Acai bowls are gorgeous—purple and brimming with toppings like cubed mango, granola and shredded coconut. You see people digging in with a spoon, and they're dubbed as nutritious, but are they really?
No doubt the smoothie-in-a-bowl trend continues, including acai bowls (and their cousin, dragon fruit bowls, but that's a discussion for a different day). "In simple terms, an acai bowl is a very thick smoothie with toppings that you eat with a spoon," says Julie Harrington, RD, chef and co-author of The Healing Soup Cookbook. "The trend started when the acai berry was categorized as a superfood," she says.
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What's in an Acai Bowl?
Usually, the base of the bowl is made from acai. These deep purple berries that are native to tropical Central and South America are packed with powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins, explains Harrington. You wouldn't simply eat them if you were to come upon them in the wild. "To make acai berries edible, they're soaked to soften the tough outer skin and then mashed to form a dark purple paste," she explains.
The taste isn't the traditionally sweet-tart berry that you're probably used to. Some people describe the taste as earthy; a bit like tea. Harrington calls it a cross between blackberries and unsweetened chocolate.
As much as acai has superfruit status, there are actually no studies that say acai on its own can improve your health, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. That doesn't mean that acai isn't worth eating—it's a good source of fiber and contains small amounts of calcium, potassium and vitamin A—but it's not a magic antidote for health problems or weight loss.
Because fresh acai would never make it to your grocery store, you can buy it as a frozen puree, powder or juice, says Harrington. And that's exactly what happens when you get an acai bowl: The base of the thick smoothie portion of the bowl is made by blending frozen acai puree, sometimes on its own or in combination with other fruits, she says. A fruit blend will likely taste sweeter, especially if acai is mixed with juice.
How to Build a Healthy Acai Bowl
You can pack a lot into a smoothie bowl in the base and on top. That might include various fruits (berries, sliced bananas, mango, kiwi), nuts and seeds (slivered almonds, chia, hemp), nut butters, chocolate pieces or cacao nibs, coconut flakes, granola and honey on top. "While the average acai bowl is packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fruits, protein and healthy fats, it can also be very calorically dense if not made mindfully," says Harrington. Plus, if acai is blended with juice or sweetened nut milk and then topped with sugary toppings (like granola, chocolate pieces, sweetened coconut or honey), the resulting bowl can have a lot of sugar in it.
To get a sense of how many calories or how much sugar is in your bowl, consider that:
A plain frozen, unsweetened acai puree pack contains:
- Calories: 70
- Total Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Dietary Fiber: 3 g
- Added Sugars: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Total Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Sodium: 10 mg
If you buy a blend—like Sambazon's acai and guarana, you may find that it's more palatable on its own, as it contains added sugar. That changes the nutrition info a bit and adds 30 calories and 12 grams of added sugar to your smoothie bowl.
Those numbers are just for the base; total calories depend on what toppings you choose, which really influence the final numbers. For reference, an acai bowl at Jamba Juice, which is an acai blend (acai, berries, soy milk, bananas) topped with fruit, granola, honey and coconut, is 520 calories and contains 65 g of sugar, the majority of it added sugar.
To keep calories and sugar in check, Harrington suggests considering the base of your bowl first. "If it's packed with acai and other fruit, maybe skip fruit to add on top and opt for healthy fats like chopped nuts or chia seeds," she says. Packaged granola can be another sugary addition, so if you're looking to limit your sugar intake, leave the granola off the bowl or add a small sprinkle. You can also make your own granola and control the amount of sugar per serving.
The Bottom Line
Acai bowls can be a great way to get antioxidant-packed fruit into your day. However, Harrington says that the trend has driven supercharged acai bowls that are blended with juice and other fruit and then heavily topped with things like granola or honey, which can pack a lot of added sugar. Read the ingredient list if you're ordering one, and stay mindful of toppings to build a good-for-you bowl.
