Acai: Berry good for former 'superwomen'

We forget many of the things we learned in grade school. I am talking about textbook stuff we took as gospel truth then that, as time and the world eventually jaded us, we have left in the pile labeled as “Oh, okay, that’s nice to know.”

What I am talking about is a truth quite easy to chew on actually, something you do not question very much or at all, because it is in the vein of how fruits and vegetables are good for the body and how milk and enough sleep will make for a strong, healthy child, etc.

I was helping Juliana with her assignment one night a few weeks back, about the human body and the nervous, muscular and skeletal systems and I was reoriented to the ways of blood and heartbeats, organs and muscles. One line jumped off the page and stayed with me. I’ve tossed it lightly around my mind a few dozen times since. It said very simply that God made the human body so wonderfully and magnificently that it needs very little help from the outside for it to function efficiently, assuming, of course, that it is healthy to begin with. It is amazing if you really think about it. It goes on further to say that the problems start when we forget to take care of our health as we are sometimes wont to do. But then again, like I mentioned earlier, don’t we know that already? 

In my teens and early 20s, I felt I was physically invincible. I could function normally with very little sleep, and, say, straight from an all-nighter cramming for a major exam I could go straight to the day’s classes and then to the gym right before heading back home for dinner. (That was back when I thought the world of weights would, even if ever so remotely, grow on me. It never did.) Well, I’m glad I can remember my superwoman days very clearly because that is no longer the case now.

When life got so much busier for me and as I added more birthdays, the level of how healthy I was and how strong I felt physically became directly proportional to how much sleep I was getting, the kind of food I was eating, and whether or not I was faithful to my fitness regimen of choice. Now the nice thing about embracing a fitness regimen, whatever that may be to you, is that you really do end up respecting and listening to your body more. 

You watch what you eat, indulging once in a while but never always, and you become a master at counting how many hours of sleep you have at your disposal. Mom and Dad no longer have to remind you to take your vitamins — you make a beeline for them before you walk out the door to start your day to help keep your immune system up.

And that is the key, as I am really believing now more than ever. We must keep the immune system up. No matter how crazy my schedule has gotten, I have managed to keep in one piece still because I take a battalion of healthy stuff. For almost two years now I have been enjoying the benefits of wheatgrass. I take two shots a day, one each in the morning (as soon as I wake up) and evening (right before I go to sleep). After my first meal of the day, I pop my Poten-cee and Immuvit. Poten-cee I have been using for maybe five years now and Immuvit for three years. 

Honestly, I really went for Immuvit initially for reasons of vanity. I read that it has anti-aging properties courtesy of CoQ10 and the two kinds of ginseng, Korean and Siberian ginseng. Who would not want conduits for strength and youthful energy as staples in the diet? I also take probiotics and Omega 3. Synergistically, they all have worked very well for me and my skin is even better.

Now let me share with you the most recent addition to my health arsenal, alongside a healthy and well-balanced diet, of course. Acai (pronounced “ah-sigh-EE”) berry, which are harvested in the Brazilian rainforest from acai plants that reach up to heights in excess of 60 feet in the Brazilian rainforest, has been known to contain numerous antioxidants. In a research conducted the acai berry has proven its ability to be absorbed in the human body when consumed both as juice and pulp and one of the main reasons so little is known about them is because they are perishable and are traditionally used immediately after they are harvested. 

Of late though, there are large companies that can afford to process the berries immediately after picking, allowing more and more people to enjoy its full benefits. I have been told by a doctor that, historically, Brazilians have used it extensively to naturally treat digestive disorders and skin conditions although of late some consumers have said they are able to manage their weight better and their cholesterol and energy levels are at their best. Even anti-aging expert Dr. Nicholas Perricone has declared it as the number one super food in the world.    

I read on a website that the acai berry can do one and all of the following: increase energy and stamina, keep the immune system up and fight diseases, fight obesity (because it allows the body to process food better and burn fat more efficiently), maintain good cholesterol, improve vision, promote better and more peaceful sleep. So, you see, this tiny little berry is packed with so many beneficial ingredients, all of which promote good health.

Now how about the taste? It is popularly and quite truthfully described as something that tastes like red wine crossed with chocolate. I honestly did not remember chocolate when I first tried it (wine, yes) but suffice to say that it is pleasant, actually. Even my daughter can gulp it down in one go. It tastes like berry juice, just thicker and sweeter.

With all the health drinks on the market that have “wow” claims, I am prudent about jumping on the bandwagon. But for all the good that I now am aware is actually said about it, I really just stayed loyal to the product all these months because it has worked very well for me. It is as basic as that. I still remember Brazilian beauty Priscilla Mereilles, sitting in a chair in our kitchen, telling me how Brazilians have enjoyed the benefits of the product for many centuries already and how she has also been taking it. What really got me was when she said everybody around her could have a cold and she would not fall prey to the same virus because she was religiously taking acai. At that time I was so busy and so sleep-deprived that I was just so willing to latch on to a supplement that could keep my immune system at its peak. It worked for me, and I have not looked back since. Even when I travel, I bring a bottle with me. 

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If you want to try it, the brand I take is Organique. Call Cathy at 0922-8887883 for orders and inquiries. You may also call 399-2485. Even if you are no longer a superwoman, you can start to feel as invincible as you did when you were in your 20s again. Some things we really do not have to forget entirely.