Ever noticed how many superfood fruits are deep, rich, colors? Think blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, pomegranates, yum!
The deep reds and purples in these fruits are your clue to the good health that they hold. One of the most amazing of the gem-colored beauties is the tart cherry.
Fresh tart cherries are easy to find in the summer, and you can buy the juice (just be sure it's unsweetened) or dried cherries year round. If you can’t find tart cherries, black cherries are still a good choice. They just aren't quite as potent.
Almost all of the health benefits come from the fruit’s deep dark skin. That’s where you’ll find the antioxidant anthocyanin, which gives cherries their superpower.
What’s so special about tart cherries?
1. Tart cherries have been shown to fight belly fat.
One study showed that lab animals fed a high-fat diet mixed with tart cherry powder didn’t gain as much weight as others fed the same diet without it. Plus they had lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.
Pretty good for such a tiny fruit!
2. Tart cherries are a great recovery food for athletes.
Drinking one cup of tart cherry juice right after a workout is a great way to reduce soreness. Less pain means you’ll work out harder.
Tweet3. Suffering with arthritis or joint pain?
Drinking tart cherry juice twice daily for three weeks has been shown to reduce inflammation just as well as aspirin does.
Tart cherries have 3 times more anthocyanins than their cousin, the Black Cherry.
4. Want better sleep?
There have been lots of studies that say drinking tart cherry juice twice a day boosts melatonin levels. Melatonin is the hormone that makes us drowsy at night.
Just one ounce half an hour after you wake up in the morning and again after dinner is all you need.
5. They're a cancer fighting fruit.
Along with anthocyanin, cherries also have high levels of Vitamin C, beta-carotene and boron. Put those four together and you’ve got powerful protection against cancer.
Cherries help fight against genetic mutations, and they help slow the growth cancer cells.
6. Cherries are high in potassium.
That means that they’re great at helping you control your blood pressure. They also cut down on bloating caused by too much salt.
7. Tart cherries are one of the best fixes around for fighting gout.
If your uric acid levels are hard to control and you suffer from gout’s painful swelling, eating just 45 cherries after fasting has been proven to be a big help.
When cherries are in season, enjoy them fresh. Out of season, put dried cherries into your salad, or drink tart cherry juice. You can find it in the bottled juice aisle at your supermarket. Make sure you read the labels to avoid sugar and other additives.
Try adding tart cherries or a couple of ounces of their juice into your smoothie. Here's one of my favorite recipes that combines cherry and chocolate for a dreamy flavor combination.
If you like chocolate covered cherries you have to try this!
So all I have left to say here is…Life is just a delicious bowl of cherries! Pass them around.
Yours in Health,
Danette
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