Have you been stuck in a bid to find healthy, yet delicious little bites to snack on through the day? Let’s face it, if you’ve been trying to get on a more healthy route, you’ve likely faced this challenge at some point. More so, you’ll likely agree with me that moving from one fad diet to another and restricting yourself in ways you’ve never imagined, does not make for a good quality of life. That said, one superfruit you can count on to up your nutritional intake is the recently infamous Acai berry. Want to know more about it? If so, this article will touch every single piece of information regarding Acai berry bowl nutrition facts. At the end of the day, you’ll be well versed in how to incorporate this superfruit into your diet and why you should have started eating Acai berries yesterday.

What are Acai berries?

acai berry bowls nutrition facts

Image Credit: Life of Pix

Typical to the rainforests of South and Central America, the Acai berry is a purple fruit that measures roughly 1 to 2 centimeters in terms of diameter. For the most part, it’s more seed than fruit, with the seed taking the larger part of an 80 to 20 ratio. If you haven’t had some before and are wondering what Acai berry actually tastes like, you’re in luck. It’s not indescribable and is said to be somewhat of a blend of berries (of course) and chocolate, all wrapped up with a hint of a metallic aftertaste.

What’s more, these berries earned the status of superfruit for a number of reasons. Simply put, they can do almost anything; they’re great for weight loss, good for the skin, and have antioxidation properties. The thing is, not all of this has actually been proved, but a lot of people swear by it. Like us, you’re probably wondering why this. To have all the answers, we’ll have to dive deeper into the nutrition facts of Acai berry bowl and what makes Acai berries so healthy.

Are Acai berry bowls healthy?

As this fruit has risen in popularity, a lot of people incorporate an Acai bowl here and there in their all-around diet. As much as it may sound that way, it’s simply not a bowl filled to the brim with Acai fruit. You actually have to follow an Acai bowl recipe to successfully achieve one of these. 

More so, most recipes contain a combination of seeds, fruit, nut butter, almond milk and so much more. Sounds like a healthy blend right? It’s not far from the truth, but the main issue here is that it’s quite high in terms of sugar content. 

There’s really no way to run away from the sugar content, regardless of how you build it. Sure, it may be a low-calorie Acai bowl, but the sugar content aspect is not something to overlook. If you want to guard against any unwarranted Acai berry side effects,  you should probably make Acai bowls a once in a while treat, than a regular meal.

Acai berry bowl nutrition facts

acai bowl nutrition facts

Acai berries have come to be known as a superfood, but whether they are doing more harm than good is something to look at. As mentioned earlier, Acai bowls are quite high in sugar content and can be quite dense in calories too. However, make no mistake, every bowl is packed with ingredients that make it high in terms of nutrients. Below is a detailed breakdown of what you’ll be getting.

All the information below is based on Acai berry nutrition per 100g; 

  • Calories: 134
  • Energy: 559 KJ
  • Protein: 2.29 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 24.86 grams
  • Fat: 3.97
  • Sugar: 13.94 grams
  • Saturated Fat: 2.897 grams
  • Sodium: 76m grams
  • Monounsaturated Fat: 0.476 grams
  • Fiber: 3 grams
  • Potassium: 294m grams
  • Cholesterol: 0 grams
  • Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.289 grams

How to make Acai bowls

It’s not particularly hard to assemble an Acai bowl, as there are so many recipes you can find online. Simply pick one that suits your taste and you are good to go. For this particular recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients.

  • Pure unsweetened Acai puree (as an alternative you can use Acai powder)
  • Frozen strawberries and blueberries
  • Some sort of liquid (milk)
  • Banana
  • Yogurt (alternatively use some milk or Acai juice)
  • Toppings (nuts, seed, fruit, granola)

To assemble the bowl, start by preparing your frozen fruit. Slice the bananas, and add the blueberries and strawberries to a tray which you’ll put in the freezer. Alternatively, you can opt for storebought frozen fruit, it’s not a far throwaway. 

Once the fruit is frozen, the next step is to pour some milk and yogurt into a blender. Then proceed to add all your frozen fruit as well as your deconstructed Acai. At this point, it’s ready to get blended into a smooth paste in the low setting.

The last step is simply to divide the smoothie into portions and sprinkle any toppings of your choice.

How many calories are in an Acai bowl?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), a three-gram teaspoon of Acai berry powder comprises 20 calories.

However, the amount of calories in an Acai bowl depends on the serving size. If you are going for a serving size of 66 grams, then it’s  370 calories. More so, if you’re assembling the bowl in the comfort of your home, then you probably know how to regulate it. But the portion sizes offered in commercial servings are quite large and can contain up to 600 calories. Let’s face it, Acai bowls are delicious, you’ll be tempted to gobble it all down.

Also, when consumed in large quantities, the calories are quite high. It’s not just the calories, the sugar can equally lead to Acai berry side effects such as diabetes and liver diseases. To limit this, an Acai berry supplement will suffice instead of a full-on bowl.

If you are assembling the bowl on your own, try to use an Acai bowl calorie calculator. It’ll do you good to know just how much to consume to remain on the healthy side of things.

To Summarise

With all that’s mentioned above, there is no doubt that Acai berries are healthy. The key here is control; portion control and calorie intake control altogether. To sum up, Acai berries are nutritious, and therefore, can be part of a healthy weight loss diet. But at the end of the day, you need to include it in the right proportion.

I do hope you enjoyed reading this article. If so, feel free to share and comment if you have any further questions.

The articles on this site are not medical or certified advice, all content that has been created is simply our opinions,experiences and independent research. We strongly advise seeking professional,qualified expert advice from either your GP or a certified medical practitioner before making any changes to do with your health,diet, exercise or habits.