This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Kelly Xiong. Find her on Instagram at @k.3lly. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Acai bowls are seen as a healthy meal or snack. They are often sweet and contain many fruit toppings. But are they actually as healthy as they appear? Though they do taste amazing, and they do make a great snack, is it a healthy one?
What are acai bowls?
An acai bowl is basically a healthier version of ice cream. The acai itself has a similar consistency to ice cream. Acai bowls are like a thicker smoothie. The texture and consistency of the acai varies place to place. I prefer mine to be more solid and thick, but some may like theirs to be more liquidy.
Acai bowls come with many toppings. Some of the most popular ones I’ve seen are oatmeal, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, granola, peanut butter or Nutella spread and coconut shavings. There is a lot of customization involved so you can create your perfect bowl.
You don’t need to go to a smoothie or acai bowl place to get one of these delicious snacks. Many supermarkets will sell frozen acai that you can make the bowls with. You can also find the powdered forms on Amazon.
What is acai?
So now that we know what acai bowls are and what they can consist of, let’s look at the base of this famous snack or meal. Many of us love acai bowls, but do we know what an acai is?
Acai is a fruit that comes from the acai palm tree in South American rainforests. The acai is similarly shaped to that of a grape and they are full of antioxidants, fiber and calcium.
Are acai bowls actually healthy? How many calories are in an acai bowl
According to Julie Harrington, a dietician, chef and co-author of the book The Healing Soup Cookbook, “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.” If the acai base is mixed with juice or some sort of sweetened nut milk (which is what makes the consistency more liquidy), that can add more calories and sugar into the mix that we may not even be thinking about.
The total calories of an acai bowl can vary greatly depending on toppings, where you’re getting it and how it’s made. The acai bowl place I go to the most is Shake Smart. It is located on campus, which makes it super convenient. My go-to order is the rawcai bowl. It contains strawberries, bananas, coconut flakes, granola and chia seeds. The total calories for this bowl is 269 with 6g of protein, but also 33g of sugar. Though this bowl is pretty basic, hence the low-calorie count, it is very high in sugar, as almost all acai bowls will be if you order them at a smoothie or bowl place.
If we look at a more well-known acai bowl place like Playa Bowls, we can get a gauge at how these bowls can become unhealthy — though still delicious. The 8th Ave acai bowl — topped with granola, bananas and honey — is 570 calories, 43g of sugar and 8g of protein. The Nutella acai bowl — containing granola, strawberries, bananas, coconut flakes and Nutella — comes out to 730 calories, 53g of sugar and 10g of protein.
The calories in an acai bowl can range from 200 something to almost 800. Various factors are at play. But, this is not to say they are completely unhealthy. Don’t let this discourage you from getting an acai bowl. It’s all about knowing what to get and what you’re getting out of it. This is also a fairly healthy sweet treat option, so don’t count acai bowls out completely.
Have you had an acai bowl before? If so, let us know you favorite place:
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