Berries and chocolate. Generally a great combination, right? What if there was a berry that had a cocoa flavor in it? Well as nature would have it, there is. This extraordinarily nutritious berry is called the acai berry (pronounced a-sigh-ee). While it doesn’t exactly taste like pure chocolate, the bitterness of cacao is incorporated into acais intense flavor. The flavor is actually hard to pinpoint as some of its juices have been compared to bitter raspberries while others claim acai produces a salty aftertaste (like say, olives.) Ok, I’m the one that said that. But the flavor is not the only thing that makes acai so unique.

Quercetin is a plant-derived flavonoid that is abundant in the acai berry. Quercetin is believed to be partially responsible for the reduction in cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases. While at this time there is no reliable clinical evidence on this nutrient and supplements of it specifically, it has been found that diets high in fruits and vegetables that are abundant in quercetin can contribute greatly to the reduction of disease.

In certain studies quercetin has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the manufacture and release of histamine and other allergic mediators. It also has potent antioxidant activity as measured by the Oxygen Radical Absorbency Capacity or ORAC scale.This little berry from the rain forest of Brazil is exceptionally high in quercetin. Other sources of this vital nutrient include red onions, tea, apples and red wine.

But, if you’re a juice producer looking for a new venture, many juice and smoothie producers have already jumped the gun on capitalizing on the healthful fruit. While the trend is still fairly recent, grocery store shelves are already well stocked with the likes of organic acai juices, yogurt drinks, smoothies, and even teas.

In addition to the anit-oxident and weight loss benefits of acai,  this berry can also help cleanse and detox the colon.  The scrubbing power of the acai berry gives you a colon cleanse and detoxifies your body.

And the bottles of these products make many a pretty promise. I’m actually drinking an Organic Acai Antioxidant Super food Smoothie right now that claims its sufficient for a meal replacement. Is that true? Well, it sure seems to satisfy my nutritional needs as the Nutrition Facts label shows sufficient amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fat, potassium and even omega-3 fatty acids! And actually its the only thing I’ve eaten today so far and I don’t think I’m hungry! Maybe this stuff really does work (Don’t try this at home though folks, acai shouldn’t be the only thing you eat all day.)