Acai belongs to a species of palm tree which are grown in Amazon forests and their surroundings. The Acai berry has a lot of health benefits due to the ingredients present in it. Acai berries are a very good source of calcium, antioxidants, amino acids, omega fatty acids, and dietary fiber. Acai also contains some other minerals in minute quantities.
While antioxidants keep body ready to fight infections and aging, the amino acids and calcium are required for muscle and bone building, respectively. The dietary fiber aids in digestion and excretion. All these things combined, Acai can be termed as a fruit with lot of benefits to the body. Let us focus here on the antioxidant properties Acai.
What Are Antioxidants?
Antioxidants are substances that prevent or reduce damage to cells caused by free radicals. Free radicals are released by cells as a waste product when they process food. The waste products are freely moving and affect the healthy cells by interfering in their function.
Antioxidants neutralize the effect free radicals, thus making them harmless to the body and help get them out of the body. There are two types of antioxidants. The endogenous type is produced by the body itself while those produced outside are called exogenous antioxidants.
Sources Of Antioxidants
There are a number of sources of antioxidants, both natural and artificial. Natural sources of antioxidants are fruits and vegetables. Berry fruits, including strawberry, blackberry, gooseberry, Acai, etc., all have more antioxidants to offer than any other food. Let's focus on Acai more in the following paragraphs and know more about it.
Knowing More About Acai
As said in the beginning, Acai belongs to the group of palm tree and grow mainly in the Amazonian forest, the northern part of Brazil. Acai's are very well known in the Amazonian areas but their benefits were known to other people in the last decade or so.
Acai berries are dark purple in color and have a flavor resembling a mixture of blackberry and dark chocolate. Acai berries are a great source of antioxidants. Studies revealed Acai beats blueberries in terms of antioxidant concentration.
Usage Of Acai
Acai can be consumed as raw fruit, juice, or powder. Acai can also used in the pulpy form. Apart from taking by mouth, Acai can also be used externally, such as face mask. It is also used as a natural food coloring agent. It is used in cosmetics, anti-aging skin creams, and shampoos and conditioners.
Antioxidant Properties Of Acai
Antioxidants protect against the cells from the damage caused free radicals. Acai being one of the leading sources of antioxidants does this job efficiently and effectively. It can be called antioxidant powerhouse. Acai is easily absorbed by the body and increases antioxidant concentration.
The antioxidants in Acai fight with free radicles that can cause diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease. It shields the body from infections and diseases. It also helps in prevent aging.
Antioxidant properties of Acai help in stopping cancer cells from growing and spreading to healthy cells. They also help in reducing the effect of inflammation.
Acai's antioxidation properties prevent oxidation in brain cells thereby protecting the brain from degeneration due to old age, which in turn aids in effective functioning of the brain. It can also boost production of new nerves so brain cells can communicate with each other better and keep the brain active and agile.
Acai also helps in reversing the effects of environmental pollution, inflammation due to trauma or injury, injury caused by chemicals and drugs, smoking, radiation, and so on.
Antioxidant properties may help reducing vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration.
A glowing skin, with a body that is less prone to infections, and a brain that is alert and agile, all these can be attributable to antioxidant properties of Acai.
Conclusion
There are many ways Acai can be used. It can also be used externally as a skin cream/mask. An Acai mask brightens the face and makes it glowing by removing spots and acne. Acai mask gives a good contour to the skin by smoothing out the effects of fatigue, stress and gives a fresh look to the skin. Acai mask can prevent aging.
There are many ways you can incorporate Acai in your skin care routine. Acai pulp facial scrub is a good exfoliating agent which removes layers of dead skin to give a smooth contour to the skin which is glowing and radiant. Acai berry moisturizers are also available in the market. So, go ahead and try Acai skin care products and mask your age.