What are acerola benefits and side effects every ethical consumer must know? Here are acerola pros and cons and how buying them will impact your health, the environment, animals and laborers.
Food is something we consume every day and if you’re like me, you do all the research you can to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, the planet, animals or others when shopping. As an ethical consumer myself, I am giving you all the info I’ve found on acerola benefits and side effects.
You are going to learn all about acerola benefits and side effects. This will include acerola benefits for your health and potential risks, acerola water footprint and acerola carbon footprint, acerola sustainability, if acerola are vegan or impact animals in other ways, and much more.
After learning if acerola are good or bad for you, the environment, animals and human rights, you will be prepared to make the best choices you can the next time you buy food.
This post is all about acerola benefits and side effects that every ethical consumer should know.
Must-Know Acerola Benefits And Side Effects
Health
Acerola health benefits may include:
- aided digestion
- athletic endurance
- cold and flu prevention
- depression treatment
- diarrhea treatment and hydration
- boosted immunity
- detoxification
- fight infections, viruses and cancers such as colon cancer
- scurvy prevention
- collagen building, promoted skin elasticity and skin blemish treatment
- weight loss
Acerola is…
- Gluten Free
- Not a common Food Allergen
- Other names for acerola are acerola cherries, barbados cherries and west indian cherries
Environment
Water footprint: likely low, it takes 1,411 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of sour cherries / 169 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of cherries
Carbon footprint: likely low, 0.78 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of sweet cherries, a car driving equivalent of 1.75 miles or 2.75 kilometers
Destruction: low, acerola production is relatively sustainable, there is no significant damage to air, water, land, soil, forests, etc. buy Non-GMO/organic, as toxic, chemical pesticides contaminate air, water, soil, etc.
Acerola is…
- Sustainable
Animals
Kills: none, acerola production does not require any animals
Harms: none, acerola production does not require any animals
Indirectly kills or harms: none, acerola production does not indirectly kill or harm animals, buy Non-GMO/organic
Acerola is…
- Vegan
- Harmful to wildlife and ecosystems unless organic
Laborers
Health and safety: overall, agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous industries, farmworkers may be subject to dehydration, heat stroke, unprotected exposure to harmful, toxic chemicals and pesticides, unsafe machinery and clean drinking water may not always accessible
Living conditions: laborers are often subject to exploitation, they may face tough working conditions including long hours in the sun and heat performing physically exhausting tasks, labor laws and rights may or may not be in place
Wages: varies, generally farmworkers earn meager wages, there are many cases of underpaid agricultural workers, wage theft and no overtime payment or benefits
Acerola…
- May have laborer issues
★★★★★
- Perfect for children ages 2-8.
- Available in paperback, ebook, audio formats.
- Suitable for vegan kids and vegan families (does not include farm animals, animal food products or byproducts).
- Written + Illustrated by HEALabel's Adriane Marie.
Where does most acerola come from? 📍
The world’s top acerola exporting country is Canada, followed by USA, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Poland, Costa Rica, Lithuania, Germany and Greece.
Acerola is also from Brazil´s Northeast, North, South and Southeast regions.
Is acerola nutritious? 🥗
Yes! Acerola is high in vitamin C and antioxidants.
What are acerola uses? 🍴
You can eat acerola raw or cooked and in desserts, cocktails, gummies, ice cream topping, juice, salsa, smoothies, syrup.
When is acerola in season? 📅
Acerola is in peak season during summer months.
★★★★★
- The fastest, easiest solution for making nutrient-packed smoothies.
- Load it up with your favorite whole foods like nuts, berries and spinach.
- Push, twist and blend your way to a healthier lifestyle.
- We love it!
acerola is likely alkaline when fresh and acidic when dried or processed.
Is acerola alkaline or acidic?
Acerola is likely alkaline when fresh and acidic when dried or processed once digested. Fresh fruit typically has an alkaline pH level.
When you eat food, it breaks down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash.
Going alkaline easier than ever with this: Acidic and Alkaline Foods List
acerola is gluten free. acerola benefits include fitting into a gluten free diet.
Is acerola gluten free?
Yes, acerola is a naturally gluten free food.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include:
- recurring abdominal pain
- chronic diarrhea
- constipation
- tingling
- numbness in hands and feet
- chronic fatigue
- joint pain
- unexplained infertility
- low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten-Free Foods List
acerola is not a common food allergen. acerola benefits include being safe for most.
Is acerola a common food allergen?
No, acerola is not a common food allergen. Some people may experience allergic reactions to acerola but it is relatively rare by comparison.
A group of the eight major allergenic foods, AKA the Big-8, include:
- milk
- eggs
- fish
- crustacean shellfish
- tree nuts
- peanuts
- wheat
- soybeans
Additionally, severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
acerola likely has a low water footprint.
Does acerola have a high or low water footprint?
Acerola likely has a relatively low water footprint.
We need to be aware “water footprints”. That is, the amount of fresh water utilized in the production or supply of goods we consume. In fact, takes significantly more water to yield foods that come from animals than foods that come from plants. Imagine how much water a cow needs to consume to generate a piece of beef. Not only how much water a single cow drinks, rather all the water that went into producing the crops that the cow ate.
Find out how much water your food consumes with this: Water Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
acerola likely has a low carbon footprint.
Does acerola have a high or low carbon footprint?
Acerola likely has a relatively low carbon footprint.
When calculating product emissions, some factors may be…
- farm equipment
- animal feed production
- hothouses (greenhouses)
- food processing
- packaging, transport
- refrigeration
- freezing
- package waste and more.
But that’s not all!
It’s best to keep the following in mind when grocery shopping:
- shopping locally reduces transportation emissions
- food without packaging reduces waste as well as the carbon footprint
- refrigerated and frozen foods increase carbon emissions
- seasonal foods reduce carbon emissions from hothouses (greenhouses)
- growing plant-based foods at home is the most environmentally sustainable method with zero carbon footprint
Find out how much carbon your food emits with this: Carbon Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
acerola is sustainable.
Overall, is acerola eco friendly? Sustainable?
Acerola production is relatively sustainable since there is no significant damage to air, water, land, soil, forests, etc. as long as there are no pesticides. Be sure to buy non GMO/organic, as toxic, chemical pesticides contaminate air, water, soil, etc. when using regenerative practices.
In fact, a 2018 Oxford University study – which is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet – found that ‘avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth’ as animal farming provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of our farmland.
acerola is vegan. acerola benefits include not killing, harming or using animals.
Is acerola vegan?
Yes, acerola is vegan. Acerola is a fruit and not an animal product or byproduct, therefore making it a vegan food.
Animals of factory farming are suffering. They live in horrific conditions that often include confinement, physical abuse and unnatural environments…so much so that they need to receive antibiotics to keep from getting ill or spreading disease.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non-Vegan Foods List
acerola may or may not have labor issues.
Is acerola a product with laborer concerns?
At this time there are no major concerns with acerola production but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening!
Some known problems include workplace health and safety, child labor, gender inequality, inadequate pay, wage theft and exploitation. Workers can face harassment, humiliation and violence and unfair employers often fail to provide laborers with access to shade, drinking water, restrooms and breaks.
Ultimately, such mistreatment is like modern day slavery. Workers are often afraid to report issues because they fear it will result in losing their jobs or deportation. In fact, fair trade organizations fight to ensure better social, environmental and economic standards.
Conclusion
Acerola pros include:
- numerous health benefits
- sustainable
- vegan
- gluten free
- not a common food allergen
- low carbon footprint
- low water footprint
Acerola cons include:
- possible laborer exploitation (as with most foods)
- pesticide ingestion and contamination if not organic (as with most produce)
This post was all about acerola benefits and side effects.
Sources:
The acerola fruit: composition, productive characteristics and economic importance
Healthline nutrition: acerola cherry
USDA: FoodData Central, Acerola
