June 17, 2014

6 Reasons to Eat Cherries

I love cherries! Not only are they delightfully sour little fruits, but they're also very healthy. Here are a few reasons you should add cherries to your daily meal plan:

1. Fight Arthritis and Gout

Cherries have anti-inflammatory properties, meaning they can reduce your risk of gout, arthritis, and other diseases made worse by swelling. Cherry juice can lower gout flare-ups by 75% when combined with allopurinol, or 35% on its own.

2. Target Belly Fat

Say goodbye to that pooch! In one study, rats who consumed cherry gained less weight on a high fat diet than the control group. Plus, cherries can also lower blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and inflammation in your blood vessels.

3. Provide Pain Relief

Instead of hitting those NSAIDs, try cherry juice to relieve the pain of swollen joints. Cherry juice can fight osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, reducing swelling and pain as effectively as painkillers. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"]

Source: www.naturelivings.com[/caption]

4. Prevent Soreness

Sick of being achy and sore after a tough workout? Drink cherry juice, and let the anthocyanins in the juice prevent swelling in your tired muscles.

5. Promote Sleep

Cherry juice contains nutrients that will help your body to produce more melatonin, the hormone that helps you to sleep at night. A couple of glasses in the evening and one in the morning will go a long way towards a better night's sleep.

6. Improve Heart Health

Cherries can reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke, improve your body's natural production of insulin, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and protect the cells of your heart and blood vessels.