Why are cherries good for you

Are They Really?

Fortunately, cherries are actually good for the health, but only as long as you don’t overdo it. What this means is that though cherries are nutritious and are considered to be among the super fruits, they contain a lot of calories in them; therefore, it would not be in the best interest of someone who is trying to lose or maintain weight, if that person ate too many cherries or drank too much cherry juice. Although berries in general and cherries in particular are indeed beneficial to the human body, there are a lot of uncertain facts regarding the fruit that have been spread by companies that sell cherries and related products. While some of these facts are true, some simply do not have enough scientific evidence to be established beyond doubt.

Assured Benefits

Cherries are a rich source of nutrients such as potassium, calcium, iron, carbohydrates, vitamin A and even a little bit of protein. In addition to containing the nutrients that provide us with the energy which we need on a daily basis, cherries also do not contain any of the harmful contents such as fat, sodium or LDL cholesterols. It should be noted though, that the above part is true especially when we are talking about the fruits as a whole and not its juice. The difference between cherry juice and cherry is that the former contains a lot of refined sugar in it, while the latter has none. Even if the juice is free from added sugar, it has way more calories in it than the fruit as a whole because fruit juices invariably have more concentrated sugar in them that their whole fruit form.

Cherries, along with a lot of other fruits are also an excellent source of dietary fiber. Not only are dietary fibers particularly beneficial against gastrointestinal diseases such as duodenal ulcer, diverticulitis, constipation, gastroesophageal reflux disease and hemorrhoids; it also helps to keep one’s health at an optimum level by increasing one’s chances of resisting heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes and even obesity. However, one should be careful with cherry juice when it comes to obesity because, although the fibers in it will help one to keep in shape, the 90+ calories in every cup of the juice may also fatten you up.

why are cherries good for you

Popular but Unestablished Benefits

Cherries are considered to be excellent sources of antioxidants and some are of the opinion that this property also makes the fruit an active healer, which, in addition to repairing the damages done by free radicals within the body, neutralizes the free radicals as well. Flavonoids present within cherries are supposed to act as a very powerful anti-carcinogenic agent, which not only reduces (supposedly) the chances of cancer but is also supposed to help patients with certain forms of cancer as well. Another anti-carcinogenic that cherry contains according to certain researchers is ellagic acid, which is a vegetative phenolic. In spite of that, ellagic acid’s potency as an anti-carcinogen is unclear at this point of time.

There are also other claims that many are propagating today, but know that very few of them have any scientific evidence to justify themselves. Some of the other more popular hypothetical effects that cherry has on human health include curing migraines, delaying the ageing process, relieving stress, easing pain caused by arthritis and gout, curing insomnia and improving our metabolic rates as well!