Açai: Berry Good for You?

A look at San Diego's latest health food craze

Move over, pomegranate! In the search for beauty and youth, açai is the latest craze boasting lots of antioxidants plus amino acids, healthy fats and fiber. It’s on Oprah’s superfood list and seems to be in all the smoothie shops and breakfast cafes around San Diego. But does this berry live up to its reputation?

Pronounced ah-sigh-ee, the purple berry is slightly smaller than a grape. Most people refer to the taste as a chocolate-berry flavor, and it spoils within 24 hours of being picked. That’s why in Brazil, where it comes from, people are known to eat it right off the palm.

Recently, people have found a way to retain the nutrients and the taste so that açai isn’t just Brazil’s secret anymore. By turning it to juice or pulp and then freezing, drying, or freeze-drying it, the fruit can be saved. But the seed makes up 80 percent of each berry, so only a little part of it is used as juice or pulp.

San Diego is just one of the cities hit by the açai craze, although its prevalence here is probably due to both its popularity among surfers and the number of Brazilians in town.

“There are a lot of Brazilian people living here in San Diego,” says Fernanda Silveira, owner of Pacific Beach’s Açai Boutique. “They come for surfing, studying English, working, many things. Even the young people come over here.” Born in Brazil, Silveira has been here for 10 years but has been eating açai since she was young.

It’s part of most Brazilians’ everyday diet, but just how good is açai for those of us who aren’t eating it right off the palm? Açai is consumed in many ways. The most popular choice is an açai bowl.

Be careful, however, when adding toppings to your bowl: They can boost the already high in calorie content dish. Two tablespoons of honey add on an extra 128 calories while a half-cup of granola adds on about 225 calories. Also, look to the bowls as part of a meal rather than a snack. One açai bowl with a banana, soy milk and granola contains about 450 calories, 3 grams of fat, 72 milligrams of sodium, 6 grams of fiber, 47 grams of sugar and 4 grams of protein.

Smoothies are another popular way to enjoy açai, but beware of their size. Portion control is necessary as a 30-ounce Açai Super-Antioxidant smoothie from Jamba Juice contains 560 calories, compared to a 16-ounce one that contains only 270 calories.

The high-calorie content of the berry paired with additional toppings have led some to remain skeptical on whether the good outweighs the bad.

“I suggest to all my patients that they do not need to buy an ‘exotic’ drink from another country because our berries are just as good,” says Janice Baker, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator in San Diego. “The largest health risks are ignoring the rest of what one is eating, as there may be other changes needed to promote health, including portion control, increase in fiber [and] lowering sodium intake. One food or supplement will not do this.”

If you don’t mind the price and watch the portion size, the beaches seem to be the place to find local açai bowls and smoothies. Café 976 in P.B. allows customers to add the works (strawberries and blueberries) if they like and also has an açai smoothie on its menu. Mission Beach’s Café Joie has a wide selection of bowls to choose from, with options of raspberries, granola, honey or even soy milk. The Power Bowl at Ocean Beach’s Sunshine Smoothie is a popular item. P.B.’s Chronic Smoothies offers bowls and smoothies for your taste buds.

The fruit is also now packaged in local grocery stores. One of the most popular distributors of açai, Sambazon, sells packaged açai in a few different ways. Its smoothie packs contain about 100 calories, juices have about 175 calories, sorbets have 150 calories per serving, and its energy drink, Amazon energy, contains about 120 calories. These are healthier options to aid in controlling portion sizes and calorie content.

Açai can now be consumed in the evening, as açai cocktails are gaining popularity in the San Diego nightlife scene. It began when VeeV Açai Spirit was looking to launch in another city after its success in Los Angeles. For Courtney and Carter Reum, the two brothers who started the company, San Diego was the next obvious choice.

“People in San Diego are very health-conscious. [VeeV] is healthier alcohol,” says Courtney. “We’re not telling people to get your daily dose of Vitamin C by drinking VeeV, but we’re saying it’s healthier.” The 60-proof spirit is clear like vodka but tastes a little sweeter.

A study done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Research Service and researchers from Kasetsart University in Thailand found that antioxidant properties in strawberries were boosted when mixed with alcohol. Blackberries and blueberries also produced similar results; however, this study has not been done with açai, and of course alcohol is harmful if not used in moderation.

The VeeV brothers aren’t just boasting about the antioxidants in açai. They’re going green too. They have partnered with Sambazon to reduce the carbon footprint and for every bottle sold, VeeV donates $1 back to the Brazilian rainforest.

If you’re looking for a taste of açai nightlife, head to P.B. or downtown. In P.B., Bar West serves up two drinks with the VeeV Açai Spirit. The Limelight is a refreshing blend of cucumber, cilantro, lime and açai while the Orange Crush is a tangy taste of orange, white grape juice and açai. JRDN also has an açai blueberry lemon drop. Downtown, Anthology serves up VeeV Le’Rock and the Ivy Hotel, Stingaree and Confidential also carry VeeV.

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