Cherries are not only delicious, but they are also considered a super fruit, since they are rich in vitamins and an excellent source of beta carotene, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, and fibre. Fruit like blueberries and strawberries, are very versatile and can be used in countless desserts and recipes.
Cherries are named "Prunus cerasus" in the scientific world and are widely consumed due to their health benefits, as they have cleansing benefits due to their antioxidants. Including cherries in your diet therefore reduces the risk of many diseases thanks to its many health promoting vitamins, antioxidants and other nutrients.
Read on to find out more, the health benefits of cherries, whether they are fattening, how many calories then contain and some recipes you can use is great food in.
Are cherries fattening?
No, cherries are not fattening.
Cherries are a healthy food to include in our diet and have many valuable properties for the size of them without having a high calories content. It is always advisable however to consult with a specialist to learn how to combine different types of food, including cherries, in our daily diet.
How many calories do cherries have?
In 100 grams of cherries there are approximately 58 kcal, which is a relatively low value for their weight if we compare them with other fruits such as banana or mango though they are higher than apples for example.
As they are low in calories, cherries are always a good food to grab as a snack at any time of day or to curb those sweet cravings after a meal if you are trying to loose weight and exercise more.
You can easily include cherries into many desert recipes to make a cherry tart. They are the 'healthy' desert option to help keep your calorie intake lower and gain sugars through healthy natural products. You can also enjoy the beautiful rich cherry flavour in cherry juice which is great for helping inflammation.
Benefits of Cherries
- Cherries are a super fruit rich in antioxidants. They can help regulate sleep cycles, we all know that sleep in super important and they can reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer as well as the risk of diabetes.
- Cherries can accelerate the recovery of the muscles and regulate the heart rate, so they are often recommended int he diet of athletes.
- As already mentioned, they have powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, which helps you better cope with arthritis reducing symptoms of inflammation.
- Consuming cherries reduces the risk of memory loss and promotes overall brain health.
- They also lower triglycerides and cholesterol levels, which helps prevent liver disorders and gallstones.
- As well as reducing the risk of diabetes the odd cherry can also be consumed by patients with diabetes, as it has one of the lowest glycemic indexes of all fruits.
- Cherries can help protect the cardiovascular system and prevent myocardial infarction and angina pectoris.
- They are also an incredible source of fibre, which means they are useful for digestive health.
- Thanks to their low caloric content, cherrie help you lose weight and has a satiating, diuretic and laxative effect.
- Cherry is rich in bioflavonoids, specifically anthocyanins that help prevent the risk of cancer, colon cancer in particular.
- They are also rich in melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep try a cheery or two each day to help your sleep patterns.