Yes, Oprah loves the açaí berry. But will you love the antioxidant drink called Purple?
The name makes one take notice. Purple is an antioxidant drink that's main ingredient has been touted by Oprah as the new “superfood,” but is it? (Dr. Perricone, Superfood No. 1: Açaí, Published Online 2007, Oprah.com Presents) Here is some information on the drink that can help a shopper decide, because when it comes to foods that have health claims, it is always important to learn all of the facts.
The Spill on Purple
This unusual drink’s name may turn heads, but why call it “Purple”? The creator of Purple, Ted Farnsworth, CEO of the Purple Beverage Company, says that he didn’t name the drink after its color but because, " purple pigment in the fruit provides the highest degree of antioxidant benefit, so it just seemed natural to simply call our new beverage PURPLE."
Seems that the company’s CEO knows a lot about antioxidant health- the drink is loaded. Purple contains the juice of some of the world’s best antioxidant plants, like pomegranate, black cherry, purple plum, black currant, cranberry and blueberry, and one I had never heard of: the exotic acai berry. Apparently, the dark purple Amazonian açaí berry (pronounced ahh-sigh-ee) has high levels of antioxidants and cholesterol-fighting fatty acids, protein, and fiber. It may be used for curing certain kinds of cancer, as well. The University of Florida did a study recently that found, in a cell-culture model, that this little tropical berry causes leukemia cells kill themselves. The berry worked in up to 86 percent of the tests. (Alexander G. Schauss, Xianli Wu, Ronald L. Prior, Boxin Ou, Dinesh Patel, Dejian Huang, and James P. Kababick, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,12 Jan 2006, pp 8598 - 8603; DOI: 10.1021/jf060976g )
Purple Uses
The makers of Purple encourages users to use the drink either alone, or as a fruit smoothie or in a favorite cocktail. In a cocktail? It may not be as unhealthy as it sounds. Researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture and the Kasetsart University in Thailand reports that adding alcohol to certain antioxidant-rich berries, like the ones in Purple, increases their antioxidant capacity. (Korakot Chanjirakul, Shiow Y Wang, Chien Y Wang, Jingtair Siriphanich, Natural Volatile Treatments Increase Free-radical Scavenging Capacity of Strawberries and Blackberries, Published Online 19 Apr 2007, DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.2841)
The Taste and Feel
No matter how good for the body something may be, for most people it comes down to the taste. So does Purple make the cut? The fact that the drink is sugar free shouldn’t deter someone from trying it, the juice is sweet tasting. The taste is defiantly strong; think fruit juice mixed with beer. Though that may sound odd, the taste isn’t all-together bad, just different. It may take some people a bit of time to get used to.
Purple’s consistency is close to a thicker orange juice. The drink is also slightly acidic, like orange juice, so those with heartburn may want to avoid Purple.
Is Purple Worth It?
When deciding if a drink like this is worth your time and around $3 of your money, it is important to consider that none of the drinks claims have been proven by the FDA. One may also want to consider the studies above. Even without the claims of the açaí berry, this product does contain fruits that have large amounts of antioxidants, which has been shown to have a multitude of health benefits. (See this site for more information on antioxidants.) One just has to weight this information for his or her self and make an informed decision.
