Nowadays, with mass food production and genetic engineering, there’s no doubt why quite a bit of the foods we put into our mouths have mere traces of the minerals and vitamins our bodies need.

Enter Superfoods – natural foods found to have properties that are extremely beneficial to the body. Just a few Superfoods to include in your normal diet are nuts, coconut, cinnamon, raw honey, molasses, olive oil, and grass-fed red meat (rather than grain-fed).

Doctors and scientists have searched the world for that one perfect consumable formula that would meet the body’s daily nutritional requirements.

Some found a tribe in Brazil that had a history of no disease – their secret – the açai berry found in the Amazon rainforest. Now, with the careful harvest of the berry and a tested mix of about 18 other fruits, somewhat of a “fountain of youth” has been made available through a new product line called MonaVie.

The açai (pronounced ah-chi-ee) has been prized for centuries in Brazil as a source for health, energy and life longevity. The fruit is also thought to be one of nature’s top Superfoods. Its nutritional makeup contains antioxidants, phytonutrients, essential fatty acids like omega-3, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber and trace minerals. The berry also contains concentrated levels of anthocyanins, antioxidants that assist in neutralizing the harmful effects of free radicals on the body.

Many healthy food products and drinks in local grocery stores already boast the fruit in its ingredient list. But the MonaVie line is only available through private distribution right now and there are six Grand County locals who host a variety of the products. (Stacy Strayer, D.B. Daugherty, Denise Cook, Traci Holden, Leah Bishop, and Beth Saffell-Romero.)

MonaVie is a blend of fruits that are found in the rainforest with the açai berry as its “superstar.” Just two-to-four ounces a day is the equivalent of consuming all of the antioxidants from 13 fruits and vegetables combined. “It’s the ultimate in health drinks and is completely organic,” said Stacy Strayer, local product distributor. “How can you go wrong, to get all your fruits and vegetables in two two-ounce shots,” for what she estimates is the cost of a daily latte.

It can clear the skin, give you more energy, and may lesson the pain of degenerative tissues, she said.

The company, which launched in 2005, works with Brazilian companies to harvest the berry so that the plant is not harmed in the process. This ensures that the harvest stage does not deplete the rain forest. The berries are then quickly frozen into a pulp to preserve the full complement of nutrients.

MonaVie products are designed for easy absorption in the body. The blend is developed with açai, white and purple grapes, nashi and other pears, acerola, cranberries, passion fruit, bananas, apricots, prunes, kiwi fruits, blueberries, bilberries, camu camu, wolfberries, pomegranate and lychee fruits. There’s MonaVie Original, MonaVie Active (an advanced formula with glucosamine and “esterified” fatty acids to help maintain healthy joint function), as well as convenient portions of MonaVie gels.

For more information visit http://www.monavie.com or e-mail dbdaugherty@rkymtnhi.com, stacy_strayer@yahoo.com, traciholden@hotmail.com, dc_paradise0101@yahoo.com, beth5wp@yahoo.com or bishopleah@yahoo.com.