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Are Cherries Good for You? Top Health Benefits of Cherries & How to Enjoy Them

Cherries are well-loved for their small size, bright color, intense flavor, and sweet or tart taste. They occupy a prominent place in many cultures, symbolizing pleasure, both gustatory and romantic. When we say, “Life is a bowl of cherries,” we mean that life is full of pleasure and enjoyment. Technically, cherries aren’t berries, but stone fruits or drupes, which means they have an outer flesh that surrounds a single inner pit. Interestingly, they’re actually part of the genus Prunus in the rose family and are related to the apricot, peach, plum, and almond... Some research has even found that while all cherries are rich in antioxidants, tart cherries seem to have the most. Other studies…

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 What Are the Health Benefits of Tart Cherries?

The research is still emerging, but there are potential links between the fruit and improved sleep quality, muscle recovery and more. Tart cherries provide powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory polyphenol compounds. Although the research is emerging, adding tart cherry juice or products like dried or frozen tart cherries to your dishes can bring delicious flavor and nutrition.

Articles of Interest

A Bowl of Cherries

Fresh cherries, particularly the ubiquitous Bing variety as well as Hartlands and Early Black, which are sold at many farmers’ markets, are very high in anthocyanins, those inflammation-reducing nutrients that are present in many red, purple and blue fruits and vegetables

A Review of the Health Benefits of Cherries

Evidence from published reports is reasonably strong to indicate that consumption of cherries decreased markers for oxidative stress, inflammation, exercise-induced muscle soreness and loss of strength, and blood pressure acutely after ingesting cherries. Limited numbers of published reports also indicate beneficial effects of consuming cherries on arthritis, diabetes, blood lipids, sleep, cognitive functions, and possibly mood. It should be noted that many of these studies, which suggested health benefits of cherry consumption, used amounts (45–270 cherries/day) that might be considered to be a high dose.

Are cherries good for you?

There are hundreds of varieties but they usually fall into one of two categories: sweet or sour. Sweet cherries are usually eaten as they come, while sour cherries are more likely to be used in cooking or juiced. The most familiar varieties include the black stone cherry, the morello and the Spanish cherry. All cherries have a stone which must be removed before eating or cooking.

Cherries and why they are important in our diet

Sensual, sweet, chirpy and cheerful, you can’t help but smile when a cherry’s tucked in your cheek, releasing all its juices.

Cherries Are Hands Down The Best Food of Summer—Here’s Why

In addition to the delicious flavors and versatile ways cherries can be used, they also provide some amazing health benefits.

Cherries: Liver, Bowel & Bladder Support

Cherries are an amazing way to revitalize the liver; they’re the ultimate liver tonic, cleanser, and rejuvenator. Cherries promote healthy hemoglobin and are also a helpful food for cancer prevention.

Gardens: sweet on sour cherries

Many are put off growing sour cherries by the name alone, but try one and you won’t look back

It’s Cherry Girl Season! All the Health Benefits of Eating Cherries Now

For those who love them, it’s impossible to stop eating them—and limiting yourself to just one is a true test of character. Luckily you don’t need to exercise too much restraint: the health benefits of cherries are many. They are full of antioxidants and are considered an elixir for well-being, beauty, and longevity. They also stimulate the production of collagen. Hello, cherry girl summer—and hello, gorgeous skin.

Novel insights in health-promoting properties of sweet cherries

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is one of the most popular and appreciated temperate fruit not only for its sensory and nutritional properties, but also for its content in bioactive compounds. Consumption of sweet cherries brings beneficial effects on to health, which include prevention and modulatory effects in several chronic diseases such as (diabetes mellitus, cancer, cardiovascular and other inflammatory diseases). The presence of natural polyphenolic compounds with high antioxidant potential might drive and partly explain such beneficial effects, but more translational and clinical studies should address this topic.

Taking Some Cherries a Day

On the positive side, nutritionists say, cherries won't hurt you and at least in the fresh form likely have other benefits, such as fiber. But calories can be high.

Tart cherry juice benefits: Do they live up to the hype?

“There just hasn’t been enough research to confirm these claims about drinking tart cherry juice,” said Ashley Simper, a registered dietitian at OSF HealthCare. “While it’s been studied for years and shows potential, the data is mixed, and most of the results have been produced in labs or come from studies that only apply to specific populations, such as athletes. So, more research is needed to determine if these health claims can be applied to the population as a whole.

The Cherry on Top: 8 Health Benefits of Cherries

There are more than a thousand cherry varieties grown in the United States that fall into either the sweet or tart category. Whether you prefer the sweetness of dark-red Bing cherries or the mouth-puckering sourness of bright-red Montmorency cherries, there are many benefits of eating cherries. In fact, cherries are a superfood!

The Impressive Benefits of Cherries, Plus How to Enjoy Them—Whether Sweet or Tart

​Cherries are nutrient-dense fruits that offer a variety of health benefits and culinary applications. They are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, high in fiber, a natural source of melatonin, and have other nutritional benefits. In the kitchen, sweet cherries are ideal for snacking and pair well with other foods; tart cherries add a balancing acidity to savory dishes featuring rich meats like duck or game.

The Surprising Results of My Tart Cherry Juice Challenge

Tart cherry juice, to my knowledge, does not put me at risk for a bleeding hole in my stomach. Win. And it has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. According to the rules of the challenge, I drank it — just one tablespoon, diluted with water, twice a day — for seven straight days, and I’ve kept it up for many more days because it has worked so well. And like that, my shoulder has finally stopped hurting me. Not really science, I know. But it’s working when nothing else has, so I see no reason to doubt it.

Why cherries are good for you

Anthocyanins in cherries appear to have a marked anti-inflammatory action. Specifically, these compounds seem to be highly effective in treating gout, a condition that causes painful swelling in joints. Last year, a Boston Medical Center study reported that eating cherries reduces gout attacks by 35%. Cherries are also one of the few food sources of the hormone melatonin, which regulates sleep patterns. A study published in 2011 in the European Journal of Nutrition, reported that eating tart montmorency (or morello) cherries significantly raised levels of melatonin and improved sleep. Compared to most other fruits, cherries are low in sugar, which makes them an ideal choice for people who want to lose weight.

Resources

3 Health Benefits of Cherries

The potential benefits of cherries—and cherry juice—range from improving sleep and reducing inflammation to helping manage conditions like diabetes. Read on to learn more about cherry benefits, risks, and tips for consumption.