Drinking kale powder makes you thinner? Can acai berry powder make your skin whiter? Check out this article!

Author: Xue Qingxin, one of the first nutrition instructors of the National Health Commission, and a registered nutritionist in China

Reviewer: Zhang Na, Associate Researcher, Doctoral Supervisor, Peking University School of Public Health

gossip

Recently, acai powder and kale powder have become very popular, and the merchants have praised them to the sky in their promotions. For example, one promotion said that "kale powder is the king of vegetables, a super vegetable, which can eliminate belly fat and lose weight very quickly", and also said that "acai powder can make the skin turn around and turn dark and yellow skin white".

Are these benefits real? Are they just a waste of money? In this article, we will talk about these two foods and the super powder made from them.

analyze

Acai Berry

Acai berry, also known as acai fruit, has become popular all over the world in recent years, from South America to all parts of the country. Acai berry is derived from the fruit of the Acai palm tree of the palm family. It is a berry that is concentrated in the northern part of the Amazon rainforest in South America. The mature acai berry will gradually change from green to purple-black, and is similar in size to grapes. The taste is similar to the combination of wild berries and chocolate.

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Most berry fruits have good antioxidant properties, and acai berry is even better, known as the "king of antioxidants". The reason why it has strong antioxidant capacity is related to its rich content of anthocyanins, which helps to remove excess free radicals in the body and also has potential anti-inflammatory effects.

Human studies have found that when adults consumed 200 ml of acai juice daily for four weeks, their high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and antioxidant enzyme activity improved; in a small observational study of overweight subjects, eating 100 grams of acai pulp twice a day for one month reduced fasting blood sugar and insulin levels, and also significantly reduced total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. [1]

There are also many foreign animal experiments showing that feeding mice with acai berry pulp significantly reduced the mice’s total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein levels, while increasing their high-density lipoprotein levels, which has the potential to protect blood lipid health; acai berry may also improve heart function, which has the potential to protect the heart; acai berry may reduce cancer cell invasion, increase cancer cell apoptosis, and reduce cancer cell angiogenesis, which has the potential to protect cancer cells. [1]

Some domestic animal experiments have also shown that acai berry has varying degrees of improvement on liver fatty degeneration, inflammatory cell infiltration, and liver cell necrosis caused by chronic alcoholic liver damage. [2]

More research evidence is needed to further verify the effects of acai berry on human health.

Kale

Kale is a cruciferous vegetable that was planted in Europe more than 4,000 years ago. my country only began to introduce it for cultivation in the 1990s. With its attractive and cold-resistant characteristics, it has become the protagonist of flower beds and has great ornamental value.

In addition to being ornamental, kale is also edible and is a nutritious vegetable that is rich in vitamin C, dietary fiber, carotene, mineral potassium, vitamin K and other nutrients.

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1. Vitamin C: The content is 63 mg/100 g, which is higher than that of broccoli, another cruciferous vegetable, and 1.7 times that of Chinese cabbage. [3]

2. Dietary fiber: The insoluble dietary fiber content is 3.2 g/100 g, and the total dietary fiber content is as high as 4.1 g[4], which is four times that of pakchoy. It can enhance satiety, promote gastrointestinal motility, prevent constipation, and is beneficial to intestinal health.

3. Carotene: The content is 4368 micrograms/100 grams, which is higher than carrots (4107 micrograms/100 grams). Among them, β-carotene can also be converted into vitamin A in the body, which is beneficial to the health of eyes and skin.

4. Potassium: The content is 395 mg/100 g, which is 1.5 times the potassium content of the bananas we often eat. The rich mineral potassium helps stabilize blood pressure and is very suitable for people who need to control blood pressure.

5. Vitamin K: The vitamin K content of kale is as high as 390 micrograms per 100 grams, which is 8.5 times that of Chinese cabbage. [5] Vitamin K can promote calcium deposition in bones and promote bone health.

Although kale is rich in nutrients, few people like to eat it because it tastes not only rough but also bitter. If you want to improve the taste, you can choose to remove the middle stalk and eat the leaves. The leaves have less dietary fiber than the stalk, and the taste is slightly better and not too rough and difficult to chew; blanching before eating can reduce the bitterness.

Is Super Powder worth eating?

Since both acai berries and kale are nutritious, what about the "super powder" made from them? Is it worth buying?

Reasons for not recommending: First, both powders are expensive. Second, the nutrients they contain can also be supplemented by other foods. For example, acai berries are rich in anthocyanins, which are also found in purple sweet potatoes, purple cabbage, blueberries, mulberries and other foods we usually eat. The vitamin C and carotene in kale can also be supplemented by eating broccoli. The potassium content of chicory, red radish, green radish leaves, and kale is not much different from that of kale, and they can also supplement dietary fiber. The vitamin K content in spinach is 1.2 times that of kale. [6]

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Reasons for recommendation: If you want to buy it, it is recommended to choose freeze-dried ones, which will better preserve the nutrients.

After being processed into acai powder, acai berry still has antioxidant properties, especially freeze-dried acai powder. Studies have shown that the content of anthocyanins in freeze-dried acai powder is not low. [7]

Animal studies have also shown that acai berry powder can enhance blood production and improve immune function, and protect against radiation damage. [8]

However, don't expect to whiten, remove spots, or improve your skin by eating acai berry powder.

As for kale powder, if you usually eat very few vegetables and your dietary fiber intake is insufficient, you can eat some kale powder to supplement dietary fiber, which is helpful for preventing constipation, but don't expect to lose weight by eating it! For example, the freeze-dried kale powder shown below, 5 grams can supplement 2 grams of dietary fiber, and also supplement some vitamin A and vitamin K.

A brand of freeze-dried kale powder

However, kale powder has a strange taste, and many people may not be used to it. It can be mixed with yogurt or milk, and the taste is acceptable.

It should be noted that acai berries may affect the results of MRIs. [9] Kale powder is a cruciferous vegetable and may contain high levels of glucosinolates. If you have thyroid-related diseases, it is best not to eat it.

in conclusion

For those who can afford it and like the taste of these two powdery foods, they are edible and not completely worth the money. It is recommended to buy freeze-dried products, which retain nutrients better than spray-dried products. Just don't expect them to have effects such as weight loss, whitening, freckle removal, and skin reversal.

References:

[1] Laurindo LF, Barbalho SM, Araújo AC, Guiguer EL, Mondal A, Bachtel G, Bishayee A. Açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) in Health and Disease: A Critical Review. Nutrients. 2023 Feb 16;15(4):989. doi: 10.3390/nu15040989. PMID: 36839349; PMCID: PMC9965320.

[2] Qu Shengsheng, Zhang Jianjun, Wang Chun, Li Yanxia, ​​Yang Xu, Wang Linyuan. Study on the protective effect of acai berry on alcoholic liver damage in rats[J]. Chinese Journal of Tropical Medicine, 2014(7):788-791

[3] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[4] https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168421/nutrients

[5] https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170390/nutrients

[6] https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168462/nutrients

[7] Schauss, Alexander G et al. “Phytochemical and nutrient composition of the freeze-dried amazonian palm berry, Euterpe oleraceae mart. (acai).” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry vol. 54,22 (2006): 8598-603. doi:10.1021/jf060976g

[8] Wang Yanling, Fang Jing, Zhang Tianzuo, Li Hao, Li Feifei, Tao Mingzhen, Wang Xiaohua, Mao Jianping. Preliminary study on the effect of acai berry and noni fruit powder on the resistance of C57BL/6J mice to 8Gy radiation[J]. Chinese Journal of Biotechnology, 2012, 32(4): 33-40

[9] https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/acai

Source: Starry Sky Project

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