Health benefits of cherries

Information on Cherries

Various different types of fruit can be used for theprevention and treatment of numerous different chronic diseases because ofphenolics that can be found in virtually all the different types of vegetablesand fruit. Cherries are a remarkable source of protein, antioxidant substances,sugar, minerals and ascorbic acid. Cherries are close relatives of plums andthey have been enjoyed by people ever since the times of Ancient Rome.

Nowadays, cherries are grown in the United States as well, and 70 percent ofthe cherry production comes from Washington, Utah, Idaho and Oregon. Eachserving of cherries contains about 50 calories, 1 gram of protein, 1 gram oftotal fat, 10 grams of sugar and 12 grams of total carbohydrate and 2 grams ofdietary fiber. Cherries do not contain any sodium or cholesterol but they arean excellent source of calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A and iron.

Cherries come onsour and sweet varieties. Sour varieties contain fewer calories and are commonlyricher in beta-carotene and vitamin C than their sweet counterparts.

The mostpopular varieties of sweet cherry are known by the names of Bing, Lambert,Rainer and Royal Ann. Cherries need to be kept moist and cool and they alwaysneed to be carefully picked handful by handful. Cherries should be purchasedwith their stems on, because that is a sign of freshness. Fresh cherries can bekept in plastic bags in the refrigerator but they need to be washed before theconsumption. They can also be frozen and kept in a hard plastic bag in thefreezer.

Health Benefits of Cherries

Cherries contain ursolic acid and anthocyanins which can bevery efficient in decreasing lipid accumulation in the liver and helping duringthe process of weight loss. Cherries are also a great source of phenolics whichare very beneficial for the proper functioning of the nerve cells. Thesechemical substances protect the neuronal cells from the oxidative stress andkeep them from become degenerative.

Cherry bark is also very beneficial for allthose who suffer from colorectal cancer and it may be very efficient inpreventing certain other types of cancer as well. Cherries may also be of greathelp when it comes to the prevention and treatment of gout, arthritic pain,cancer, cardiovascular diseases and different types of inflammatory conditionswhich often get associated with arthritis. Cherries are very delicious but theycan also be of great help when it comes to dealing with numerous differenttypes of medical conditions.