Are Cherries Healthy?

Are cherries healthy? This is a question that many people have been asking over the last few years. The reason they have been asking it is because word has been going around that pound for pound cherries are one most nutritional fruits you can eat. Due to their very small size when compared to other fruit, this is hard for most people to believe. Thus, the question - Are cherries healthy?

In a word, YES. Research on cherries health benefits have shown them to be one of the best fruits you could eat. The issue of taste is actually a secondary concern since there are some types of cherries that taste better than others. This is why cherries are usually divided into two main categories, sweet cherries and sour cherries.

Sweet cherries, such as Bing cherries are the variety found as fresh fruit on the grocer's shelves during season. This variety of cherry is very sweet and delicious to eat just as they are. Sour cherries have a very tart taste so they are the ones used in desserts like cherry pies. There are plenty of other ways one can use tart cherries in cooking to negate its sour taste. If you are open to the idea of learning more about cherries, read on to learn the health benefits of this small 'super fruit' as well as the cooking options you can pursue to make cherries more palatable to your discerning taste buds.

Here is a short list of the known cherries health benefits to finally give rest to the question "are cherries healthy."

1 - Cherries are packed with antioxidants which are crucial for reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease. The red color of cherries contains compounds known as bioflavonoids which functions in a variety of ways to boost health. Bioflavonoids react with free radicals to minimize cellular damage and boost the immune system. When eaten regularly, cherries health benefits give the body plenty of ammunition that it can use to lower cellular damage caused by free radicals which are caused by stress, bad sleeping habits, poor food choices, and many other bad lifestyle decisions like cigarette smoking.

2 - The same bioflavonoids in cherries also contain anti-inflammatory properties which make them great against arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. Arthritis occurs because the joints are inflamed and this leads to pain. Eating cherries can help lower the incidence and severity of arthritis attacks among those who suffer from the problems. This is one of the best known of all the cherries health benefits as they have been used to help the inflammation of gout for centuries.

3 - Cherries are also packed with plenty of vitamins and minerals. Cherries are rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, and minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and manganese. If you want a well-rounded fruit that is very accessible, you can never go wrong with cherries.

4 - Cherries are low calorie and have a lot of water content. This makes them a great diet food, and we all know how important it is to keep our body hydrated.

Are cherries healthy? It seems the answer cannot be denied.

Now, we've already mentioned how nutritional benefits are less a concern for many when eating sour cherries because of their tart taste. Well, one has plenty of options. First, always consider only eating sweet cherries raw. For sour cherries, you can use these for cooking pies, cakes, brownies, cookies and as ingredients in frozen yogurt, just to name a few. Sour cherries are great for cooking because sugar can be added to reduce the sour taste while still enjoying the cherry flavor.

So the next time you find yourself eating a portion of this delicious little fruit, just think about these answers to the question - are cherries healthy? Then you can focus on all the benefits you are getting in each serving, and enjoy them even more.

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