Move Over Acai - Aronia Surges to the Top of the Superfood List

PHOENIX, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- There's a new superfood in town. Superfoods have been making news around the world, recommended by doctors and nutritionists as important additions to a healthy diet. Acai is a berry that has been in the headlines, but research reveals that it takes a backseat to a berry called aronia. Available in the Oki superfood beverage, http:/www.orendainternational.com, and in certain health store products, aronia is making a name for itself as the little berry that could.

Each tiny berry of Aronia melanocarpa contains a powerhouse of antioxidants. Studies done in the US and around the world indicate that the aronia berry can benefit cardiovascular health, the digestive system, liver health, and muscle recovery after workouts. With this laundry list of benefits, you might expect that people would be eating aronia by the bowlful.

Aronia is a small dark berry native to North America. It can be found growing wild across the US and Canada, and it's being cultivated on farms in the heartland and the Northwest. In fact, many people who have never heard of aronia may recognize the trees and bushes as the "chokeberry." The name "chokeberry" provides a hint as to why aronia isn't being baked into muffins and added to breakfast cereals like blueberries and other healthy fruits.

The "chokeberry" label is well deserved. The proanthocyanidins that give aronia much of its antioxidant kick also give it a bitter flavor. This has led most Americans to overlook the berry completely. In Europe, though, the aronia berry has been gaining in popularity, and with the current focus on superfoods, scientists started to take a closer look at the aronia berry. What researchers found is a berry that knocks acai from its pedestal. Aronia has an intense concentration of anthocyanins, a natural compound that not only gives the fruit its dark color, but also many of its health benefits.

In the raw state, this berry is an impressive addition to the superfood ranks. Most people, however, don't eat aronia or acai raw. Thousands of consumers find superfood beverages the easiest way to get their hands on these berries. With all of its recent press, acai is popping up in a multitude of new products, but aronia, as a relative newcomer, is at its best in one beverage, Oki, by Orenda International. Oki blends aronia with other fruits and botanicals to create a drink that not only harnesses the power of aronia, it makes the "chokeberry" nickname a thing of the past.

With the research behind the power of the aronia berry and the current push toward healthier diets, you can bet that you'll be hearing more about the aronia berry.

For further information, please contact Alaine Sepulveda 480.889.9116

SOURCE Orenda International