The acai berry is delicious and has many health benefits. Learn all about the acai berry along with acai bowl recipes that will knock your socks off.
Keyword(s): acai bowl recipes
When you think about eating healthy, what’s the first thing that springs to mind? Do you think about feeling more energetic or do you imagine being deprived of everything that tastes good?
If you’re looking for a delicious way to add healthy options to your menu, this article’s for you. We’ll give you an inside look into acai bowl recipes and important information you should know about the benefits of adding acai to your healthy diet.
Acai: A Nutritional Powerhouse
If you’ve never heard of acai bowls, you’re in for a treat. Acai is a dark purple berry that grows at the top of a tall slender palm tree in the Amazon rainforest. It’s about the size of a blueberry and tastes like a vibrant blend of berries and chocolate.
The great thing about acai berries is that they’re high in antioxidants and low in sugar. Here is a summary of some of the nutritional benefits that Acai has to offer:
- Acai berries have a high polyphenol content, including anthocyanins, which contribute to antioxidant activity.
- The antioxidant content of foods is typically measured by an Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) score. In the case of acai, 100 grams of frozen pulp has an ORAC of 15,405, whereas the same amount of blueberries has a score of 4,669.
- Acai fruit contains essential fatty acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6) plus oleic acid (Omega-9) which are good for lowering Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) levels.
- Acai berries contain some trace minerals, including chromium, zinc, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus
Acai bowls use this superfruit as a base for a filling, delicious smoothie-in-a-bowl that you can enjoy at any time of day.
How to Make Acai Bowls
There are hundreds of ways to make an acai bowl. It’s up to you to decide how creative you want to be. You’ll need to buy frozen acai puree as a base. Look for it online or in your local health food store.
Try to buy acai puree that’s organic and packaged without added sugar. When you blend your acai bowl, you have the option of adding fruits like bananas and strawberries that have natural sugars.
To make a bowl, take one or two 100 gram packages of frozen acai puree and put it into a high-powered blender. If you choose, you can add 1/2 cup of strawberries, 1/2 cup of blueberries, and one medium-sized banana.
Mix with 2 oz. of apple juice or almond milk and blend until smooth and thick. Serve the mixture cold in a large bowl. Acai does not contain sugar so you may have to sweeten it to your personal taste. We recommend monk fruit or stevia.
It might take some experimentation to find your own perfect combination of ingredients for you, but the journey will be delicious. The important thing is to blend your acai base thick like a gelato. If it is too frozen it won’t blend well so you may need to add some liquid or fresh fruit.
Here are a few tips. Run the 100-gram acai bar under warm water for about 15 seconds to soften up. Cut the packet in half and dump it into the blender. Two bars make a good size bowl. I like to use 1/2 frozen banana because it adds to the creaminess. If it is too thick for your blender, add a little liquid – apple juice, almond milk, etc.
Best Garnishes for Acai Bowl Recipes
The best thing about acai bowls is that you can top them with almost anything.
Here are some recommendations for toppings of your acai bowl:
- Fresh fruit
- Chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds
- Granola
- Coconut flakes
- Almond shavings
- Cocao nibs
- Peanut or Almond butter
- Honey
Making an acai bowl can be an artistic endeavor. Just take a look at Instagram or Pinterest and you’ll find hundreds of photos that show all the variations that people create.
Fresh strawberries, blueberries, banana slices, pineapple chunks, kiwi, all make excellent toppings for an acai bowl. The type of toppings will dictate how healthy you want your bowl to be. How about Nutella?
More Ways to Use Acai
Homemade acai bowls are just the tip of the acai adventure. You can use this versatile superfruit in many different ways.
Smoothies: Sometimes you need to take you acai on the go and smoothies are one of the best ways to do so. Acai adds more nutrition to your meal replacement or post-workout recovery smoothie.
Popsicles: You can make popsicles at home for the kids. Defrost some acai puree and mix with yogurt to make a delicious and healthy treat.
Cocktails: Defrost some frozen acai puree and add to your favorite alcohol. Add a little to you flute of prosecco. Add to vodka or rum for something different.
Get Started on a Three-Day Cleanse
Once you’ve perfected your acai bowl recipes, you may want to use it in a cleanse. For three days, skip products that contain sugar and flour. That includes:
- pasta
- bread
- cookies and cakes
- coffee creamer
- fried foods
You can have an acai bowl for breakfast. For lunch, eat a protein-rich meal like roasted chicken or egg salad. Instead of having yet another sugary cup of afternoon coffee, try an acai smoothie that will give you a boost of energy.
The most important thing is to try to eliminate as much sugar from your diet as possible. If you are practicing intermittent fasting, an acai bowl is a good meal after your fast. The nutrients will give you a huge boost.
Superfoods for a Diabetes-Friendly Diet
If you’ve been struggling with diabetes, you know how much food can affect your mood. You may have relied on sugary snacks and fast food for years, only to realize that they are not good for your blood sugar levels.
Acai bowl recipes are a great way to start lowering your blood sugar. Acai has been shown to be a strong anti-inflammatory. This is important because high insulin levels create an inflammatory state and inflammation causes aging.
Superfoods are also good for people with diseases like asthma, arthritis, and colitis. Their antioxidant levels help the body fight inflammation and return to a state of balance.
At Nativo, we offer wild-harvested, organic, frozen acai puree with zero sugar. We also have an acai-guarana mix that tastes just like the acai on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. Nativo now offers another superfruit called Pitaya a.k.a. dragonfruit in raw, frozen fruit cubes.
Once you check out our products, you can contact us directly with any questions.