Is acai healthy? Discover the benefits for the post-workout meal
Acai is quite a versatile little fruit. There are infinite possibilities and recipes for you to explore, without too much effort, in your day to day routine. Acai can be consumed as a nourishing juice, served as a dessert or as a sweet snack, like acai bowls. Or even eaten at its rawest form, like Brazil’s nortners have the habit of doing: salted and accompanied by cassava flour and other hot meals.
In our last post, we talked about Acai’s international tour, traveling alongside Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners and adventurous surfers. Well, that combination is no coincidence: acai works great as a workout supplement and it has many, many health benefits.
So, in this article, we’ll investigate how acai can help your search for a healthier lifestyle, while still enjoying tasty food. And you’ll discover how to best use the dark-purple fruit to power-up your training.
Is Acai healthy?
Besides the variety of dishes that acai can bring to life, the health benefits brought by its regular consumption are, pretty much, a consensus amongst specialists. Acai is rich in high quality oils, it helps our body in glucose control and, as a consequence, it gives an important support if you’re looking to lose some weight.
The fruit is rich in minerals, like calcium, manganese, potassium, iron and magnesium, besides being a great source of energy and fibers. There are even scientists that point out the anthocyanins (the pigments that give acai this dark-purple color) as an important antioxidant substance that can prevent premature aging and help prevent various types of cancer.
But it’s worth remembering that, while all the many forms of acai can, literally, bring all these benefits to the table, those are always more effective if you choose a more natural acai. Try an acai bowl without sugar or guaraná syrup, and combine it with a balanced diet.
Discover the origin of acai, the typical Brazilian fruit.
Pre-training or post-training meal
You probably know a hundred different products in the market that claim to be energy drinks or energy supplements. Most of them are sugar or caffeine-based stimulants, which means they are great at making you feel awesome (and kind of euphoric), but do very little to actually recharge your body after a workout.
Unlike them, Acai has (quite literally) a thousand years tradition as a truly natural and efficient energy source. Hundred of years before Columbus decided to cross the Atlantic, the dark-purple fruit was already one of the primary resources of hunters and gatherers in Brazil.
And if you’re looking for a more modern example, most professional athletes and nutrition specialists will recommend you to introduce organic Acai in your training focused diet.
If you’re looking to lose some weight, the acai bowl will work better before training, giving you that extra stamina (that’s always welcomed during the lifting or cardio) and improving your performance.
But if you’re aiming to gain some muscles, you’ll need extra protein after training. And that’s where acai bowls come to the scene. Being rich in minerals, proteins and some high-quality fat, acai will help your body in rebuilding your muscle fibers, while also restoring the essential nutrients lost during workout.
Discover how acai became known worldwide through Jiu Jitsu
Where to find your acai bowl?
For pre or post-training meals, you should always lookout for the most organic and natural acai. Like the one we serve here at Vida Boa, coming straight from Brazil and sweetened only with the organic honey produced here at Brazoria County.
Check out our menu and discover the best acai bowl from Lake Jackson.