The Shocking Truth About Açaí Bowls

Hey legend!

Are you a big fan of açaí bowls? I am an absolute sucker for them myself, but whilst we all can agree they taste unbelievably delicious, there is something I need to reveal to you. They are not as "healthy" as they are marketed to be.

Açaí berries themselves are remarkably rich in antioxidants (see the graph below comparing them to some of our favorite fruits).

However, in the classic açaí bowl you consume, there are not just açaí berries.

The taste profile of an açaí berry is very bitter, so in order to curb that notion of taste, you need to balance it out with sweetness. This is where S#$t gets a little frustrating. The sweetener typically used in açaí bowls is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) or a version in the category. HFCS is widely regarded as one of the leading causes of diabetes, obesity, and fatty liver disease. To break this down even further, I made a full video on my youtube channel, which you can watch here. In the video, I outline:

• How HFCS take 4 days to be processed by your liver, and what this mean to the rest of your body.

• What RED FLAG ingredients to look for in your açaí bowls.

• The severity of the effects of HFCS on the body.

• Why HFCS is still such a popular ingredient used in large manufactured products.

Why Ice Cream is apparently healthier for us than we think

There is a new way to measure healthy foods/ingredients. A recent article published in Nature outlined Food Compass, a nutrition profiling system that incorporates a broader range of food characteristics, scoring principles, and attributes (54, to be exact). You can read more about Food Compass in the Nature article here...

Personally, I get super skeptical about these scales. Yet I end up being unable to avoid them as the simplicity of reading such a system is so much easier than identifying someone's specific needs. We all digest food differently, so what one study says about a cohort is going to be different from another. Whilst the intentions of these NPS's are epic, they still can not perform the very tough ask of being specific to every individual on the planet! The one that gave it away for me was ranking Fritos with a score of 55 over starchy vegetables 43.5. Why any NPS would rank a manufactured, highly-processed-packed-product, with unofficial flavors, over some of the planet's greatest forms of energy is beyond me.

What's sizzling this week

100... the number of miles in the Leadville Ultra series that took place in Colorado this weekend

30... the number of hours runners have to complete the course in order to get the belt

12... the number of PB & H's I made for Adam Klink as he looked to complete the feat

87... the number of miles the weapon, Adam Klink, ran giving his all and truly showing his colors as a warrior

Recipe to leave you with...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Gluten Free Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup almond flour

• 1/2 cup rolled oats

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 cup maple

• 1/4 cup olive or coconut oil

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 2 large eggs

• 2.5 mashed bananas + another half banana to place slices on top

• For Topping:

• sprinkling of cacao nibs

• chopped walnuts

• 1/4 PB to dollop on top

Method:

1. First preheat your oven to 325 F/160 C. Combine all your wet ingredients in a bowl with a whisk or mixer (including your egg, banana, oil, and maple syrup).

2. Next, whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl, and add the dry to wet in stages.

3. Bake at 325F for 24-27 min or until golden brown on top. Top with sliced banana, 1 tsp of peanut butter, and a sprinkle of cacao nibs per muffin. Return to oven for 5 minutes, then remove and let cool. Enjoy!