Acai Berry: The Bad News!

Acai berry has its fair number of supports, but like any new product or item on the market, there are going to be those who say negative things about it. These people may not know that much about the product or they may actually have heard rumours that they believe are the truth. Sometime, of course, they are actually right!

Acai berry is, perhaps incorrectly, viewed as some kind of health 'fad'. It is generally treated with the same contempt that is reserved for things that are here today – usually through some fluke of marketing or other – and will be gone tomorrow. It could be argued that acai was indeed the lucky recipient of some of this lucky marketing when Oprah decided to do a feature about it on her show. You could also argue that this is a solid product that has been waiting to get the attention it deserves; the appearance on Oprah was merely vindication of what those in the know already knew.

Whatever your opinion on acai berry, there can be no doubt that it has caused a splash as big as a little berry possibly can.

Those who say negative things about the acai berry really aren’t correct. Let's go through some of the major misconceptions that people harbour, and see whether they really add up.

• The Acai Berry Has Side Effects. The fact is that acai is a fruit, and how many fruits do you know that have side effects? People seem to view acai as some kind of chemical drug or supplement. It definitely isn't either of those, and there are trees and farmers in Brazil that will back me up on that.

• Acai Doesn't Work. This criticism is usually uttered by people who want – no, expect – to lose 25 pounds in the first week of adding acai to their (terrible) diet. If you want this to happen then yes, acai is likely to be useless. If, however, you're looking for something that will add nutrients, minerals and other goodness into your diet which – depending on how you use it – might help you to lose weight, then acai never fails.

• Acai is expensive. Like anything on the open market, some acai products are expensive, others are much cheaper. Expense does not say anything about value of money, of course.

• Acai contains ingredients that are harmful. Acai is a fruit. A berry. A drupe. Whatever. It is not a chemical mix of drugs. Some companies chose to mix acai with other ingredients, and there is no point in me hypothesizing what these ingredients are, but the acai itself is not harmful. If you stick to 100% pure juices and purees, then there should be no problem at all.

• Acai is a SCAM. Hang on... acai berry free trials are scams. All of them. They trick you into giving your credit card details and you will end up being charged far too much for inferior products. HOWEVER: Acai is not all sold in free trial scams. The vast majority of acai retailers are honest people who deliver excellent products, and doing a little homework before you purchase will mean you cannot get stung by one of these scams.