Monday, January 26, 2009
Local merchants have noticed a little purple berry is in high demand among the health-conscious.
Acai, pronounced “ah-sah-EE,” is harvested in the Amazon region of Brazil and is packed with more antioxidants than pomegranates and blueberries. The omega-rich palm berry is also high in fiber and is commonly referred to as a “superfood.”
Video
Kansan.com staff members see how much people know about the trendy "super food," the acai berry.
Jon Wren, store manager of GNC in Lawrence, knew acai was popular when a week’s shipment sold out before the weekend. Wren is among a group of nutrition retailers in Lawrence who have noticed a spike of interest in the acai berry. He said one woman purchased 12 bottles of acai capsules in recent weeks during one of GNC’s January promotions.
“It sat on our shelves for a while because not a lot of people knew about it,” he said.
But over the last four months, Wren hasn’t been able to keep acai products on the shelves. Wren said he noticed most customers shopping for acai were women between the ages of 18 and 35 looking to manage weight loss.
“A lot of women try to kick up their cleanse diet with acai,” Wren said.
GNC sells a seven-day colon cleanse to remove toxins from the digestive system. Acai promotes healthy digestion and lowers cholesterol, according to acairoots.com.
“Customers come in talking about Oprah and Dr. Oz,” he said.
Oprah and her regular health expert, Dr. Oz, have featured the acai berry on several episodes. One of Oprah’s guest health specialists, dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone, named acai the No. 1 superfood over garlic, barley and wheat grass. Acai is rich in oleic acid, which helps ease premature aging by regulating hormones and insulin levels, according to Dr. Perricone on oprah.com,
The Pulse on campus and other smoothie shops in Lawrence also offer acai. At Juice Stop, customers can pay an additional $2 to add a shot of Miracle Fruits of the World, a juice blend comprised of acai, pomegranates, mangosteen and noni. Mark Heaney, Overland Park senior, works at the Juice Stop at Sixth and Wakarusa streets and said he drank the juice blend to boost his immune system.
“When I start to get sick I come in and take a shot of all the good stuff we have,” Heaney said. “It definitely works.”
Aaron Boos, owner of the Lawrence Nutrition Center, said that though customers come in to the Lawrence Nutrition Center to learn about the weight-loss benefits of acai, he prefers to promote the superfood as a powerful antioxidant.
“There aren’t too many antioxidants stronger than acai,” Boos said.
Boos said antioxidants helped people build strong immune systems by fighting free radicals. People who maintain healthy immune systems tend to see benefits in their overall health, which can contribute to weight loss.
“Everybody wants to pop a pill,” Boos said.
While Boos said people tend to ask about the capsule form more often, the Lawrence Nutrition Center also offers acai in a cleanse form, a concentrated juice, antioxidant blend and green tea.
At the Community Mercantile, located at Ninth and Iowa streets, products containing acai have increased in sales, particularly acai in capsule form.
“We have phone calls and customers every day asking about it,” said Nancy O’Conner, director of education and outreach. The Merc also offers acai in a liquid form and a frozen puree for drinks.
O’Connor, who drinks carrot juice in the morning, said the acai juice was trendy, but there were less expensive alternatives for getting antioxidants. A Sambazon organic Acai smoothie sells for $2.79 at The Merc and a bottle of capsules costs up to $28.
“If Oprah talked about POM juice it would fly off the shelf,” she said. “It’s definitely a fad.”
— — Edited by Sonya English
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