Juice Comparison

We all know Rachel Ray drinks acai juice. Acai is a berry promoted by Rachel Ray amongst other celebrities such as Oprah and celebrity doctors such as Dr. Oz and Dr. Perricone. Acai berry is dark purple or green in color and grows atop palm trees in the Amazon rainforests of Brazil. For centuries the local population used the berries to make a fruity pulp that was used as a food flavoring ingredient. Acai is a relatively new concept in Europe and North America but it is really catching on and is now commonly found in most health food stores. and Europe.

Acai berries are a significant source of anthocyanins which are a particular antioxidant nutrient. This nutrient is the same as that which provides red wine with it’s health benefits. Acai are also a good source protein and fiber. Lastly, acai berries also provide a good quantity of vitamins and omega fatty acids. Acai Berries provide a remarkably powerful combination of many healthy nutritional benefits.

Since being introduced to us by Dr. Perricone, acai has garnered a lot of attention. The internet is now full of acai promotions. Acai Berry ranks among Dr. Perricone’s top ten superfoods. These superfoods if consumed regularly are supposed to make us look significantly more youthful in a short period of time. Acai berry has captured the eye, attention and imagination of many television celebrities. Rachel Ray drinks a type of acai berry juice daily and claims it makes her feel great.

Healthy lifestyle information is becoming more common. We are regularly hearing that we should eat more foods rich in healthy oils and antioxidants.. It is commonly known that antioxidants are absolutely critical to enjoying good health. Antioxidants help us fight the ongoing threat of illness and disease and the deteriorating and debilitating effects of aging. Antioxidants are well recognized as an essential and critical part of a healthy lifestyle.

I have always respected Rachel Ray and her opinions on food. I wanted to learn more about Rachel Ray and acai berry. I was interested to read that recently a team of investigators decided to research just how much antioxidant power was in commercially available acai juices. Three store bought and readily available acai juice blends containing varied but unspecified percentages of acai juice and/or acai pulp were compared for in vitro antioxidant capacity against other well known and common antioxidants such as six types of pure fruit juice, tea, red wine and pomegranate juice. The antioxidant capacity of the acai juice was actually ranked lower than that of Concord grape juice, pomegranate juice, blueberry juice, and red wine. The average antioxidant capacity was approximately equal to that of black cherry or cranberry juice, and was higher than that of apple juice, orange juice, and tea. So what does this mean for Rachel Ray and acai? Simply put it means that commercially available acai juice blends are good for you and provide a health benefit. They are significantly better for you than orange or apple juices, but not as good antioxidant-wise as red wine or pomegranate juice.

I have seen these blends and there is no telling whether they are 90% acai or simply apple juice with a splash of acai. The problem with this study is that it uses juices with unspecified quantities of acai. The above experiment was done on commercially available acai berry juices. In fairness to Rachel Ray and acai she promotes a specific type of acai juice which might have a greater concentration of acai.

Learn more on Rachael Ray acai berry at http://iloveacaiberry.blogspot.com.

Rachel Ray acai berry recipes are hard to find. After searching off and on for a number of days I gave up searching but I hadn’t given up hope. I decided to experiment in my own kitchen. Often some of my favorite recipes are those I’ve stumbled across when I’ve had to switch one ingredient for another in a pinch.

The first thing I tried was an acai berry juice marinade on chicken breast. This is just a variation of an orange juice and white pepper marinade I picked up in Nicaragua or the lime juice and soy marinade I had been using for years. I should note that I always marinade for at least six hours as any less time doesn’t do much for me.

First I cut the chicken into strips and added a mixture of olive oil and acai juice. Then I thought that would be too sweet on its own so I added some capers, and finished by adding sea salt. If I leave the marinade on the chicken in the fridge for at least a day, I find that along with extra flavor, the salt will tenderize the chicken. I made the marinade in the morning, and we barbequed the chicken for supper that night. It turned out ok, although I still prefer my other versions better. I figure that it might not be the best use of the acai since a lot of the marinade is lost, making this a fairly expensive marinade where a lot of the healthy acai is wasted.

Surely Rachel Ray would use acai more sensibly! The next recipe I tried was acai frozen yogurt and it was a much bigger success. I added acai berry juice to plain low fat yogurt. I poured the mixture into a screened drainer lined with two layers of cheese cloth. I then left the mixture in the fridge to drip into a bowl for 24 hours. After 24 hours the yogurt was the texture of cream cheese. It was perfect to spread on bagels or crackers at this point.

I pealed the acai/yogurt mixture off the cheese cloth and into some Tupperware. I then froze the mixture for 8 hours. It was delicious! It was tangy from the yogurt and had the rich berry taste of acai. The amount of freezing depends on how you like to have your frozen yogurt. I prefer it softer rather than harder and therefore 8 hours worked well for me.

Finally I tried my own version of the classic fruit recipe – the smoothie. For my version I added the following to a blender: 3 ice cubes, 1 frozen banana, 1/2 cup low fat yogurt, and 1/2 cup acai berry juice. Blend this on high until the ice has been blended and the whole thing is smooth. Freezing the banana beforehand ( I cut it in chunks before I freeze it) makes this drink extra thick and creamy. If you want to add some additional healthy ingredients, add some wheat germ or flax meal. Both add some fiber and a nice nutty flavor.

After all my experimenting with acai berry I found that there are quite a few different recipe ideas that are possible, making it easier to enjoy the health benefits of acai without getting bored of the same old drink every time. I have to thank Rachel Ray for inspiring me to create these recipes. Hopefully you enjoy them, and maybe you’ll even come up with your own recipes.

Visit this great site about acai berry diets to read more about a recipe for acai berry.