Antioxidantal: Açaí versus Pomegranate

I’ll admit to being a trend-whore for health-food drink fads. My most recent fetish was for Odwalla’s Pomegranate Limeade.

Tart.
Antioxidants.
Chic.
Who could want more in a pretentious, lunchtime beverage?

I’ve been regularly drinking Odwalla beverages for several months now – mostly their Quenchers line (AntioxiDance in particular) but I’ve moved on to the PomaGrand line now that I’m doing less cardio so I have less need to quench my thirst.

But now the Açaí juices of Bossa Nova have caught my tastebuds and, poseur that I am, I feel the need to be trendy and health-conscious, hence the similar antioxidant stance.

For the uninitiated Açaí juice comes from the Açaí berry of the Açaí palm tree.

Açaí.

There, I’ve said it enough.

Oh, and it’s pronounced ah-sigh-ee.

The juice/berry are said to taste a little bit like coffee or a dark chocolate. Not truly bitter or sour like you’d get in a blueberry, but complex and not sweet like a strawberry.

The juices I’ve had are all blends – either passionfruit or blueberry – but there is a unique flavor there that is incredibly rich and creamy. It doesn’t hurt that they put agave in the drink either (wink, tequila).

The antioxidant battle is sketchy at best. Bossa Nova cites a study that shows antioxidant levels of whole fruit, with açaí besting pomagranates handily, while Odwalla will only say that their PomaGrand drinks contain at least 10% of the daily recommended amount of antioxidants.

What’s an aging hipster to do? Drink more fruit juices of the moment, I guess.

Money quote from the Bossa Nova folks:

“Pomegranate…that was the antioxidant (for 2005)”
“Bossa Nova açai juice is HOT for 2006”.

It’s 2007. Am I tragically unhip or is my thirst just unquenched?

Enjoy your weekend!

2 thoughts on “Antioxidantal: Açaí versus Pomegranate

  1. Sticky keyboards…

    Minds out of the gutter, internets. Ready? OK.
    Yesterday I had a little mishap with a bottle of Odwalla Serious Focus and now I’m paying the price. Spill on keyboard two days ago equals no action in space bar today.
    That last sentence alone took…

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