HEALTHWISE: Careful what you’re eating in those acai bowls

ACAI bowls are all the rage at the minute – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
They can be highly nutritious. There’s the granola with its richness in b-vitamins and fibre, and the acai berry purée which is rich in antioxidants like anthocyanins, berries and vitamin C as well as nuts like almonds, cashews and walnuts with their Omega 6 and 9 content. You may have  nut butters too, including peanut butter.  

This is all well and good but beware of the common pitfalls, because there are some.  Commercial or café-bought acai bases often mix in pre-sweetened juices, syrups or large portions of honey.  Too much granola, nuts and butters can be high in calories too. Together that can be a bit much.  

Try and opt for unsweetened frozen acai pulp rather than sweetened purées to keep the free sugar content down.  We don’t want to ruin those lovely teeth, do we? 

If making an acai bowl at home, add about 40g of unsweetened granola, 100g of unsweetened acai purée, a teaspoon of nut butter, 30g of nuts and 80g of berries of your choice.  My favourite is strawberries.  You can also stir in Greek yoghurt or a plant-based protein alternative if you follow a vegan diet.  

Lee McCusker (BA; MSc; MSc; MSc; ANutr; SENr) is a registered nutritionist from Belfast and can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Email: attentive nutrition@gmail.com