Cherries for Health

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In a nutshell, cherries are an incredible fruit. Not only do they taste great, they offer a number of natural health benefits. This tiny red fruit is also packed with nutritional value, so enjoying cherries for health is an excellent decision.

Nutritional Value of Cherries

First one cup of raw cherries delivers 3 grams of fiber, 1 gram of protein only 87 calories and 22 grams of carbohydrates. Each individual cherry contains approximately 4 to 5 calories. The harvest season for cherries in Michigan is usually Mid-July and last for just a few weeks. The sweet black cherry is usually the variety you see at roadshow stands and farmers markets, while the red tart Montmorency cherry goes to make cherry based products including cherry juice, cherry pies and the tart cherry capsules.

Eating Cherries for Health

So now that we have a quick snap shot of the nutritional value of cherries, let’s take a quick peek at some of the top health benefits of eating cherries.

#1: Cherries are an excellent source of Vitamin C and E, magnesium, iron potassium and fiber.

#2: Cherries are nature’s #1 source of naturally occurring melatonin. Melatonin is produced naturally in the pineal gland at the base of the brain. It helps to regulate the body’s rhythmic clock. It helps to keep you sleepy at night and wakeful during the day. Cherries offer an excellent choice of melatonin to help get a more restful night’s sleep.

#3: This red fruit is packed with powerful antioxidants and phytochemicals. One of the compounds in the cherry is anthocyanins. While anthocyanins are responsible for giving the cherry it’s unique red hue, they may also contribute to it’s ability to maintain healthy joint function. Leading research suggests it’s the synergistic benefits of all of the compounds in the cherry that allows this fruit to offer so many health benefits.

#4: The amount of Beta carotene (Vitamin A) is cherries is excellent. In fact, this Michigan grown fruit offers 19 more beta carotene than other fruits including blueberries and strawberries

#5: Helps reduce muscle soreness due to physical exercise. This means for those looking for faster recovery from working out or simply experience sore muscles from daily activity, drinking cherry juice or eating cherries for health would be a great choice.

#6 Low on the glycemic index. Cherries are among the lowest glycemic foods. They rank on the low end of the glycemic index at a score of 54. The lower the glycemic score, the better the food is for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Foods ranking on the glycemic index increased your blood sugar, thus your body releases insulin, which may cause undesired fat storage. So eating low glycemic foods, maintains your blood sugar levels while eating.

Check out the complete nutritional information on the cherry juice

So the next time you looking for a healthy snack or food ingredient, enjoy drinking some cherry juice simply eating cherries for health.

A portion of profits and products are donated to support non-profit organizations supporting arthritis research, diabetic research, Lou Gehrig's disease and Epilepsy research.