Monavie Acai Berry Extract
Monavie means ‘tree of life’ and the fruit of the acai tree has long been prized in Brazil for its’ unique taste, health promoting attributes and total lack of anything that is bad for you. The Monavie only grows in remote areas of the Amazon basin in the the region of Para. The ripe fruit has practically no shelf-life at all so to harvest and export it is a very specialized operation.
It is a strange truth about the acai berry extract that it can only be eaten fresh within one day of being picked. It takes all of the technology of the modern world to bring the extract out of the Amazon in special refrigerated transport. The frozen acai juice can be found in some select juice bars at select prices, but mostly it can be taken in supplement, dried powder form. Unfortunately and rather dishonestly most of the supplements found in the Northern hemisphere health stores have had the extraordinary health properties processed out of them. It won’t do you any harm physically (financially is another story) but it won’t do you the claimed good either.
Now the claimed good is very good indeed. Here is what the New York Times had to say about the Monavie acai berry extract, “Rich in antioxidants and amino acids, açaí is thought to be one of the most nutritional fruits of the Amazon basin.” It is said to be 10 times more potent in antioxidants than other berries.
For those who can’t afford it, or a trip to the Amazon in either of the two acai seasons, take it from people who have tried it that the taste is both unique and very good. A little like fruity chocolate seems to be the consensus and this is not surprising as the Amazon is also home to the original cacao plants.
In America the best opportunity to grab a piece of the tree of life is probably at a reputable juice bar where they have imported the frozen berries for inclusion in their smoothies, yogurts and ice creams. It is also possible to buy the supplement with all of its nutritional treasures in tact and in various concentrations from reputable health food stores.