The acai berry diet plan is really not a diet plan at all. Acai berries are grown naturally in the Brazilian rain forest, actually harvested from the tops of Acai palms. These amazing berries are only found in this area of the world. Local farmers freeze dry the berries, and ship them around the world to be added to acai berry supplements. Because acai berries are freeze dried, they keep all of their amazing nutritional value. Brazilians have consumed the this magnificent fruit in various forms for centuries, and it can be attributed to their constant energy, beautiful skin, and healthy lifestyles.

Acai berries are known as an incredible antioxidant, and are packed with essential nutrients, and vitamins. Acai berry products can be found online, in health food stores, and in most major grocery stores. They are also excellent for weight loss. In addition to weight loss, the acai can help you with digestion, sleep better, get more energy, and more.

I discovered acai berry juice several months ago in my local grocery store. I am always up for a new all-natural fruit juice for my homemade breakfast smoothies, so I thought that I would give it a try. I also have trouble with digestion, so I generally have a berry smoothie for breakfast instead of coffee. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised about how good the acai juice tasted, and how easy it was for me to mix it into my morning smoothie. I also found that unlike coffee which makes me hungry, the acai smoothie gave me extra energy without the hunger pangs.

For me, the acai berry diet plan is not a diet but a definite fruit that I will add to my daily regimen. I have lost weight by adding acai berry supplements to my diet, and I have more energy too. Acai berries are highly nutritious, and it just makes sense to add them to a healthy diet.

The other day, I received an email from someone who wrote, in part: “I’m getting ready to order Medifast shakes, but I’m not sure which ones would be best or which ones I want. Can you give me any advice as to what or how to order ” I’ll tell you how I responded to this question in the following article.

Basic Information About Medifast Shakes: When most people think of the Medifast diet, the shakes are what comes to mind. I’m not exactly sure why this is. The company doesn’t exclusively stress these. There are many other options, after all. But, I think that word has gotten out that these little products are quite tasty and filling. And, if you do any research on them, you’ll see that they are among the most nutritionally sound and diet friendly shakes out there. Most of them contain less than 100 calories per serving and also have high amounts of protein and low amounts of carbs. This is not just a lucky coincidence. It’s been designed this way so that your body can easily get into ketosis and steadily burn fat.

Many people assume that there is just one basic variety or choice. This assumption is a long way from true. There are tons of choices to make and, within those choices, there are several flavors available, which leads me to my next point.

Choosing Which Medifast Shakes Are Best For You: Sometimes when I ask people which of these shakes they have in mind, they will respond with something like: “just the basic or regular ones.” It is generally the 55 variety that falls under this description. These are the ones that are included in most of the variety packages. Now, the 55 requires that you mix it in a shaker or blender, but in exchange, these are so tasty and versatile. They are quite good and they are actually pretty delicious if you add sugar free syrups to them (think caramel chocolate.)

The 70 are just like the 55 except for they contain more protein. These are generally intended for men and athletes. There are also shakes that address specific health concerns like diabetes, menopause, joint or inflammatory issues, or a slow metabolism. There are also shakes that are part of the “momentum” line that contain ingredients that will boost your metabolism. Finally, there are some shakes in the line up that you don’t have to mix up or blend. These are called the “ready to drink.”

No matter which you order, they will all have roughly the same amount of calories, carbs, and proteins (with the exception of the 70, as I discussed before.) You should also know that you can use the dry version of this product as part of recipes for baked goods that are “diet friendly.”

How Do You Order The Medifast Shakes : Most people assume that you go on the company website and order them individually. And, you most certainly can do that. You’ll see this menu on the left side of the screen. But, did you know that the shakes are only one Medifast food out of many If you are on this diet full time, you eat five of these “mini meals” and then one larger regular meal. In order to have a little variety, you might want to expand outside of the shakes.

If you order a package, you’ll get plenty of shakes, but you’ll also get some eggs, soups, chili, stews, oatmeal, puddings, fruit drinks, etc. I did start out with just the liquids but I very shortly expanded to more foods so that I could give myself a little more variety. Plus, if you get the shakes as part of a package, you will pay much less for them. A package with a decent coupon will bring the cost per meal down to just a little over $2 each.

People all over the United States are addicted to exotic fruits that supposedly offer health benefits in every bottle. The Goji berry, Noni berry, and even the Pomegranate (POM Wonderful anyone?) have all had their run. The latest craze is the Acai (prounounced Ah-sight-EE) berry, harvested from the jungles of the Amazon in Brazil. Sales of this so-called “superfruit” exceeded $104 million in the United States in 2008. Thousands of Americans stand in long lines at their local juice bars and pay upwards of $6 for an Acai smoothie or bowl of chilled Acai berries. But is it a miracle berry, or just masterful and sensational marketing? The truth is, the Acai berry is no better for you than the regular blueberry.

There’s no question that the Acai berry offers nutritional benefits. But is it the king of all fruits? Let’s take a look at some of the claims made by this magical potion and the real scientific facts:

The claim: Acai has omega-3’s.
Fact: Omega-3’s can help reduce your risk of heart disease. The amount of omega-3’s in Acai berry juice is laughable. You would have to drink over 2 gallons to equal the same amount of omega-3’s in one 3-ounce serving of salmon.

The claim: Acai has Fiber.
Fact: Fiber aids in the digestion process. There is only 1 gram of fiber in most 8 ounce servings of Acai juice, which contains nearly 600 calories. In comparison, once slice of 100 percent whole-wheat bread has the same fiber and is only 100 calories. Which would you choose?

The claim: Acai has more antioxidants than blueberries.
Fact: Antioxidants can help prevent disease by killing free radicals in the body. Read the fine print on the bottle. The antioxidant comparisons are made using fresh Acai fruit, not the juice you’re drinking.

Let’s face it, all these “facts” don’t tell you the whole truth. The color, the packaging, the buzz words, the health benefits, and the origin of the fruit are all used to appeal to our senses, turn off our logic, and open up our wallets. If the Acai was from New Orleans, would it have the same appeal?

It’s time we stopped falling for the magical fruit crazes. Maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising and eating right. As for me, I’ll stick to my “apple a day”.