Superfood Acai Bowl

Get glowing for summer with this superfood açaí bowl recipe! Skip the sugar-laden store-bought açaí bowls and learn how to make your own! This is a healthy and simple recipe packed with superfoods such as blueberries, Sambazon unsweetened açaí and flaxseed, spinach and is naturally sweetened with banana. Perfect for breakfast or post-workout.

Is Acai Healthy?

Açaí is purple berry that is thought to be the most powerful food grown in the Amazon. Açaí is:

• Full of anthocyanins that tackle free radicals to keep your immune system working.
• Rich in Omega 3, 6 & 9 and has the fatty acid profile similar to walnuts and olive oil. Therefore it support healthy skin and hair in addition to your heart and brain functions.
• Low in natural sugar (you want to look for the unsweetened variety when you purchase).

100 grams of açaí includes:

• 70 calories
• 5 grams of fat
• 2 grams of sugar
• 2 grams of fiber

Açaí bowls exploded onto the health food scene a few years ago but like many foods you purchase from restaurants, they may not be using the healthiest ingredients plus they are often VERY high in added sugar (sugar = inflammation). While I love a Playa Bowl every once and a while, you should realize they come with a lot of extras you may not want to be putting in your body. The good news is its easy to make them at home!

Superfood Acai Bowl Ingredients

I developed this açaí bowl recipe to be packed with powerhouse nutritious superfoods – which is why I named it my superfood açaí bowl!

• Açaí: Covered above, açaí is a superfruit! Look for the unsweetened Sambazon packets in your grocery freezer section. Your açaí should only have 1 ingredient.
• Banana: Use 1/2 a ripe frozen banana to add additional thickness and natural sugar.
• Blueberries: Blueberries are considered to be one of the most antioxidant-rich (think anti-aging) fruits on the planet. I love using frozen wild blueberries if you can find them.
• Flaxseed: Flaxseeds are known as one of the richest sources of essential omega-3 fatty acids and have around one hundred times more cancer-fighting lignans than other foods.
• Plant-based nut milk: Be sure to use an unsweetened milk (with no carrageenan) so again you aren’t adding extra sugars which cause inflammation in your body.
• Optional Baby Spinach: Level up the nutrition profile by adding a serving of greens.
• Optional Protein Powder: Be sure you are choosing a truly clean, vegan protein powder.

Top with:

• Kiwi fruit: A kiwi a day has actually been shown to reduce damage to DNA by about 60 percent!
• Fresh dragonfruit: High in fiber and plant polyphenols (to protect you from disease)
• Additional blueberries: Frozen or fresh
• Low-Sugar Granola: Granola can be tricky because many varieties are very high in sugar. I find Kind brand granola to be the lowest in sugar. Only use a few tablespoons for a bit of crunch!

Tips for Making this Acai Bowl Recipe

• Use little liquid. You may want to add more liquid but the key to a thick smoothie bowl is to use all frozen fruit and use the tamper (or stop the blender and scrape the sides) until it comes together. If you use too much liquid, you’ll get a smoothie!
• Use frozen açaí and let thaw for 10 minutes on the counter. Do not over-thaw or it will turn out too liquidy.
• Use a powerful blender (or a food processor). The key to a thick bowl is to make sure you start with mostly frozen ingredients and using little liquid so you need a powerful blender/food processor to handle the blending.

Additional Smoothie Recipes You Will Love

• Post-workout Smoothie
• Powder-free Cherry Chocolate Protein Smoothie
• Blue Majik Smoothie Bowl

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