Words & Phrases You Should Know: 

Acai Berry

Small dark purple fruit most often found in Brazil Acaí Palm of South America, the Acai berry is often used in health drinks for it’s natural supplements and for its nutritional and antioxidant properties

Antioxidants

Any substance that reduces oxidative damage (damage due to oxygen) such as that caused by free radicals. Well-known antioxidants include a number of enzymes and other substances such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Beta Carotene (which is converted to Vitamin A) that are capable of counteracting the damaging effects of oxidation. Antioxidants are also commonly added to food products like vegetable oils and prepared foods to prevent or delay their deterioration from the action of air.

Antioxidants may possibly reduce the risks of cancer and Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Antioxidants clearly slow the progression of AMD.

Natural Supplements

According to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994, A Natural Supplement, also known as Food Supplement or Nutritional Supplement, is a preparation intended to provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids, that are missing or are not consumed in sufficient quantity in a person's diet. Some countries define dietary supplements as foods, while in others they are defined as drugs. Supplements containing vitamins or dietary minerals are included in the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a guidebook on food safety sponsored by the United Nations

Superfood

Foods with alleged healing or health-promoting capabilities. A Superfood, such as the acai berry are very rich in antioxidants. The healing power of foods is a popular concept. Medicinal or nutritionally high- powered foods have been part and parcel of the natural products industry for a long time and, through emerging scientific research and particularly through growing public interest, they have reached the mainstream. Not all items advertised as "super" foods or healing foods have been proven to promote health, however, and some may be contraindicated for people with certain health conditions. Before making drastic changes to your diet, always consult with your physician or a professional nutritionist. 

Theobromine

a bitter, crystalline alkaloid, CHNO, extracted from the leaves and seeds of the cacao plant, used in medicine as a diuretic and nerve stimulant: it is closely related to caffeine and is also found in cola nuts and tea

ORAC Value

ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is a measurement developed by scientists at TuftsUniversity in Oklahoma under the direction of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.  The higher the ORAC value, the more capable that food is of destroying free radicals, thus retarding the aging process and other diseases.  The USDA recommends an intake of about 5,000 ORAC units a day to obtain optimum health benefits; unfortunately, the average person only receives about 20%-25% of this recommended allowance in his or her daily food consumption.

Free Radicals

In your body, oxygen is necessary for most metabolic functions.  In these specific processes, oxygen molecules give off one or more of their electrons, leaving them as electrically unbalanced oxygen atoms.  They are essentially partial molecules, or known as free radicals.  As free radicals, they desperately look around for their missing parts.  This makes them frantic, hungry to grab a chunk of whatever tissue is available.  Thus, they can cause disease by disrupting normal cellular function.  This leads to unhealthy tissues and DNA, compromising our immune systems and can lead to cancer, accelerated aging, and a host other maladies.

Fat Oxidation

Fats (or lipids) are stored in very large molecules, that are really only good for insulation or taking up space. Fat oxidation (better called 'beta oxidation') is the body's way of breaking down these large molecules into smaller molecules that it can use for energy (specifically breaking 'triglycerides' into 'free fatty acids').

Metabolism

The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within us (or any living organism). Metabolism consists both of anabolism and catabolism (the buildup and breakdown of substances, respectively). The term is commonly used to refer specifically to the breakdown of food and its transformation into energy. The Acai Berry helps your body to break down food better, thus creating mor energy.