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September/October 2010 Alternative Health
Three Ways to Protect Your Body This Fall

by Rebecca Wood

Protect, nourish and feed your body with whole foods: acai berry, argan oil and pears each have medicinal benefits to help keep you healthy and well this fall season.

Acai

Although an acai (pronounced ah-sah-ee) berry looks like a grape, don’t bite hard. It is 90 percent seed encased in a scant layer of flesh and, typically, a thin dark purple skin. These berries grow on the tops of acai palm trees and are native to central and tropical South America. The very tip of the palm itself is also enjoyed as the vegetable known as heart of palm.

Acai fruit, a newly popularized “cure-all,” has 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and is traditionally used by Amazonian people to boost both stamina and libido.

Acai fruit scored “the highest of any food reported to date against the peroxyl radical,” according to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. It reports that acai berries trigger a self-destruct response in up to 86 percent of tested leukemia cells.

This makes acai an invaluable food-medicine that helps maintain the healthy function of bodily organs and systems — including the immune system — with antiviral, anticancer, antifungal and antimicrobial properties. The fruit is used to treat anemia, diabetes and dysmenorrhea. Acai is rich in B vitamins, minerals and fiber, and has multiple phytosterols. Among other benefits, phytosterols, also known as plant sterols, helps reduce blood plasma cholesterol. Acai root is used for hepatitis.

In South America, acais are eaten raw, but as the fresh fruits do not ship well, only their juice (powdered or fresh) or frozen fruit pulp is exported. The puree can be served cold or warm as a topping or added to frozen desserts. Acai juice is featured in nutritional beverages, energy formulas and supplements. Acai seed oil is used as an anti-aging agent in the cosmetic industry.

Acai is available at many local grocery stores, including Whole Foods and New Seasons.

Argan Oil

Healthful, tasty and truly exotic, argan oil is produced from the seeds of the argan fruit grown only in southwestern Morocco. The argan tree is a sole species in the genus Argania and grows wild in semi desert soil, its deep root system helping to protect against the northern advance of the Sahara.

Roasted argan oil has a nutty aroma and flavor — rather like peanuts and walnuts — with a hint of pepper. Unless, that is, it’s imbued with a funky billy goat aroma imparted when goats climb the low branched and sprawling argan trees to feed upon  the fleshy fruit. There is only pleasure, though — nothing goaty — in the argan oil in Moroccan cuisine.

Raw argan oil is a high-profile ingredient in cosmetics because of its excellent vitamin E and essential fatty acid profile — it’s prized for its ability to treat dry skin, acne, psoriasis, eczema and wrinkles.

Argan oil is expensive, about $30 for five ounces. Happily, the purchase of this sustainable product directly supports Berber women according to tradition and — more recently — law, as argan harvest and production is limited to women. The Women’s Argan Collective is helping to improve their quality of life, nutrition and educational opportunities.

Argan oil can be purchased online at www.edenallure.com and through other websites.

Pears

Pears are a yin tonic that clear heat and mucus and energize the stomach, spleen and lungs. The pear is used in the treatment of diabetes, hot cough, gallbladder obstruction and constipation. Because they are cooling, do not consume pears when feeling cold internally or if suffering from diarrhea. Freshly squeezed pear juice is a kitchen remedy for a hangover.

Pears are a good source of fiber, particularly pectin, as well as potassium and boron. They are low in sodium and have small amounts of phosphorus and vitamin A. The pectin in pears reduces serum cholesterol and cleanses the body of environmental and radioactive toxins.

In Oregon and Washington, pears are available fresh this fall at local farms. Many Pacific Northwest farms feature Anjou, Bartlett, Bosc and Comice pears. For a map of the Hood River Fruit Loop of local farms in Oregon, visit www.hoodriverfruitloop.com. Find fruit stands in North Central Washington at www.visitwashingtonfarms.com.

Rebecca Wood, author of The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia, is an educational consultant to the natural foods industry and has established cooking schools in Oregon, Colorado and London. Visit www.rwood.com. Reprinted by arrangement with Penguin, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., from The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood.