Who wouldn’t love cherries? I can finish one big packet of cherries in one go! Cherries, often regarded as a dessert fruit, are popular worldwide due to their unique taste and flavour. Cherries can be eaten as snacks and are also used in making tarts and cherry pies or juice. Apart from being tasty, cherries have a healthy side, too. Here are the top benefits of cherries:
SLEEP BETTER
If you have difficulty sleeping, drinking tart cherry juice may improve your overall sleep quality. Tart cherries contain high levels of phytochemicals including melatonin, thus inducing sleep. As people age, their natural levels of melatonin drop.
SORE MUSCLES
Cherries, especially tart cherries, have a positive effect on muscle pain. Rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, tart cherries are highly beneficial for people suffering from muscle pain, arthritis or fibromyalgia.
REDUCES CANCER RISK
Cherries contain good amounts of the antioxidants anthocyanin and quercetin, which help protect against cancer by fighting free radicals in the body. They also contain numerous phytochemicals and nutrients that can help reduce the risk of cancers. Plus, the high dietary fibre in cherries lowers the risk of colorectal cancer.
GOOD FOR DIABETES
Cherries score a 22 on the glycaemic index. The glycaemic index is a quantitative chart that measures your body’s after-meal glucose response. In other words, the glycaemic index shows how much a food can raise your blood glucose levels. At a ranking of 22, cherries are a low-glycaemic food that will not significantly raise your blood sugar levels.
IMPROVE BRAIN FUNCTION
Cherries are a great source of anthocyanin. Anthocyanins are linked to an amazing record of broad health benefits throughout history. For example, anthocyanins from Hibiscus flowers have been used in remedies to treat liver dysfunction and hypertension.
WEIGHT LOSS
Cherries are really low in fat as well as consist of no cholesterol levels, so are an ideal snack food or even treat for helping to shed weight. They may be considered to help in reducing our bad cholesterol (LDL). Anthocyanin, the anti-oxidant in sour cherries that cause their bright red colour, are definitely the substances which will help to shed the extra weight.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
Those who suffer from pain, such as arthritis pain, should add cherries to their diet. Cherries contain high levels of flavonoids and anthocyanin that have anti-inflammatory properties that help reverse oxidative damage, which can increase pain and inflammation in the body. It can even reduce painful inflammation by decreasing the amount of C-reactive proteins produced in the body. Plus, cherries help reduce excess uric acid in the blood, which can cause swelling, tenderness and inflammation that leads to excruciating pain.
ANTI-AGING
As you grow older, your body’s ability to fight off oxidative damage slows, leaving you more vulnerable to aging signs. As cherries have high antioxidant level, they can help the body fight free radicals that accelerate the aging process. The radicals remove electrons from cells, creating weak unhealthy cells in the process.