BRING ON THE BERRIES - HIGH IN ANTIOXIDANTS, THEY HAVE PLENTY OF HEALTH BENEFITS

1. ACAI BERRIES:

What's inside:

• The round, purple -black fruits, which taste like a blend of berries and slightly bitter chocolate, are packet with antioxidants. Rich in:
• Essential fatty acids
• Fibre
• Iron
• Calcium
• Heart-healthy fats

Recent finding:
           The antioxidant power depends on how the berries are eaten. Straight acai has the most nutrients. Some cosmetics and beauty products contain acai oil on the ingredient list, but there's no evidence of health benefits. There is limited evidence for benefit beyond what most other berries can provide," says Nancy Cohen, head of the department of Nutrition at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

How to include them in your diet:
              Beware. There's no evidence that the berries promote weight loss any more than any other fruits. Because fresh acai is only available in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, look for it in juice or pulp form or powder. Just two tablespoons of powder- sprinkled on cereal, yogurt or smoothies- meets the suggested daily dose of antioxidants. Heating it may diminish some of its antioxidants.