Acai Berry Scams & Weight Loss

Ever feel that every email you get these days is for another Acai Berry supplements that guarantees you will lose 30 pounds in a week? What about the claims that Oprah and Dr. Oz use Acai as their secret weight loss weapon? To top it all off, a lot of these Acai emails claim you can get their Acai supplement for free. Could this be true or just an acai berry scam?

Are the 'Free Acai' Supplements Really Free?

No they’re not. You will see many acai berry supplements that claim to offer a free trial. The way it works is that you enter your credit card to just pay a nominal amount for shipping and then you get a free trial of Acai. It all sounds like a good deal until you read the fine print hidden about 10 pages deep in their "Terms of Service".

It turns out that by agreeing to the "free trial" you are also signing up to have an Acai supplement mailed to you every 30 days and billed $60 - $90 a month. What about the free trial bottle you are getting for your weight loss program? If you don't cancel within 14 days you will be billed for that bottle as well!

It sounds like these acai berry free trial deals are a scam - right?

Some may call these free trial deals Acai Berry scams, whilst others will see them as maybe grossly misleading, but not scams. Whilst the terminology may not be that important, what is important is that consumers know the facts so they can fairly compare Acai supplements.

On January 5, 2009 the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of the USA issued a warning to consumers about Acai companies that are using misleading sales and marketing practices. The issue the BBB had was with the failure of these Acai "free trial" companies to fairly and accurately display the fact that consumers will be billed a monthly fee and need to cancel their "membership" or they could face charges of over $90 a month.

What about the Acai supplements endorsed by Oprah and Dr. Oz?

While there are numerous sites claiming or implying that Oprah and/or Dr. Oz endorsed their Acai berry supplement - this is just not true. Let's be very clear about this - Oprah and Dr. Oz have never endorsed or recommended any paricular brand of acai supplement.

It is true, however, that Oprah, Dr. Oz and Dr. Perricone have had very positive things to say about the Acai berry supplement - they simply have never endorsed any particular Acai supplement.

What is Acai?

Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-EE ) is a fruit that grows on the Acai Palm Trees in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil. The Acai berry is smaller than a grape in size and is dark purple in colour. Acai is mostly seed, covered in a small amount of pulp. In fact, about 90% of the Acai berry is seed - it is important to note that no one eats the Acai berry seed.

What makes Acai so special?

While Acai may be small in size, it packs a nutritional punch unlike any other food in the world. Here are a few highlights:

• Dr. Perricone, in his bestseller - "The Perricone Promise" picks Acai fruit as the #1 Super Food in the world.
• In 2005, Oprah name Acai the #1 Super Food, saying "This little berry is one of the most nutritious and powerful foods in the world."
• "Rich in antioxidants and amino acids, açaí is thought to be one of the most nutritional fruits of the Amazon basin." New York Times, 8/4/2004
• Acai has 10 Times the antioxidant power of red grapes and twice that of blueberries.

While other sites make claims about Acai curing every disease known to man, we would never make those claims. What is clear is that Acai has tremendous health properties and may be one of the best possible foods you can eat to stay healthy.

How Does Acai Taste?

Terrific! Acai has a berry flavour with a subtle chocolate after taste. Acai tastes so good, that you would never guess it is also great for you.

Can I buy fresh Acai at my local market?

Only if you live in the middle of Amazon Rainforest! For the rest of us, fresh Acai is not an option. Acai is very perishable and spoils within about 24 hours of being picked from the Acai Palm tree.

How can I get Acai fruit?

Acai pulp from the Amazon can be frozen and shipped. A number of juice bars do have Acai smoothies - but this can get expensive.

Acai pulp can also be dehydrated into a powder and freeze dried. This powder can then be put into capsules to make pure Acai supplements that maintain all the nutritional properties of fresh Acai - just in a concentrated form.

Great, so I can just buy any Acai supplement?

Not exactly! There is a world of difference between the various Acai supplements on the market. Some are made in such a way that they maintain almost NONE of the nutritional profile of fresh Acai, particularly if they are spray dried or are an extract .

Because Acai is highly perishable, you want to make sure the company making the Acai powder is using fresh Acai berries. After all, the best freeze drying techniques really don't mean much if you start with spoiled Acai berries! You also want a company with strong relations with the indigenous people of the Amazon who will be picking the Acai berries.

When it comes to pure Acai, the Amazonia pure, certified organic, 100% Freeze Dried Açaí is the premium blend in a powder form and stands head and shoulders above all others.

The highest quality Acai supplements will be made with Amazonia freeze dried Acai. Spray dried and "extract" Acai supplements should be avoided at all costs.

Lose weight with Acai

To maximise your weight loss on any calorie controlled weight loss program, by adding the Acai berry into your program it will provide your body with increased energy, vitality and a much greater sense of nutritional well being. If you're looking to lose weight, then you need to have a good look at the capsules - they can be easily taken with a large glass of water to minimise calorie intake.

The powder is great, but you would more than likely sprinkle that on food or blend it into a smoothie (not great weight loss options); and the blended juices are not recommended because of the natural sugar content from the fruits.

The Organic Acai Berry capsules are best for any weight loss program - it's the superfood in a casule.