I am just a lover of fruits. I could eat a fruit plate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so knowing what I am eating is a very big deal. Today I decided to look at the health benefits of cherries and this is what I found out, cherries are:
High in Vitamins A and C
Cherries are exceptionally high in vitamins A & C especially the West Indian cherries. These vitamins help reduce the severity and shorten the duration of cold symptoms, also helps with wound healing by boosting the immune system. Vitamins A & C helps keep skin youthful and new studies have shown that they help fight cancer as they slow down tumor growth.
High in Antioxidants
Research has shown that antioxidants aid in the prevention of a number of degenerative, age – related diseases like Heart Disease, Alzheimer’s, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol and Cataract by decreasing the amount of free radicals in the body. Also, helps maintain good health of the urinary tract.
Low in Calories
This helps effectively in weight control as well as achieving weight loss. Cherries consist of mostly simple sugars which are easily broken down and used up as energy rather than converted to fat and stored. So for everyone watching their caloric intake, eating cherries is a healthy start.
Good source of Dietary Fiber
As with most fruits cherries are a good source of dietary fiber, soluble and insoluble, however, has more of the insoluble type. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water, it binds to it, and therefore an adequate amount of fluid intake is required as well. This promotes bowel health by adding bulk to the stool which facilitates easy movement of waste material through the intestinal tract. Simply put, adequate intake of dietary fiber helps prevent constipation.
Stress Reliever
This one is my favorite. Eating cherries reduces stress because it makes you feel happy. A cherry is a delicious fruit and even if it is just for the five minutes of eating and savoring a hand full, you will leave the stress behind and smile!
Much of what I wrote might be what you already know, but how much of what you know, you actually practice? You know exercise is beneficial for good health, however, how many of us actually exercise daily? Think about it.
This is very informative and I hope it gives you a renewed boost to wash and enjoy a nice hand full of cherries today!
Read This Next: 5 Healthy Facts about Strawberries
Photo Credit: Flickr.com
