Brazilian Acai Breakfast Bowl (1 serving) 7 ounces Acai Roots frozen acai pulp 4 frozen strawberries 1 fresh banana 4 ounces juice of your choice (orange juice or apple juice work great) 1 Tablespoon sweetener of your choice (agave syrup or honey work great) 2 Tablespoons quick-cooking or old fashioned oats This recipe and related information come to MrBreakfast.com courtesy of The Acai Roots Company. Following the recipe, take a moment to learn about the Acai Berry and The Acai Roots Company. Directions: Place all the ingredients in a blender, and blend on high until desired consistency is reached. Place contents into a bowl and top with granola, sliced bananas and strawberries (or your preferred fruits) to maximize your experience. Enjoy! What is Acai? Acai is a berry from Brazil found only in the Amazon region. Due to its nutritional composition and health benefits, acai is considered to be one of the healthiest foods available for consumers. This natural berry is loaded with antioxidants, amino acids, omegas fibers, protein, and vitamins; acai is widely known for its health benefits which includes, but are not limited to: healthy cholesterol management, improvement of digestive system, sustained energy boost, and strengthening of immune system. Acai is also a source of protein, calcium, vitamins A, E, and B6. The best is that acai tastes delicious - often described as a blend of berries and chocolate. Antioxidant: Helps slow the aging process. Omega Fatty Acids: Fights harmful cholesterol and prevents heart disease. Phytosterols: Enhances the immune system and reduces blood plasma cholesterol. Dietary Fibers: Nurtures a better digestive system. The Fruit - Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-eeh) is a Tupi (Brazilian indigene language) word that means "fruit that cries". This dark purple little fruit looks very similar a grape or blueberry (very common in the US), with the difference that the majority of the fruit is seed (95%), and only the skin around the seed is utilized to make acai juice or pulp. The acai berry scores 67% higher in antioxidants composition than pomegranate, and over 500% more than in the blueberry. Other related benefits: Acai is also often linked with other benefits associated with consumption of antioxidant pigments, such as reduced risk or prevention of cancer, diabetes, chronic inflammation, heart and vascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and other types of neuro-degeneration, high blood cholesterol, stroke, bacterial infections, urinary tract infections, age-related visual deterioration and premature aging. Curiosity: Even though the acai berry has been consumed for hundreds of years in the northern regions of Brazil, it was in Rio de Janeiro that acai's public awareness boomed - in the mid 80's. With the heavy consumption among Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters, surfers, runners, as well as others pro and amateur athletes, the famous acai bowl was rapidly associated with a healthy lifestyle, and consequently became a popular dish among all locals (known for being health-conscious). The acai bowl is the most popular way Brazilians consume acai and it is a breakfast tradition. It is good to mention that the acai growth in Rio (and in Brazil and consequently in the world today) started because of the Gracie Family (Brazilian Jiu-jitsu creators and founders). Helio Gracie, the creator of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu used to import the acai for himself, his family and his jiu-jitsu students. The Gracies used to provide acai to their students, which created a demand. This demand made juice-bars in Rio that were close to jiu-jitsu academies to carry acai, and eventually other athletes began to use until it finally became a main stream product. About The Acai Roots Company: Acai Roots is a San Diego-based company that supplies Amazon-grown acai products. The company was founded in 2005 by 3 native Brazilians who, upon finding the acai available in the United Stated disappointing, decided to bring the real deal for their own consumption. What began as something targeted for themselves, rapidly expanded. As Brazilians and Americans friends tried the acai they were importing, these 3 guys started to receive orders from their own friends, and soon from the friends of their friends; and this is how Acai Roots was created. As the company began to grow, the founders continued to be committed to their original objective: "bring the delicious, authentic and healthy Brazilian-style acai to America, along with its lifestyle. "Not just the berry, the lifestyle!" Acai Roots' products are made from natural wild crafted acai berries harvested from the Belem region in the State of Para, where Brazil produces its "cream of the crop" acai (depending on the region it is harvested, the nutritional facts and taste can change). The company manufactures and distributes a full line of pure acai berry products formulated to exact standards by native Brazilians. Acai Roots is dedicated to supporting the sustainable harvesting of acai berries in the Brazilian Amazon to help protect the rain forest and support local communities in Brazil. This is a perfect breakfast for spring and summer. I am confident you will love it! It's not just a berry, it's a lifestyle! Mr Breakfast would like to thank AcaiRoots for this recipe. Recipe number 2812. Submitted 4/14/2010.