July 19th: Cherries

Cherries have a wide range of health benefits. In fact, they’re a superfood that is often overlooked. Here’s a variety of ways that implementing cherries into your diet can be helpful:

  1. Battle belly fat. Tart cherries have been found to have significant weight 0259e545181bf438a48ea6220f91157cmanagement benefits, including reduced belly fat. Tart cherries may also be linked to lower levels of certain inflammation markets linked to heart disease and diabetes, as well as lower cholesterol levels.
  2. Cut your chance of getting gout. Consuming about 10-12 cherries up to three times a day over a two-day period can show a 35% lower risk of gout attacks. The risk of gout can be up to 75% lower than when cherry intake is combined with the prescribed medication to treat gout.
  3. Combat post-workout soreness. Studies suggest a cup and a half of tart cherries or one cup of tart cherry juice can significantly reduce muscle inflammation and soreness.
  4. Provide natural osteoarthritis relief. Drinking tart cherry juice twice daily for three weeks has been found in a study to lead to significant reductions in important inflammation markers, especially for people who have high inflammation levels. It also provides an option with less side effects than many pain medications.
  5. Reduce risk of stroke. Tart cherries provide cardiovascular benefits equal to some medications, and can improve the result even when taken with prescriptions. Researchers believe that anthocyanins (the pigments that give tart cherries their red color) may activate something called a PPAR in bodily tissues, which regulate fat and glucose levels and thereby reduce risk factors for high cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes.
  6. Help you sleep. In a study, patients who drank 30ml of cherry juice 30 minutes after waking and 30 minutes before their evening meal ended up increasing their time in bed, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency total because they were boosting their melatonin intake by 85mcg per day due to the cherry juice supplementation.

For more information about these benefits, click here for an article that explains more about cherries and their health advantages. Special thanks to Shevlin Health & Wellness Center for presenting this handy tip!