Cherries are
delicious, beautiful, and in season now! National Cherry Day is on July 16th in
the UK. Eat this superfruit before its short growing season comes to an end.
When you eat cherries, you enjoy much more than just their amazing taste. With
a wide range of health benefits, cherries -- and more specifically, tart
cherries -- are an oft-overlooked superfoods. But whether it's insomnia, joint
pain or belly fat you're dealing with, cherries may be just what the doctor
ordered.
Amazing
Health Benefits of Cherries
Cherries
help ease arthritis pain
For those who suffer from
arthritis and gout, you will be relieved to find out that adding cherries to
your diet can greatly decrease the intense pain associated with those ailments.
Excess uric acid in the blood is the culprit behind the excruciating pain that
causes swelling, tenderness and inflammation.
A study done by the USDA found that uric acid can be reduced by as much
as 15 percent by eating 2 cups of Bing cherries. Cherries can also help reduce
painful inflammation by decreasing the amount of C-reactive protein produced.
So add a little zing to your diet by choosing Bing (cherries).
Cherries
and blood pressure
Cherries are an excellent
source of potassium, which helps to lower blood pressure by getting rid of the
excess sodium in our body. Eating cherries helps keep potassium and sodium in
balance, and can prevent hypertension from occurring. One cup of cherries has
the same amount of potassium as a banana making it a great substitute when you
are not in the mood for another ho-hum banana.
Cherries
battle belly fat
Researchers found that tart
cherries have significant weight management benefits for animals, including
reduced belly fat. In the study, rats that received whole tart cherry powder
mixed into a high-fat diet didn't gain as much weight or build up as much body
fat as rats that didn't receive cherries. Their blood also showed much lower
levels of certain inflammation markers linked to heart disease and diabetes.
And, in addition, they had significantly lower blood levels of cholesterol and
triglycerides than their cherry-deprived counterparts.
Cherries
battle belly fat
Researchers found
that tart cherries have significant weight management benefits for animals,
including reduced belly fat. In the study, rats that received whole tart cherry
powder mixed into a high-fat diet didn't gain as much weight or build up as
much body fat as rats that didn't receive cherries. Their blood also showed
much lower levels of certain inflammation markers linked to heart disease and
diabetes. And, in addition, they had significantly lower blood levels of
cholesterol and triglycerides than their cherry-deprived counterparts.
Osteoarthritis
relief
Cherries provide natural
osteoarthritis relief. If you can't shake the pain and discomfort of swollen
joints and you are frustrated with the side effects of the standard
prescription of ice and NSAIDs you can choose to stock up on tart cherries
either in juice, pill or fruit form. In a study of twenty women ages 40 to 70
with inflammatory osteoarthritis, researchers found that drinking tart cherry
juice twice daily for three weeks led to significant reductions in important
inflammation markers - especially for patients who had the highest inflammation
levels at the start of the study, It certainly beats the side effects of many
pain medications.
Reduces
Risk of Stroke
Tart cherries provide
cardiovascular benefits. The anthocyanins, which are the pigments giving  tart
cherries its red color, may activate PPAR which regulates genes involved in fat
and glucose metabolism and thus, reduce risk factors for high cholesterol,
blood pressure and diabetes. – Research University of Michigan Health System.
Slows
the Aging of Skin
Cherries have the
highest antioxidant level of any fruit. Antioxidants help the body fight the
free radicals that make us look old. Drinking one glass of tart cherry juice
daily slows down the aging process, according to Scientists from the Michigan
State University. Cherry juice is also recommended as an alternative treatment
for other skin conditions.
Reduces
Muscle Pain
A cup and a half of
tart cherries or one cup of tart cherry juice can reduce muscle inflammation
and soreness studies suggest. A group of marathon runners drank tart cherry
juice twice daily for seven days before their race. The group who drank the
cherry juice group experienced less muscle pain after the race than those who
drank another fruit drink.
Good
for the Heart
Cherries are very high in
potassium, which helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure and reduces the
risk of hypertension. The phytosterols in cherries help reduce bad cholesterol
levels.
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