Cherries

After having done so much investigation on health benefits concerning supplements, it made me wonder about all the regular and fresh vegetables and fruits, which we consume on an almost daily basis.

We already know they are healthy, but what do they contain when it comes to vitamins and what ailment could, or would, benefit from eating fresh and all natural?

Let's start with a delicious fruit. Cherries! Unfortunately, they can not be bought all year around. What can we expect form these little red delicacy, when cherry season has arrived though?

Cherries:
One cup (21 cherries) contains about 90 calories and is a good source of both vitamin C and fiber, both of which can help lower the level of bad cholesterol in the bloodstream.

Several studies have also linked cherry consumption with the alleviation of inflammation, arthritic pain and gout, making cherries a Superfood for your joints. One study from researchers at the US Agricultural Research Service found, that five hours after the consumption of about 45 Bing sweet cherries, women's plasma urate levels - which accumulates in joints during a gout attack, commonly in the toes, and cause pain - decreased by approximately 15%. The study also revealed a drop in two key markers of inflammation, nitric oxide and C-reactive protein.

Cherries for dessert can offset the increase of free radicals and drop in antioxidant levels following an overindulgent meal.
~Source: Dole Nutrition Institute.

I also stumbled upon this:

To take away the pain of gout, eat 6-8 cherries per day. They can be tinned, frozen or fresh. This is a Japanese treatment, which they have used for centuries. They also boil the cherries down into a syrup which makes a strong sweet drink.

The cherry is a very good source of magnesium (which is a natural painkiller) and potassium. The potassium acts as a diuretic, reducing inflammation by ridding tissue of fluid.
~Source: Disabled World.

How about that?! I had no clue, that something so delicious also could be so helpful. If you don't like to eat them 'straight from the tree', maybe a warm cherry-pie or a cherry smoothie is more up your alley. I have no doubt, you can come up with a few more tasty recipes and uses for these little red health boosters.

Cherries come in different flavors as well. Some have a more sour taste than others. It is my experience that the darker the color of the cherry, the sweeter the taste appears to be. Isn't it wonderful, how such a small fruit has so many health benefits?!

Isn't it wonderful, how such a small blessing is created by God, with such great love and care ?! :-)

Genesis 1:12
And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.