Know What To Eat And Drink to Receive Sustained Energy? Acai Berries!

By Jeremy Liddle

Well what is it about acai berries that delivers sustained energy?

The biggest energy secret in acai berries is the combination of carbohydrates and dietary fibre, however they don't provide sustained energy in every food. In all foods, carbohydrates are converted into sugar in the blood. The rate at which this occurs is measured with Glycemic Index (GI), and if the GI is high then the food is digested and absorbed quickly, delivering a fast rise in blood sugar. Examples of such foods are sweets, sugar, and processed bread.

In order to keep the body healthy blood sugar levels must be kept at a normal level. If they rise it stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin, which is the substance that communicates to the cells to start absorbing sugar, in turn causing blood sugar levels to reduce. Foods that are high in GI cuase extra amounts of insulin which results in too much sugar being absorbed after the sugar rush, depleting blood sugar far below the normal level. This then causes the familiar low that people experience after a sugar rush.

Acai berries have a glycemic load of 0.5. The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively new way to determine the impact of carbohydrate in the blood. It gives a fuller picture than GI alone, since it considers the amount of carbohydrate consumed. A GL of 10 or less is considered low, therefore helping control blood sugar levels and lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Acai has a glycemic load of 0.5, meaning that it provides the sustained energy needs for todays busy lifestyle.

Dietary fibre can act like a sponge during the digestion of food, particularly the fibre in acai binds to digested food and reduces the rate of digestion. So when eating acai it is less likely a sugar rush will be experienced as the sugar is released slowly. This can also assist in controlling food cravings, which can in turn assist in stopping obesity.

Most of the energy in Acai actually comes not from sugar but from the healthy omega-6 and omega-9 fats, so acai is one food that can be eaten guilt free! It can help people feel full due to the fibre content, and at the same time provide sustained energy. It is best to mix acai with apple juice, which also has a relative low GI, to delivery sustained energy in a smoothie. - 30241

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