The Acai Berry
by Nicole BywaterOnce a secret known only to the people of the Amazon rain forest, the acai berry is becoming increasingly well-known. This berry, the "crown jewel" of MonaVie products, is packed with nutritional value, and scientists have even called it one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world.
"MonaVie is a delicious and energizing blend that takes all of the amazing benefits of the acai berry and combines them with other nutrient-dense fruits for a product unlike anything else out there today" say Jeff Graham, MonaVie's director of product development.
Acai (pronounced ah-SIGH-ee) is a small, deep purple fruit about the size of a grape that grows in clusters on the acai palm (Euterpe oleracea) atop the lush rain forest.
The nutrient-dense acai berry plays a starring role in the MonaVie formula. But the total health benefit of MonaVie is reached by mixing the acai berry with 18 other fruits.
Some of these fruits are well-known, such as pomegranates, purple and white grapes, pears, cranberries, passion fruit, bananas, apricots, prunes, kiwis and blueberries.
Other fruits in MonaVie are not so common. They come from the four corners of the world and include camu camu, which is also from the Amazon rain forest; bilberries, which are found throughout the world's temperate and sub artic regions, wolfberries and lychee from China; the nashi pear from Asia; and the acerola fruit, harvested in Brazil and Vietnam and prized for its high vitamin C content.
Combined in MonaVie juice, each of these carefully selected ingredients reaches beyond what any single fruit could accomplish. "These fruits were not picked because they were pretty or because they were easy to get," Jeff says. "They were picked for the variety of benefits they bring to our unique blend."
And while it's possible for someone to eat this variety of fruits and obtain a similar health benefit - it's not very practical. Most people would rather take a very small amount of MonaVie to get a large number of nutrients.
Growing Popularity
A recent Oprah Winfrey Show, titled Look 10 Years younger in 10 Days, named the acai berry as one of the top 10 superfoods in the world for combating the effects of aging. On NBC's Today show, it was referred to as "the Viagra of the Amazon." News articles in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated Women have touted the health benefits of the acai berry.
Even in the fruit's native country of Brazil the secret is spreading. About 90 percent of all acai is grown in northern Brazilian state of Para, and primarily around one large city, Belem, which is surrounded by the Amazon rain forest and estuaries and tributaries of the Amazon River. For centuries, people in this area have consumed acai and used it for numerous ailments.
Legend has it that acai was such a potent energy booster that native warriors ate it before going to battle. And today, as in previous generations, many Brazilians extract the seeds and grind acai pulp to make paste. They eat it with fish and other indigenous food, often consuming it daily during the main harvest season, August to December.
As world of acai's nutritional benefits has spread, technological advances in its production and transportation have made this special fruit available to the rest of the world.
In his travels throughout Brazil since the company started making MonaVie in 2005, Jeff says he's seen a big difference in the fruit's availability.
"It used to be the most consumers of acai were in the northern part of Brazil, and it was even considered a 'poor man's food' because it grows in abundance there," Jeff says. "The popularity is increasing like crazy - a 6,400 percent increase among consumers in Rio de Janeiro and 1,800 to 2,000 percent increase in Sao Paulo over the last five years."
Power Packed with Nutritional Value
While the Amazon Indians have known for years the health benefits of consuming the berry, it's only recently that scientists unlocked the secrets behind its nutrition.
What they've discovered is that the acai berry is loaded with nutritional value, including antioxidants, healthy fats, fiber, amino acids, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals and has a low gylcemnic index. It's also high in anthocyanins, the same antioxidants that give red wine its health benefits. Most importantly, though, is the amount of phytonutrients that MonaVie captures from the acai berry.
Phytonutrients are naturally occurring compounds that contribute to the flavor, color and disease-resistance of plants. They're also powerful antioxidants that inhibit harmful compounds known as free radicals found in our bodies. Free radicals cause damage to our cells through oxidation. It's important to remember that MonaVie is not a drug and does not treat, cure or prevent disease. What is does, its creators say is help lead to a general overall healthiness.
The Difference in MonaVie
Just as Brazilians have been eager to take advantage of the nutritious and delicious acai berry, the U.S. market is being filled with products that include acai as demand continues to increase.
While other products may use acai, MonaVie has become the leading company in research about the fruit and the best way to transport, preserve and use it in a high-quality product.
This year, MonaVie will be one of the largest consumers of the acai berry outside Brazil, and possibly in the world, Jeff says.
"Because of the sheer volume we're using, MonaVie is no longer below the radar," he says. "If we're the largest single consumer, then we've become that way because we understand the whole aspect of the harvest, we're processing it correctly, we understand all that is required to ship it to the U.S. correctly and have developed a tremendous amount of the science behind the berry."
The key to MonaVie is that the benefits of the acai berry are delivered through both acai purée and freeze-dried acai powder, the most effective and concentrated form of acai. MonaVie freezes the fresh acai berry to preserve the fruit's nutrients. Then, at a very low heat, it removes all of the moisture from the acai berry - leaving behind pure acai powder. This freeze-dried acai powder, on a gram-for-gram basis, has an ORAC (oxygen radical absorption capacity) score of 1,027 one of the highest of any fruit or vegetable tested to date. Foods with high ORAC values are desirable for their ability to inhibit free radical activity.
The acai fruit is the star among other well-known antioxidants, such as blueberries, grapes, red wine, green tea, cranberries and pomegranates. By comparison, acai has more than 10 times the antioxidant power of cranberries on a gram-for gram basis.
In addition, MonaVie differs from other products that also use the acai berry because it contains a higher level of solids.
"If you take the fruit and make it into a juice, there's certain levels of pulp solids," Jeff says. "Most of the acai that's shipped to the United States from Brazil has ranges of solids of around 7 to 11 percent. MonaVie uses an acai purée that's 14 to 15 percent solids." This purée contains less water and is consequently, more expensive.
The dense purée that goes into MonaVie products also contains a large percentage of healthly fats, lipids and key omegas from the acai berry. But this high fat content make the purée difficult to blend into a juice. Many companies clarify their purée to remove the beneficial fats.
"MonaVie may be the only functional-health-beverage company that leaves these fats in," Jeff says. "Raw juice is easier to blend. But we feel that obtaining the real, complete benefit of the acai berry involves leaving in those healthly fats. Sometimes our product separates in the bottle and you can see the fatty residue, but that's great way to know that they're still in there."
In addition to securing the highest quality of fruit for its products, MonaVie is proud to stimulate the local Brazilian economy and help protect the valuable rain forest that makes acai possible. In 2007, it's projected that MonaVie will preserve close to 1,000 acres of rain forest, Jeff says.
Historically, the palm tree that grows the acai berry has been harvested for palmito, also known as the heart of the palm. These vegetable consist of 12-inch sections cut from the inside of the tree, a process that destroys the whole palm tree. Harvesting acai berries from these trees instead of palmito is better for the environment because the trees will continute to grow for years. Acai is a sustainable, renewable resource and a more profitable way to make a living.
"Now with the interest in the acai berry, those who used to make their living harvesting palmito are now harvesting acai," Jeff says. "Plus they're making more money by harvesting acai, so that's more viable economic situation for the region."
A Built-In Defense System
While much has been learned about how the acai berry helps us nutritionally, not much is known about why this berry has become the "superfruit" it has. One theory is that the fruit had to adapt to survive in the extreme conditions where it's found.
"If you think about the berry, it's really amazing how it preserves itself," Jeff says. In the wet season, it's often submerged under water for long periods when the Amazon river rises. In the dry season, because it's such a tall tree, it's exposed to UV rays consta ntly."
Even under the stresses of the damp, hot, insect-filled rain forest, acai has survived. In fact, it's flourished, thanks to the fruit's built-in defense system that has evolved. Part of this is evident in the fruits deep, dark color; fruit with more pigment has higher antioxidant levels. By consuming acai, we can take advantage of this natural defense system.
Typically, MonaVie consumers drink between 2 and 4 ounces of the juice daily. There are two formulas available - MonaVie Original and MonaVie Active. These active formula includes all of the benefits of the original juice with the additional of two natural compounds, glucosamine and esterified fatty acids, which can maintain joint health.
"The active formula is especially popular with many baby boomers," Jeff says. "Joint health is one key to living a fuller, healthier life. As we age, there's a real tendency for wear and tear on these joints. The combination of antioxidants, esterified fatty acids and glucosamine helps to maintain healthy joints."
In addition to the two juice formulas, the company also offers a gel packet form of MonaVie. The gel product is basically MonaVie's original formula but slightly more concentrated, with 1 ounce equaling about 2 ounces of the juice formula. It can be eaten directly out of the package, making it very convenient for those on the go - from business men or athletes to moms who want a convenient snack for their kids.
"MonaVie is an easy delicious way to get the important health benefits that come from eating a wide variety of richly pigmented fruits," Jeff says. "It's important to us that the product is something people enjoy. But what keeps people taking the product is how it makes them feel."
