Acai bowl well being advantages: The right way to make a nutritious acai bowl at residence
You’ve little question seen these photogenic darlings of the well being meals world in your Insta feed – so what’s all of the fuss about acai bowls?
Acai bowls have more and more been popping up in health-conscious cafes and social media feeds lately.
However what precisely is acai and why all of the hype round it?
Right here’s all it is advisable to find out about this purple-hued berry and its historic origins, why it’s been touted as a superfood and how one can create your personal little bowl of well being at residence.
What’s acai?
Acai berries (pronounced ah-sah-ee} are native to Central and South America, and have been a staple meals of the Amazon’s ribeirinhos individuals for 1000’s of years.
Because of the problem in exporting the berries, in Australia they’re usually bought as a powder or a frozen puree.
It’s extremely seemingly you’ve develop into conversant in acai in its iteration as a smoothie bowl.
Why acai is a superfood
Practical nutritionist Fran Dargaville says acai is touted as a superfood due to its antioxidant content material.
“Whereas many plant meals comprise antioxidants, acai incorporates larger ranges than many different meals, with one serve of acai offering 5 instances extra antioxidants than a cup of inexperienced tea,” she says.
Fran says antioxidants are key for safeguarding cells towards injury from free radicals, which might trigger oxidative stress – which might in flip result in power illness.
However that isn’t the place acai’s well being advantages finish, says dietitian Milly Smith.
“In addition to being excessive in antioxidants, acai additionally incorporates a variety of nutritional vitamins, minerals and is of course low in sugar and excessive in dietary fibre,” says Milly, of Dietitians Australia.
The right way to make your personal acai bowl
Making a wholesome acai bowl at house is oh-so straightforward.
Step 1: Make the acai bowl base
Fran suggests making a easy acai bowl out of:
- One packet of unsweetened frozen acai;
- One frozen banana; and
- A small quantity of water or coconut milk.
“The banana provides sweetness and ensures a creamy consistency (just like ice cream), and the small quantity of liquid helps obtain the right texture,” says Fran.
Step 2: Add toppings
Fran suggests serving your acai bowl with sliced fruit equivalent to strawberries, banana and mango, which counterpoint the flavour of acai.
For further crunch, add nuts, seeds, or wholesome selfmade granola.
Different acai bowl suggestions to bear in mind
Milly warns that acai bowls can generally be excessive in sugar and energy, so it’s vital to maintain portion dimension in thoughts.
“(Acai bowls) are ceaselessly made on a base of berry powder/puree and combined with fruit juice, then topped with different components that may enhance the sugar load like granola and dried fruits,” she says.
“In addition to being excessive in sugar these components are additionally excessive GI, that means they’ll trigger an enormous spike in our blood sugar ranges.”
Fran provides that acai bowls generally don’t comprise satisfactory fats and protein to substitute a meal.
To up your acai bowl’s dietary worth, Fran suggests including protein powder or collagen to make sure you’re getting a protein hit, and embrace wholesome fat equivalent to nuts and seeds.
Love well being bowls? Right here’s some extra concepts and inspo:
- Luke Hines’ Banoffee Breakfast Bowl
- Sally Obermeder’s Acai What You Did There Bowl
- Raspberry, Blueberry, Coconut and Chia Smoothie Bowl
- Pina Colada Smoothie Bowls
- Inexperienced Vegan Breakfast Bowl
Written by Tania Gomez.
