The Acai Berry

The amazing acai berry. I'm sure you've probably heard about this fruit by now. It's all over the Internet, in the news and even Oprah has featured it on her show.

The acai berry comes from the acai palm and is a grape-like fruit, except with a large seed that makes up about 80% of the fruit, that is harvested in the rainforests of South America.

Although it's touted as a miracle substance that can melt the pounds off if you need to lose weight, lower your cholesterol, and boost your energy, there's never actually been any major scientific studies on the fruit to prove, or disprove many of the claims being made.

What is known, being a fruit, it is definitely good for you. The berries are a very good source of antioxidants, fiber and heart-healthy fats.

Although fresh acai berries spoil quickly, it is readily available in health food and gourmet stores in the form of acai berry juices and other products.

Since the many capsule form, tablet form and other acai products presently on the market vary greatly, it's difficult to say which ones, if any, actually have health benefits.