Acai berries, Colon Cleansing, Diets and Weight Loss

I must admit, when I finished reviewing the Channel 5 news story on Acai Berries, Colon Cleansing, and weight loss, I went to the attached link to receive my free trial bottle of Acai berry/Colon Cleansing pills myself.  For $90.00 a month, I too could continue to receive a bottle of pills to take and lose these extra ten pounds I am carrying following the birth of my three children. Unfortunately, there was a hangup with my credit card (I don't understand the new code they want entered that seems to be different from the number on the back of my card).  So, as I was trying for the third time to get my card to go through, I had been given enough time to pause for thought and decided to stop altogether.  Upon reflecting on my eagerness to try this supplement, I am quite disappointed in myself.  Contrary to my actions, I actually believe that we as a society are growing more and more attached to the ideas of a "quick fix" and a "miracle pill" to solve all of our problems.  We are loosing sight of the fact that meaningful  results come from hard work, discipline and life-style changes.  Why is it that so often we grow discouraged when we can't see the fruits from our labor in a short amount of time?  Truly, will an orange tree bear fruit before it has matured?  Will a bird hatch from an egg before it has grown?  Will a butterfly emerge from a cocoon before its metamorphosis is complete?



As I sit here writing this blog, I am doing research on the Acai Berry and its roots.  It originated in the Amazon where the local people used the fruit from the Acai tree to eat and juice.  I found the website for the company Acai Roots.  Here is their link.

http://www.acairoots.com/acai_berry_history_2_ctg.htm

While reading through this website, I find much of the information compelling me to once again purchase a product.  These folks talk about this amazing fruit that is part of the lifestyle indicative of certain people living in Rio and Brazil.  However, I am also reminded of the research paper I wrote in high school (in the 1980's) about the deforestation of the Amazon rain forest, the loss of many indigenous people, animals and plants, and the potentially devastating effects these changes could have on the world. On the Acai Roots website, there is information about how the company gives back to local people and supports efforts to help children.  However, I could find no information on where exactly the company harvests their acai berries, who does the harvesting, how or where the berries are processed, and what happens if the market for acai berries begins to grow.

Compelling information about the many health benefits of the acai berry as a part of a healthy and active lifestyle  would draw the interested consumer to purchase this product for improved personal health.  But, now that I practice Yoga on a daily basis, I am invested in asking myself to think about the consequences of my actions not only to myself, but also to the community in which I live and to the world at large.  As interested as I am to explore the touted benefits of the acai berry, I can not help but wonder if my purchasing of this product would ultimately add to the growing need to plant more trees and eventually lead to the destruction of more rain forest to develop acai tree farms.

The acai berry is said to be a powerful antioxidant.  Guess what else is a powerful antioxidant?  Glutathione.  Where does it come from?  Our liver manufactures it.  According to "Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice" Fifth Edition, by Barbara Montgomery Dossey and Lynn Keegan, glutathione is "synthesized in the liver, where it is involved in the detoxification of pathways and protects against free radical damage.  Glutathione helps to recycle other antioxidants.  Glutathione is involved in the synthesis and repair of DNA."  Guess what interferes with our body's ability to manufacture glutathione?  Malnutrition and poor quality nutritional intake, stress, alcohol, cigarette smoking, and excessive pharmaceutical or illicit drug abuse all can effect efficient use of glutathione according to Montgomery Dossey and Keegan.

"The body is your temple.  Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in,"  BKS Iyengar.  There are Yoga poses we can engage in to detoxify our bodies,  there are food choices we can make to provide nutrition for our bodies, there are foods we can limit or avoid to reduce the amount of pesticides and chemicals we ingest.  We can learn to choose to eat for health and wellness, rather than to eat for pure pleasure or stress reduction or convenience.

Colon cleansing and a detoxification diet for a few days are certainly things to consider attempting.  There are important factors to consider prior to engaging in a detox.  First, if you are going to detox your body to clean out any build up of toxins, ask yourself if it makes sense to take a pill to help.  The whole point of a detox is to stop putting things in to your body for a period of time.  Here is link to an interesting and detailed article about the benefits of fasting and why it works.

http://www.gaianstudies.org/articles4.htm

There are also Yoga poses that can cleanse and encourage detoxification of the body.  Follow these links on the Yoga Journal website to see some poses that can help.

http://www.yogajournal.com/search?q=detox

We all are drawn to exotic products that promise better results than the "same old, same old" every day products we see on our shelves.  As tempting as acai berries sound, they are not produced here in South Dakota where my body resides.  As much as is reasonable, I believe it is necessary to support local producers of  food - food that is produced near where my body resides.  Now, in the strictest sense of that philosophy, the only thing we have in abundance right now is snow - which of course would not sustain me for very long.  But, the point is that I check the origins of each item I purchase in the stores and try to choose items  that come from places as close to me as I can.  I try to think about the impact my purchasing power has on the economy.  I try to be discriminating when it comes to who  gets my hard-earned money. Finally,  I attempt to ponder the real benefits of buying an exotic pill versus being patient and following a sound nutritional diet and exercise plan.



Gina