Every few years, a new superfood takes center stage of the latest health and wellness trend. The acai berry, coming out of the rainforests of South America, has recently become all the craze, and for good reason. It is a staple where it is grown, and word has spread to the Western world of its wide range of health benefits.
The acai berry is dark purple on the outside, similar in external appearance to blueberries, with a yellowish flesh and a large pit on the inside. It’s a little larger than a blueberry and tastes a little like it, though its flavor has also been described as similar to sugar-free dark chocolate. It has to be soaked in water in order to soften its tough exterior, and it is usually made into a puree.
Pronounced “ah-sigh-ee,” it grows on the acai palm tree, and because it doesn’t last for long, it isn’t usually exported as fresh fruit. What you will most likely find in your local shop or online health-food store is either a frozen mashed acai puree, acai berry juice, or acai powder.
So, what is it about the acai berry that makes it so healthy? The first clue comes from its designation as a fruit that tastes like blueberries and sugar-free dark chocolate. It has all the health benefits of fruits – with their high antioxidant and high fiber content – without the high sugar content. What’s interesting is that it’s also a rich source of healthy fat.
If you have metabolic issues or Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS), you should be paying special attention to the amount of sugar and carbs you eat so you don’t get blood sugar spikes and crashes. AFS is a condition where your adrenals are working overtime to combat the negative effects of chronic stress, at first increasing cortisol output, but then becoming exhausted and losing the ability to produce enough of it.
Cortisol is your body’s most important anti-stress hormone, and it is responsible for such crucial functions as blood pressure and blood sugar regulation, the maintenance of your heart and blood vessels, neutralizing inflammation, and suppressing the immune system. When it is above normal levels, that signals the beginning stages of AFS, but once it drops, that signifies the more advanced stages of AFS.
Symptoms of AFS include fatigue, weight gain, insomnia, food, and drug sensitivities, lowered immunity, brain fog, hair loss, loss of libido, PMS, infertility, heart palpitations, an inability to handle stress, salt and sugar cravings, and hypoglycemia, among other things.
With blood sugar levels, a vicious cycle that adds to the stress that causes and aggravates AFS can take place. Because one of the main issues with AFS is a state of low energy, you can develop cravings for sugary foods that give your system a quick energy fix. But once your blood sugar spikes, your pancreas will release a large amount of insulin to deal with it, and that can lead to low blood sugar levels – hypoglycemia.
Once in a state of hypoglycemia, you will get a sugar craving again in order to prompt you to eat foods that quickly raise blood sugar levels. This cycle will keep going and add a lot of pressure on your adrenals until it is deliberately broken. Remember, one of the jobs of cortisol is to regulate blood sugar levels and deal with the stress created by the spikes-and-crashes cycle.
The adrenal glands are part of the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response’s hormone circuit. The NEM is your body’s global response to stress and it involves six circuits of organs and systems: the hormone, the bioenergetic, the cardionomic, the neuroaffect, the inflammation, and the detoxification circuits.
Although your body can handle stress, chronic stress that comes from things like constant blood sugar spikes-and-crashes will eventually dysregulate the NEM, and when your NEM is dysregulated and your adrenals are exhausted, it becomes an uphill battle to live your daily life and function normally. So the primary focus of recovery has to be on removing the stressors and building up the NEM’s strength again.
One of the cornerstones of good health is to have stable blood sugar levels. With stable blood sugar levels, metabolism is much smoother and the body is getting the right amount of fuel consistently. One of the adrenal fatigue diet’s main goals is to do that. And it does that in two main ways:
And they are both equally important. With regards to the type of food to eat, around 30-40% of your diet should be made up of vegetables, 20-30% should be animal protein, 20-30% should be healthy fats, 10-20% should come legumes and beans, 10-20% should be whole grains, and 10-15% should be whole fruits.
Generally speaking, we advise that you stick to eating fruits that have a low-glycemic index as much as possible, and the acai berry is one such fruit. It also ticks another of the boxes above, which is that it is a source of healthy fats. This means that it won’t spike your blood sugar levels, while still giving you the amazing antioxidant and fiber benefits of fruits.
Regarding the frequency of meals, you should eat as soon after awakening as possible, and definitely before 10 a.m. Then, you should eat every three to four hours, and ensure dinner is before 6 p.m. To avoid a hypoglycemic episode while sleeping, you can have a small snack of nuts before bed. You could add a bit of acai to that snack too.
But one thing to look out for when incorporating acai in your adrenal fatigue diet is to stick with an unsweetened puree, adding it to your breakfast bowl for example, and avoiding acai berry juice, which may spike your blood sugar levels. In any case, it is best to give up fruit juice altogether and stick with eating whole fruits.
One clue as to the health benefits of this superfood comes from its dark purple color: it contains a lot of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins, along with a few other compounds found in the acai berry, is what contributes to the fruit’s antioxidant power. In fact, it has a higher antioxidant score than its look-alike, the blueberry.
Antioxidants are what fight free radicals. Your body needs them to help reduce oxidative stress, which is common in people with AFS. Antioxidants help in the prevention of disease, from cardiovascular disease to cancer, and they also slow down the process of aging. In fact, one of the theories on aging is that it progresses in relation to oxidative stress build-up.
Because it is rich in phytochemicals, such as lignans and polyphenols, the acai berry is now being tested for its anticarcinogenic, proapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, chemopreventive, and antiproliferative properties in animals, and the results have shown that it can be taken into consideration as a possible component in cancer recovery.
As for the acai’s metabolic and cardiovascular effects, it has been analyzed for the pharmacological activity of its seed and its skin. Polyphenols in the seed resulted in an increase in the production of nitric oxide in the endothelium (the cells that line the blood vessels and lymphatic vessels). Nitric oxide relaxes and expands blood vessels, supports blood flow, and reduces plaque. Acai also helps with lipid metabolism if you have metabolic syndrome, hypertension, or renal problems.
Finally, acai seems to help improve brain and memory function, since it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. One of the symptoms of AFS is brain fog, though brain fog can accompany many other health conditions and can worsen with age if not addressed.
If this is an issue you are dealing with, pay attention to what you eat, making sure to remove any inflammatory and allergenic foods from your diet, and add nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods to replace them. Acai berry is one possibility. Adding the puree or powder into your smoothies is one way to enjoy its many benefits.
Click here to try Acai Oatmeal with Greek Yogurt.
Grown and eaten in the Amazon and throughout Central and South America, the acai berry is fast becoming a superfood superstar in the West. From its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action, to its healthy fat and low-sugar content, it’s something we can all benefit from adding in our diets.
