Experts Want You To Stop Eating Your Precious Açaí Bowls In 2017
Look up the hashtag “#acaibowl” on Instagram and you’ll discover 503,114 posts.
Açaí bowls were huge in 2016, partly because they were toted as “healthy,” and partly because they looked damn good on Instagram, no filter necessary.
But like many other “healthy” foods that taste way too good to be true, açaí bowls are not as healthy as we thought they were.
I mean, seriously, can you really trust anything that’s bright pink like this?
Harper’s Bazaar asked top nutritionists which foods they want people to stop eating in 2017, and açaí bowls were one of the offenders on the list.
“Açaí itself may have a lot antioxidant properties, however one cup of just the açaí has about six grams of sugar and 30 grams of carbohydrates,” says Leah Kaufman, MS, registered dietician at NYU Langone’s Weight Management Program in New York City.
She explains that it’s not necessarily the açaí itself that is bad for you, but the problem is in the toppings.
“The bowls are more popularly eaten with add-ons such as nut butters, seeds, and more fruit…[so] calories and sugar increase significantly,” says Kaufman. “Before purchasing any açaí bowl, I would warn patients to check your nutrition facts label – you may be surprised to see how many calories you are actually consuming.”
On the plus side, you now have an excuse not to shell out $12 for a “healthy” smoothie bowl. On the minus side, this is just another reason why you can’t trust #fit Instagram girls to be your dietitians.
