounds don’t beat the 1,027 score individually, but if you add them all up they’d easily dwarf the Anthocyanin score!

The number of different compounds in other fruits is usually between 1 and 3. Acai is so far out ahead of the pack in this area too that I simply can’t believe that I haven’t read in anyone’s sales literature about it… To me it is a primary selling point!

Why?

Think about it this way… The USDA recommends 5 fruits a day, right? The average fruit has 1-3 Antioxidant compounds in them, and that’s what’s making them so healthful.

So, the average of 1 & 3 is two, and two times 5 fruits a day equals 15.

It’s fair to say that, the USDA recommends you eat 15 Antioxidant Compounds a day… And Acai has sixteen compounds all in that one little berry! (At the least!)

Actually, that’s not a very fair comparison for Acai, because the 1-3 antioxidant compounds in the 5 random fruits will very likely overlap, and worse case scenario you’re only getting 2 or 3 Antioxidant compounds from your five daily fruits.

The final nail in the coffin of the “multiple fruits are necessary” line of thinking for me was hearing, again from Dr. Schuass, that there is at least one Amazon tribe that eats nothing but Acai. Complete “Acaitarians.” (Yes I made that word up.)

So for those who think that getting five different fruits a day is essential because of the different types of fiber or the other different compounds you get from variety, I say hogwash! People are living on just one fruit, as their only food source, for entire healthy lifetimes.

So what else can it be that we need variation of? It’s obviously the different compounds of Antioxidants. High ORAC scores of each one are great, but a high number of compounds in the first place is what makes Acai revolutionary.

Would you like to turn back the effects of the hands of time? You can halt the progression of aging and even reverse it through your diet. It is will known that by maintaining a diet of antiaging food and antiaging practices can help your body reverse aging and slow its affects.

One, drink plenty of water. Dehydration causes the body to start shutting down and deteriorating. This means your organs become less able to detoxify your body. And dehydrated skin looks old and wrinkled. Drink at least one to two liters of water per day.

Two, exercise that produces a flush and makes you sweat helps the skin clean itself and brings a flush of nutrient rich blood to the surface. We all know well nourished skin looks younger and more vibrant. Aim for at least 30 minutes of heart pounding, brow beading exercise three to five times per week.

Three, detoxify. This cannot be emphasized enough. Your colon, liver, and kidneys have a habit of collecting junk from your environment and processed foods. If you do not detoxify your body regularly with colon cleanses and other gentle cleansing techniques they will simply collect and make you feel weak and sluggish and your skin will look old and tired.

Four, keep your skin protected and moisturized. Used protective, all natural skin conditioning lotions every day and keep the skin clean with daily bathing. Dirty skin looks old and grey. Hot water can give you a flush while flushing pollutants away.

Five, a nutrient rich diet high in vitamin rich foods. Lean meats, whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies all add up to skin cleansing and nourishing health. Strive to eat foods as close to their natural state as possible. The closer to the original product you can eat the food in, the better it is for you and your skin.

Six, we have saved the best for last. The 3 antiaging foods you should eat to stay young are: antioxidant rich berries, omega fatty acid rich nuts, seeds, fish, and fruits, and fiber rich fresh vegetables.

Antioxidant rich fruits such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, goji berries, acai berries, lingonberry berries, and spices such as cinnamon, clove, and turmeric fight free radicals. They literally cleanse the body of toxins and other by products of cell metabolism that can cause aging. They also contain high levels of other rich nutrients, vitamins, and mineral that feed and nourishes your skin.

Omega fatty acids such as found in flax seeds, walnuts, almonds, salmon, deep ocean fish, avocadoes, and other rich sources actually work to plump up the skin by feeding your body the right fats it needs to build cell walls and repair nerve tissue, even those found in the brain. They also help your skin fight the free racial damage to their cell membranes.

Fiber can clean your colon and keep it that way. Being regular will make you feel and look more vibrant and youthful. It helps keep the system clean and that along will make your skin glow!

So remember the six factors to a healthy, vibrant, and antiaging lifestyle. Then remember to obtain plenty of the 3 antiaging food you should eat to stay young on a daily basis. You can thwart aging and turn back father time. With these three super foods as your sidekicks, you can feel and look fabulously young.

Acai has a number of benefits, including antioxidants, fiber, fatty acids, and proteins. The antioxidants from Acai are ten to thirty times that of red wine and more than twice that of blueberries. It’s known to have the best nutritional value of any fruit on the planet, earning it the title of “super berry.”

The Amazon “super berry” has gained recognition in the media, including television and magazines. There are several companies and websites that offer Acai products. Some products contain Acai exclusively, while others use it in combination with other ingredients. Acai shows up in fruit drinks and in powder form as health and energy products.

With all the popularity in recent years, the benefits of the Acai berry is widely unknown. People of the Amazon have long experienced the benefits of Acai to fight disease, strengthen the immune system, fight infection, protect the heart, and provide overall health and healing. These same benefits of this “super berry” are now available to health-minded individuals through taking Amazon Thunder.

Acai is a complete food source and contains an abundance of nutrients necessary for restoring and maintaining optimum health. Acai contains amino acids and vital trace elements important for muscle contraction and regeneration. Acai’s nutrients, including a large amount of natural lipids, provide needed energy to tackle competitive sports and daily chores. Acai contains more protein than the average egg. Proteins are the primary component of hormones and body tissues, including muscles and organs.

The Acai berry can help to regulate your stress levels and repair your body. Acai’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties can counter infertility due to stress, pollution and factors related to free radicals. Acai’s immune-system-strengthening qualities help protect the entire body. Acai has been used for centuries to cleanse the body from contaminants. The regenerative nutrients and strong antioxidants in Acai help keep our cells operating efficiently and may slow aging.

By boosting the immune system, Acai’s rich nutrient profile helps boost the body’s natural defenses. Recent findings published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine indicate that Acai’s beta-sitosterol prevents immune suppression and modulates the lymphocyte activity. Free radical damage is one of the primary causes of immune weakness or dysfunction. Acai can reduce the frequency of infectious diseases. Acai’s antioxidant properties help prevent damage to DNA, which lowers the risks posed by carcinogens and mutagens.

Acai possesses high concentrations of polyphenols, making it an excellent source of antioxidants. Some polyphenols abundant in Acai are anthocyanins, some of the more potent forms of antioxidants. Other polyphenols in Acai, antho-cyanin and cyanidin-3-glucoside, may improve the production of nitric oxide in endothelial cells. Nitric oxide allows blood vessel walls to relax and expand, resulting in less stress on the heart, decreased risk of vessel blockage, and increased blood flow. The antioxidant punch of Acai may also be a powerful weapon in the fight against benign prostatic hyperplasia, commonly known as an enlarged prostate.

Acai is rich in essential fatty acids, which may help reduce harmful LDL cholesterol while supporting levels of the beneficial HDL cholesterol. In diabetes weak capillaries can lead to a condition called retinopathy, which often leads to blindness. The anthocyanins in Acai protect small and large blood vessels, including veins, arteries and capillaries.

Acai’s low glycemic index improves glucose and lipid levels in diabetics. Acai’s low glycemic index also helps control appetite and delay hunger, which can help individuals trying to lose weight.

Acai provides dietary fiber, excellent for digestive tract health, high levels of calcium, vitamins A and E, and phosphorus. Acai has a significant amount of calcium, which help strengthen bones, prevent fractures, and can help prevent osteoporosis. Women who experience extreme menstrual pain can also benefit from Acai. Calcium-rich foods help coat the lining of the stomach and uterus, and help reduce the pain from cramps and bloating.

Acai’s dietary fiber helps promote the health of the digestive tract, including the colon. The broad array of antioxidants in Acai may help protect and repair the lower esophagus damaged by acid-reflux disease. Acai’s acid-suppression effects reduce the acidity of stomach contents when reflux does occur. The antibacterial properties of Acai kill bad bacteria, fungi and parasites, including ulcer-causing bacteria. Acai’s anti-inflammatory abilities may prevent the malabsorption of vital nutrients by preventing damage to the wall of the small intestine.

Acai’s phytosterols help reduce the erosion of the skin’s protective coating. Because it’s so high in anthocyanins and phytosterols, Acai helps protect connective tissues, including collagen. Acai acts as an astringent which contract, shrink or tighten body tissues, including skin. Astringents can be used to stop bleeding in small cuts or to give the skin a fresh, tingling feeling.

Modern science is discovering the life-enhancing benefits of the Amazon “super berry”. Research indicates that Acai can help neutralize free radicals, prevent heart disease, thwart cancer, and much more.

Acai contains powerful nutrients, which combine unique properties and ingredients in a single product. There’s no other fruit that can be compared with the effectiveness of Acai and no product on the market that can compete with the quality of Amazon Thunder Pure Organic Acai Fruit.

Foods that fight aging are convenient and available to most of us. Simply by visiting your local grocery store, you can discover the real secrets of the fountain of youth. Many people believe that consuming the right foods leads to living long, happy, and youthful lives. After all, aren’t we all after smooth and supple skin and a young, vibrant appearance? Plus, daily consumption of some foods fight cancer, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, and heart disease, thus assuring you will live a longer, more fulfilling existence.

Foods rich in antioxidants and omega-3 are well-known for their anti-aging properties. Even vitamin E is regarded in the nutrition world as anti-aging, given its capacity to arrest plaque development in arteries. To ensure a healthy diet, according to Mayo Clinic, everyone should eat between three and five fruit servings per day, plus four to eight servings of vegetables. Selecting foods that combat the negative effects of aging may not only lengthen your life, they will allow you to liver a happier, healthier one.

Foods with Antioxidants

Health experts explain that part of the aging process involves cells morphing into unusable bits, which results in dysfunctional cells. Other cells are destroyed due to “free radicals”harmful chemicals that attack our bodies at the cellular level (Carper). Thus, if we consume plenty of foods containing antioxidants, we are increasing the strength of our cells to fight off those free radicals.

Several fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants. Think “colorful” when you are shopping for produce that contain antioxidants. Apples, blueberries, oranges, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables contain antioxidants. Legumes/beans of many different varieties also fill the bill, as do peanuts. Broccoli is another healthy choice that provides antioxidants.

Blueberries are the mother lode of healthy fruits-they are even touted as short-term memory boosters. All kinds of berries are also considered to be anti-aging, due to their antioxidant content. Acai berries, for example, help increase your energy and are believed to contribute to losing weight. Melons of many varieties possess anti-aging powers due to their antioxidant values.

Sweet potatoes, known for their antioxidant qualities, are also a good source of beta carotene, which is found to decrease cancer while slowing the aging process. Even onions, lima beans, pears, and celery are seen as important sources of antioxidants believed

It’s official—the Acai fruit is officially an energy fruit. A particular celebrity show host has said so. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of acai fruit before, most people are still discovering the little berry. This little berry, though, is soon going to be world famous and in high demand. This fruit is actually a berry that comes from an Amazonian palm tree that is harvested in the Brazilian rainforest.

The acai fruit is a drupe that measures about an inch in diameter and looks sort of like a grape but does not have as much pulp. It grows in panicles of seven hundred to nine hundred and two crops of these fruits are produced each year. The fruit has a seed that is less than ten millimeters in diameter. The fruit is harvested as a food and is considered to be one of the most important species of three different Caboclo tribes in Brazil. The juices from the fruit are often blended into sodas, smoothies and other drinks and are traditionally served in a gourd alongside tapioca and sugar. In Brazil it is popularly served in a bowl where it is mixed with granola. This concoction is often thought of as an energy meal. The fruit has also been made into ice cream.

It is a very nutritious fruit. One hundred grams of this powder contains almost five hundred and forty calories, fifty two grams of carbohydrates, eight grams of protein and thirty two grams of fat. It has forty four grams of fiber, which makes it incredibly valuable as a macronutrient. It is also rich in fatty acids like oleic acid, palmitic acid and linoleic acid. It is thought to reduce blood cholesterol. It contains nineteen amino acids and is very high in aspartic acid and glutamic acid content.

The most important part of this fruit, though, is its anti-oxidant content. Anti-oxidants can slow down the aging process by keeping our cells healthy. Many authorities find that acai fruit is one of the most powerful anti-aging foods in existence. This small fruit contains more antioxidants than grapes and blueberries.

This fruit also has the potential to help people’s digestion (thanks to its high fiber content), keep their cardiovascular system healthy, and helps with muscle regeneration and contraction.

Acai-rich foods are hard to find, as the fruit is rare. You probably will not find anything with acai as an ingredient in your local grocery store, but you might be able to find it in a health food store or a gourmet store. Because the fruit is becoming more popular, largely thanks to a popular magazine, it will slowly start becoming easier to find and people might find ways to grow the “super fruit” somewhere outside of Brazil.

The acai fruit is probably one of the healthiest fruits on the planet. It may help your muscles, your heart, your digestion, your energy levels and even can prevent early aging and slow down the rest of the aging process.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

So, you are ready to do some Detoxing! A great concern of the 21st century is taking in too many poisons that store in our organs. Powerful chemicals we take in are threatening our health. Now Foods has GI Support Formula, for our Digestion and Good Bacteria with Aloe Vera. Cleaning out and maintaining ones Digestive Tract is a major concern.Well, you’ve heard of “The Eliminator” Natures Secret’s Ultimate Cleanse, with it’s Act 1 of 13 Fibers and Act 2 is 29 Cleansing Herbs targeting 29 Body Parts. Most are now recognizing the fact that toxins will build up and you will become a Toxic Waste Dump. We have a lot of suggestions here for every family member, knowing that the chemicals and their residues continually refuse to leave us. Nutrition Now, also has a 2 Part Complete Internal Cleanse Anti-Toxin 7, with Fiber packets and Herb caps. All that bad stuff that messes us up and comes from processed foods, sugars, white flours, etc, could incur Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, that means that your Immune System can hardly handle anything. Help is on the way with Essiac International, the very famous Rene Caisse Formula, which goes back to 1929. When I spoke to the Blood & Cancer Group here in Las Vegas at Summerlin Hospital several years ago, all the patients knew about this product and were added this as an adjunct support formula. The Ojibway Indians passed this down from each generation and it comes in Powder or Liquid.

Cleansing & Detoxification is always the very first step in any good Nutritional Workup, for any reason. Another issue here is the Parasites -our uninvited guests. Do you know what that word Parasite means? It comes from the Greek word “One who eats off the table of another”. Hulda Clark, wrote in her many books, about Parasite Killing Programs. Kroeger Herbs has Wormwood Combination, well known as a Parasite Detox. “Parasites are Alive and Well” says Ann Louise Gittleman, MS, CNS. Not only a problem here, but everywhere, and a major cause of illness and infections. Could be, 50% of us have it, and are not aware! NBC and Dateline exposed this on television, was anybody really listening? Eclectic Institute has the Black Walnut And Wormwood in Tincture and Caps. Our lakes and rivers are now infested with pollutants. Since this is a Silent Killer running rampant, and we don’t always come into contact of this knowledge, and since there’s storage of this in our fatty tissues, there is an urgent need to protect our Liver, which is our main Detoxifier. Here we have Naturally Vitamins, addressing all of those concerns with Hep-Forte, and add Milk Thistle by Natures Way, as a precautionary measure. All of this will help in the chronic exposure, that we come in contact with every single day. Planetary Formulas has Liver Defense with the Chinese Herbs, Bupleurum and Schisandra, also famous and known in Japan as SHOSAIKO-TO. The Triphala-Garcinia by Planetary was known as Herbal Diet Program (no stimulants) assists in normal Digestion and Elimination. Another one to grab the toxins is Intestinal Cleanser by Jason Winters, with Fiber and Magnesium. Yerba Prima has the Colon Care with the Bentonite Clay and Fructoligosaccharides (what are they? Helps make good bacteria for your GI Tract). Bentonite grabs everything. Now for a quick One Day Cleanse, MD Labs calls theirs Freedom-The Stuff, in case of any tests, one might be taking.

Next Step after Detoxing & Cleansing is replacing the good Bacteria. Natren has Bifido Factor in Dairy Free and Regular, both in Powder and Caps. Every day you can drink a Detox Tea or a Peach Detox Tea, by Yogi Teas. They also have Super Antioxidant Green Tea. For children who pick up every toxin, Eclectic Institute has the Hyssop Tincture for Digestion, and Liver Health, also Tum-Ease for babies. Jarrow has Baby Dophilus for sore tummys. We can’t forget our Pets. Nutrition Now with Pet Acidophilus for Cats & Kittens, also for Dogs & Puppies. A good Juice Fast could also be appropriate. Use Dynamic Health Labs Acai Plus, A Juice Blend Elixir with concentrated micronutrients, some fiber too unlike supermarket products with unnatural sweeteners. Avoid refined foods, dairy and sugars. Be sure to take Life Defense by Source Natural, since you will be missing some of your nutrients. This is a complete Multi with Cleansing Herbs also.

Wow! you will love the way you feel-lighter too. This is such a serious issue, Death Begins in the Colon. So Let’s Have a Whole Body Tune-Up!

Click here for more products for Cleansing & Detoxification

I have spent the afternoon crafting and reflecting on ads for my brave heart women’s site. In that process I have discovered the importance of linking key words and the content of the ad. As a member of brave heart women, I am grateful for the nourishment I receive from others as it keeps the energy flowing in my life. In reflection, the two words that come to me as important are “nourishment” and “flow.” These words seem particularly important when applied to the topic of consumable water.

As most of us know, water is the most common liquid on earth. It is in fact the single most important element for nourishing our bodies. Survivalists have long held the body can go for weeks without food, but only days without water. That is due to the fact that brain tissue is composed of 85% water, muscle tissue about 75% water; even bones are 22% water. Every function of the body is related to the flow of water to ensure the transmission of energy, transportation of nutrients and the removal of waste products.

Water is more than just a solvent or a delivery system for minerals and other nutrients. Water can be thought of as a highway or a transportation system that delivers electromagnetic currents to fuel cellular metabolism. Water works to set up a “resonate” field through which all cells communicate. As women, we are acutely aware that our menstrual cycle is influenced by the cycle of the moon that influences the ebb and flow of the tides on the planet and subsequently fluid exchanges in the human body. It seems to me that if we wish to nourish our friends and loved ones, we need to consume the purest water possible. There are several important considerations regarding the quality of water we consume.

The pH of Water

In pure water the concentration of hydroxide ions (OH-) equals the amount of dissolved hydrogen ions (H+). This relationship is defined as neutral and corresponds to a pH of 7 on a scale of 1 to 14. The pH scale is logarithmic so a change of one pH unit implies a 10 fold shift in the concentration of hydrogen ions. This means a pH of 8 is 10 times more alkaline than a pH of 7; a pH of 9 means the water is 100 times more alkaline than a pH of 7.
In other words, pH is a measure of “potential hydrogen.” Lower pH levels create a condition known as acidosis which is the underlying cause of nearly all chronic conditions in the body and has been associated with a high prevalence of cancer. Diets composed mostly of meat, potatoes, fried foods, soft drinks and sugars build up acid salts in the body that may be stored in organ systems including the heart, pancreas, liver or colon. The build-up of acid waste is now believed to be the cornerstone of aging. Excess acidity forces the body to borrow minerals including calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium from vital organs, bones and teeth. If we truly wish to nourish our bodies we need water with a high pH reading as it will be the most alkaline. To find water with a pH greater than 7 one needs to find a system which ionizes water.

Ionized water systems
Ionization, also referred to as “electrolysis” requires that the water flow across plates which have an electric current running through them. The electrolysis process separates the hydroxide ions from the hydrogen ions creating water that is acidic on one side of the system and alkaline on the other. Acidic water can be used like a mini first aid solution to kill bacteria and microbes on contact. Highly alkaline water is used as a cleaning agent to replace laundry detergent, window cleaners and as a stain remover. Slightly alkaline water in the range of 8.0 to 9.5 is best used for drinking, making soup and steaming vegetables. Creating alkaline produces the greatest number of active hydrogen ions which reduces the process of oxidation in the body. Oxidation is similar to rusting of a metal container left in the rain. Oxidation is associated with harmful acidic wastes that create free radicals in the body. That fact alone reflects the current interest in “anti-oxidants” such as alkaline water, acai berries and green tea which serve to reduce the effects of oxidation.
In order to measure oxidation, a specific meter is used to record the ORP of a given water sample. Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) is a basically a measure of voltage. A reading of mV indicates the millivolts of hydrogen electrons in the water available for bonding with free radicals. When water is measured with a positive millivolt reading it is proton rich and life depleting; when measured with a negative millivolt reading it is electron rich and thus life enhancing.

Micro-Clustered Water (also known as “structured” water or “hexagonal” water)
Electrolysis produces a greater number of hydrogen atoms for bonding, thus micro-clustering single water molecules. Clustered water is hydrogen rich, an important factor in reduction of oxygenation and removal of free radicals. The increased prevalence of hydrogen, in turn, creates both oxygen-hydrogen bonds and hydrogen covalent bonds (sharing of the same electrons). This makes the size of a clustered water molecule more compact meaning it is better able to penetrate the cell membrane. A compact clustered water molecule is thus able to carry nutrients into the cell and remove cellular toxins. Understanding the workings of the cell membrane is critical in health as chronic conditions always result from rigidity of the cell membrane.

Chlorinated or Fluoridated Water
Many are concerned with chlorine in our drinking water because chlorine kills bacteria and living organisms—even that which is good for us. Chlorine is absorbed through the skin as well as the large intestine. Whether chlorine enters the body through bathing or drinking, chlorine causes massive scarring of the arteries. Regardless of how much cholesterol you have or don’t have; cholesterol will attach itself to the site of arterial scarring and begin the clogging process which restricts arterial blood flow.

In addition to chlorine, many US cities also have high levels of fluoride. According to the Centers for Disease Control at least 22% of American children now have dental fluorosis. Fluoride is toxic; it is a product of super phosphate fertilizers. Dr. William Hirzy, Vice President of EPA headquarters in Washington D.C. reports fluoride to be a hazardous waste product for which, contrary to public perception, there are no health benefits. Fluoride is not an essential nutrient; it is listed as an “unapproved drug” by the FDA and as a “contaminant” by the EPA. Fluoride has also been found to leach lead from old water pipes which has resulted in high levels of lead showing up in consumers of fluorinated water.

Filtered Water
Water filters are just that—they are designed to filter contaminants that have leached into sources of drinking water. Filters are primarily designed to remove heavy minerals such as lead, mercury, iron and arsenic. While some micron filters may reduce parasites and chlorine, most will not remove fluoride, heavy metals or change the quality of water. Care must be taken in selecting carbon filters as some recent studies suggest that carbon – nothing more than charred wood – may in itself be carcinogenic.

Bottled Water
Informed health conscious consumers have looked to bottled water to avoid the chlorine – fluoride concern. Yet many do not realize that bottled water is acidic and is not even as good for the body as tap water. Bottled water has been banned in most of Europe and currently 3 states have begun to outlaw bottled water. There are two concerns with bottled water. First, the water itself may not be as pure as tap water. Secondly, because bottles are composed of plastic which is a petroleum product, the chemicals leach into the water, particularly when the bottled water is left in a hot/warm environment.

Distilled water
Distilled water is created by boiling water, capturing the steam and allowing it to condense back to a liquid form. Since it is made using tap water it will contain many of the components of the tap water. However it is devoid of minerals and should be used minimally and only for detoxification.

Reverse Osmosis water
Reverse osmosis water may remove some of the hardness making the water feel “softer.” Some nitrates, lead and copper may be removed, however Reverse Osmosis water has a low mineral content and the pH is usually on the acid side. It also tends to have a positive ORP reading.

I would love to share with you my discoveries about water. I invite you to join me in this quest for “nourishing-the-flow” in our lives.