Well, who doesn’t know what cherries are?
Cherries are the vibrant juicy red fruits enjoyed by the people mostly during the summer season. It isn’t only sweet but also has a tinge of sourness. This is the best kind of fruit that will add a perfect color to your dessert.
You can have it the way you wish it to. You can eat it raw or leave it to soak in some sweetened sugar juice for some time, then eat it. You can also add cherries to a variety of dishes like cakes, tarts, and cheesecakes.
Also, cherry is a perfect ingredient to add in your yogurt or breakfast cereal along with other fruits. These vibrant fruits come in various shapes from round to heart-shaped.
Apart from it being tasty, these fruits are rich in essential nutrients and vitamins too. Cherries are effective to aid in weight loss. They also contribute towards the intake of fewer calories. Hence, you see this fruit is exceptionally essential.
Health Benefits Of Cherry Juice
Cherries are one of those fruits which are extremely popular in the United States because of their taste and health benefits. Take a look at a few benefits of cherry juice mentioned here below:
1) Cures insomnia
Cherries are rich in hormones known as melatonin. Melatonin is an essential hormone that promotes good and peaceful sleep.
The pineal gland in the brain helps in the secretion of melatonin. This hormone is known to regulate healthy sleep. It also facilitates the sleep and wake cycle. This hormone helps in controlling the internal body clock, thereby curing insomnia. Therefore, consuming cherries is known for regulating the proper sleep cycle and reducing insomnia.
2) Aids in Weight Loss
Not many may know it but cherries are one of the ideal components that facilitate weight loss. These have low calories. As per USDA, a cup of cherries contains less than 100 calories.
Being rich in vitamins, cherries aid a lot in strengthening the metabolism of the body. Also, cherries have a moderate amount of water that helps the body to get rid of toxic substances.
3) Rich in Anti-Oxidants
Cherries have anthocyanin that helps in maintaining a healthy body. They help in inhibiting oxidation thereby promoting oxygen.
These antioxidants protect the body from the damage caused by the pre-radicals or ORAC (oxygen radical absorption capability). They also measure the total antioxidant value of the body.
4) Reduces Risk of Stroke
Tart cherries have proved to be beneficial for heart health. The PPAR is activated by the anthocyanin which regulates the genes related to fat and glucose metabolism.
According to the research by Michigan Health System, the activation of PPAR by antioxidant content of cherries helps in reducing the risk of high cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes. This, in turn, helps to decrease the risk of stroke in the individual.
5) Protection against Diabetes
Many people believe that cherries may be one of the reasons for diabetes because of their sugar content. But no, they have a low glycemic index of only 22.
The glycemic index of cherries is lower than apricots (57), grapes (46), peaches (42), blueberries (40) or plums (39). Therefore, this quality of cherries makes it an ideal ingredient as a snack for diabetic patients.
6) Reduces Inflammation & risk of Gout
Cherry consumption helps in reducing the risk of gout.
A study conducted by Yuqing Zhang, professor of medicine and public health at Boston University showed that eating cherries reduced the risk of a gout attack in 633 gout patients compared to that of those who didn’t eat cherries.
Zhang further commented, “Our findings indicate that consuming cherries or cherry extract lowers the risk of a gout attack, the gout flare risk continued to decrease with increasing cherry consumption, up to three servings over two days.”
7) Slows Down the Ageing of Skin
Cherries contain the greatest number of antioxidants; therefore, they aid in fighting against free radicals. Free radicals of the body make the person appear old and fastens the aging process.
Since cherries fight free radicals, a glass of cherry juice can be beneficial for slowing the aging of the skin. It is also an alternative for treating various skin conditions.
8) Reduction of Muscle Pain
Muscle pain is a very common problem faced by almost all people. Some studies suggest that drinking a cup of tart cherry juice will help a lot in reducing the inflammation and soreness of muscle.
A study was conducted, where a group was made to drink fruit drinks while another group was made to drink a tart glass of tart cherry juice. They were made to contest the marathon for 7 seven days.
The results showed that the group which drank cherry juice experienced much less muscle pain compared to the one that drank fruit drinks.
9) Prevents Heart Diseases
Cherries are rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins. The rich anthocyanin content helps in reducing the level of cholesterol in the body. This regulates the blood pressure and fights free radicals.
The free radicals may lead to inflammation. Since they help in reducing the level of cholesterol in the body, it reduces the risk of stroke and heart diseases.
10) Maintains pH balance
Cherries have alkaline nature.
Sometimes there is an increase in the acidic content of the body, therefore eating cherries in such a condition would help in balancing the pH level of the body by neutralizing the acidic effect on the body.
This thus helps in preventing stomach problems like acidity and indigestion.
11) Relieves Osteoarthritis
Often elderly people suffer from pain and discomfort in swollen joints. Consuming tart cherry juice twice a day for three weeks helps in relieving osteoarthritis.
A study conducted on twenty women aged between 40 to 70 showed improvements in inflammatory arthritis by consuming tart cherry juice twice a day for three weeks.
12) Prevents Colon Cancer
Cherries are rich in substances that help in the reduction of the formation of carcinogenic chemicals which eventually develop from the charring of hamburger. J. Ian Gray, Ph.D., Professor of Food Science at Michigan State said, “The fat contents of the cherry patties were, as expected, lower than that of the control patties, whereas the moisture contents were greater.
Cherry tissue will not only slow down the oxidation deterioration of meat lipids but will also substantially reduce the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines.”
13) Beneficial for Hair
Cherries are rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B and Vitamin C that are very much required for overall health. The presence of vitamins in abundance in cherries makes it a wonder fruit.
Vitamin A helps in keeping the scalp hydrated and regulates the essential acid called Retinoic acid. This regulation, in turn, helps the hair follicles to grow.
Vitamin B content helps in regulating the blood circulation around the scalp. This triggers hair growth.
Vitamin C, in turn, helps to strengthen the hair follicles and prevents the breakage of hair from roots. It stimulates hair growth thereby preventing hair fall. It also prevents the split end damage.
14) Beneficial for Skin
Many might not know but cherries are extremely beneficial in vitamins A, B, C, and E. So much of vitamin content makes it an ideal component that would ensure radiance to the skin.
Cherry juice consumption also helps in the reduction of dark spots and offers skin lightening. It regenerates and rejuvenates the skin.
It also slows down the process of aging in most of the cases.
15) Cancer Prevention
Since it is rich anthocyanin, it keeps a check on cancer cells on the body. It stops the cancerous cells to grow uncontrollably in the body.
16) Maintains Blood Pressure Level
Cherries are rich in potassium, which is very much required by the body to remove excess sodium content. This thereby helps in maintaining the balance of sodium and potassium in the body. The balanced potassium and sodium level in the body thus helps to maintain the blood pressure level.
Side Effects of Cherry Juice
Do not consume too much of cherries as it may have some negative effects on your health. Since it has a lot of fiber content, you will eventually be prone to bloating and diarrhea. It can also lead to nausea and vomiting. Apart from these, you may also suffer from irregular bowel movements due to excess consumption of cherries.
Before cooking or baking cherry always keep in mind that it should be a bit discolored or it may react with baking soda or powder. This may lead to indigestion or digestion problems. Too much of cherry consumption may lead to constipation. To avoid side effects or any disadvantages of cherry, consume them in a moderate amount to stay in the safe side.
Conclusion
Cherries are an ideal component for various desserts. Not only is it tasty but also extremely beneficial. It is used in cakes and puddings for decorations in a wide range. It is also used for making mocktails and fruit salads.
Also, as mentioned above, cherry consumption has a lot of benefits for your health. Though you must be very specific while consuming it as an excess of anything can be dangerous.
This fruit is only available during the summer season so you can reap the benefits only till the time it lasts. Make sure you make this delicious fruit a part of your diet and enjoy its health benefits along with its delicious taste.