Mark your calendars and get your sundaes ready: it’s almost cherry season. While these delicious and small fruits are in season year round, they tend to be at their most bountiful and flavorful in the early summer months. A delightful treat on its own and a sweet finishing touch for desserts, cherries are also a strong source of nutrition that can confer healthy benefits on our bodies. Read on to find out more about the healthy “cherry on top” of this brilliant red fruit.
Packed With Nutrients
Cherries aren’t just sweet treats—they’re a superfood that’s rich with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Adding cherries to your diet can enrich your health with these nutrients:
- Vitamin C
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin K
- Copper
- Fiber
- Manganese
Promotes Restful Sleep
Having trouble falling asleep? A few cherries before bedtime could get you on your way toward counting sheep. Tart and sweet cherries contain high levels of serotonin, melatonin, and tryptophan. Each of these compounds/hormones impact your sleep-wake cycle (tryptophan is why a big plate of Thanksgiving turkey gives people the sleepies).
Soothes Sore Muscles
You may not think to eat a bunch of cherries after an intense workout but they make for a great restorative snack. Cherries have a high antioxidant content, infusing them with great anti-inflammatory properties. This makes them a good resource of easing inflammation and soothing sore muscles while also offering a reduction in muscle pain.
Improves Blood Sugar
The glycemic index is a scale we use to measure how quickly foods that contain carbohydrates can increase your blood sugar levels. Cherries rank low on the glycemic index, making them a relatively safe option for diabetics and people with blood sugar issues when eaten in moderation. Cherries also provide fiber (which is contained in their skin), which can make blood sugar rise at a slower rate. It’s important to note that cherries do contain carbohydrates so if you have diabetes you should opt for small portion sizes with cherries and go for fresher, unsweetened varieties.
Helps Treat Gout Symptoms
If you have “the disease of kings,” cherries can be an effective way to help alleviate your gout symptoms. Gout happens when there’s a significant buildup of uric acid in your body; this buildup can lead to painful swelling in the joints and the onset of inflammatory arthritis. Studies have found that drinking 100 percent tart cherry juice or cherry juice concentrate can lower uric acid levels in the body. While drinking cherry juice is not an adequate substitute for taking gout medicine on its own, supplementing gout treatment with cherry juice can help you soothe your inflamed arthritis and swollen joints.
Article by Austin Brietta
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