Nothing says summer like fresh-picked cherries warmed by the sun.
Cherries – the small red fruits are exceptional treat to taste. These tasty fruits are packed with many healthy nutrients, antioxidants and essential vitamins that make it a perfect snack to indulge. This small fruit works wonders on health by rendering varied health benefits making it an all-round food stuff with taste and health.
Here are few reasons why you should be eating them more religiously this year:
Rich in anthocyanins and antioxidants:
Cherries, along with many other berries, are a rich source of antioxidants. They help prevent or repair the damage that is done to the body’s cells by free radicals. This means that antioxidants replace free radicals in your body before they can cause any damage.
The bright color of the red cherry comes from its rich supply of anthocyanins, chlorogenic acid, quercetin and kaempferol.
The anthocyanin content in red cherries helps you in many ways. They feed on free radicals directly, attach on to the DNA to protect it against oxidative damage and set in to motion the detoxification and antioxidant enzyme functions in the body.
Research shows that anthocyanins protect blood vessels and brain cells against oxidative stress, proving that regularly eating red cherries can have great health benefits such as prevention of atherosclerotic plaque formation and neurodegenerative ailments like dementia and Alzheimer’s. Anthocyanins in the red cherry are also known to slow the growth of human colon cancer cells.
Essential Vitamins:
There’s no need to pop vitamin pills if you’re feeling poorly. One cup of cherries provides 10.8mg of Vitamin C alongside beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin B6 and vitamin K. These vitamins are essential for collagen formation in the blood vessels, blood, muscles and bones.
Potassium:
Cherries are extremely high in heart-healthy potassium, which regulates heart rate and blood pressure and reduces the risk of hypertension and stroke, while promoting the heart and kidneys to function properly.
Low in calories:
One cherry is just four calories, so there’s no need to feel guilty about finishing off a bag in one go.
Reduce gout:
Cherry juice helps reduce blood uric-acid levels and gout pain. A new study from the University of Michigan Integrative Medicine Program shows that a cherry-enriched diet might help reduce inflammation, decreasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. As science is constantly on the reveal inflammation can be a marker for many chronic diseases, they say emerging studies such as this are important in examining the role diet may play in disease management and prevention.
Other Benefits:
The fructose in cherries provides energy without harming diabetic patients. Cherries prevent oral infections and keep away bad breath. The acids and flavonoids in cherries are good appetizers. They are even effective in protecting you from seasonal infections like cough, cold, pox, mumps, and measles.
I hope this article on cherry fruit benefits helps you attain good health.