Perhaps the Acai berry isn't such a secret anymore, not now that Dr. Nicholas Perricone has been on Oprah telling the world about its benefits. If you're unaware of this fruit, Dr. Perricone has put the Acai berry in the number one slot of his top ten list of "super foods" - and the research on this fruit backs up his claim. This berry, just the size of a grape, is packed with nutritional punch.

The Acai berry is the fruit of the Acai palm (the c in Acai is pronounced as an s, by the way) which is a tree native to the Amazon region and is a staple of Brazilian food. The Acai boasts a delicious berry flavour with an aftertaste redolent of chocolate. Brazilians use both the juice of the Acai as well as the pulp in a variety of foods, including blends, smoothies, drinks and ice cream. It is also served both as a sweet or savory dish with tapioca or granola. The Acai is very perishable, spoiling within a day of being picked - which has kept this berry from being widely exported in the past, despite its nutritional value.

That is, until recently.

So what are the health benefits of this fruit that have caused such interest amongst American experts? Well, for starters, Acai has an amazing 10 times the antioxidant power of red grapes and twice that of blueberries. Even more promising is that the antioxidant components are 'slow-acting', which indicates that the antioxidant effect is more sustained. The Acai is rich in fatty acids, containing high levels of the monounsaturated fatty acid known as oleic acid, enabling it to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Studies at the University of Florida also suggest that the Acai contains polyphenolics which can reduce the spread of leukemia cells. To summarise, Acai Berries are at the top of the Super Food list because they can prevent and reduce inflammations; regulate your metabolism and burn your body fat; lower your cholesterol and blood pressure; protect against cancer and heart disease; promote good digestive health - and, just for good measure, give you energy!

Simply eating the berries or using them in the traditional manner of the Brazilians has always been near impossible for people living far from the Amazon Basin. But now there are two ways that the berry is being transported. Firstly, Acai pulp from the Amazon is being frozen and shipped to the USA. Some juice bars now are beginning to have Acai smoothies - although they are often on the expensive side.

More accessible, though, is the Acai powder which results from the pulp being dehydrated and freeze-dried. The resulting powder is easier and cheaper to export and can be used to make pure Acai supplements that have all the nutritional benefits of the original fruit. That last point is worth stressing - the freeze-dried powder has all the health-giving properties of the berry itself.

The Acai berry is truly a nutritional wonder - and now it's one everyone can enjoy the benefits of, whether you ever have the chance to go to Brazil or not!