11 Health Benefits of Cherries       
            
Cherries are delicious, beautiful, eat this super fruit every day. When you eat cherries, you enjoy much more than just their amazing taste. They’re packed with antioxidants and offer many health benefits, including help with insomnia, joint pain and belly fat. Cherries could be just what the doctor ordered.
Here are good reasons to start eating this
power food today!

Super Fruit Cherries -  these colorful beauties pack a powerful punch of potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, fiber, beta carotene, Vitamins A and C and antioxidants in every bite. That’s one delicious mutli-vitamin! Plus, they’re fat, sodium and cholesterol free. Super Fruit indeed. Researchers associate many health benefits with cherries, from helping ease the pain of arthritis and gout, to reducing risk factors for diabetes and even certain cancers.

 
Protection from Diabetes
Sweet cherries have a lower glycemic index of 22, lower than apricots (57), grapes (46),
peaches (42), blueberries (40) or plums (39). This makes them a better choice of a fruit snack compared with many other fruits, especially for diabetics.
 





Helps You Sleep Better
Tossing and turning at night?  Cherry juice to the rescue! Drink cherry juice 30 minutes after waking and 30 minutes before your evening meal. In a 
study, participants boosted their melatonin intake by following this routine. Cherries are a good source of melatonin BUT there is a higher level of melatonin in tart cherries compared to sweet cherries. They have also been found to help with jet lag.


 


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Belly Fat 
 Tart cherries reduced belly fat in a study. Researchers found rats that were fed whole tart cherry powder, in a high fat diet, didn’t gain as much weight or build up as much body fat as rats that didn’t.

Helps Ward of Alzheimer’s
The
Alzheimer’s Association includes cherries as one of the memory boosting foods because they are rich in antioxidants.

Reduces Risk of Stroke
Tart cherries provide cardiovascular benefits. The anthocyanins, which are the pigments giving  tart cherries its red color, may activate PPAR which regulates genes involved in fat and glucose metabolism and thus, reduce risk factors for high cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. –
Research University of Michigan Health System.

Slows the Aging
Cherries have the highest antioxidant level of any fruit. Antioxidants help the body fight the free radicals that make us look old. Drinking one glass of tart cherry juice daily slows down the aging process. Cherry juice is also recommended as an alternative treatment for other skin conditions.
 
 Gout Attacks
Eating cherries
lowers risk of gout attacks by 35 percent in a study with 633 gout patients, done by by Yuqing Zhang, professor of medicine and public health at Boston University. Gout patients who consumed cherries over a two-day period had a 35 percent lower risk of gout attacks, compared to those who did not eat the cherries. “Our findings indicate that consuming cherries or cherry extract lowers the risk of gout attack, the gout flare risk continued to decrease with increasing cherry consumption, up to three servings over two days.” said Zhang.
 

Reduces Muscle Pain
A cup and a half of tart cherries or one cup of tart cherry juice can reduce muscle inflammation and soreness
studies suggest. A group of marathon runners drank tart cherry juice twice daily for seven days before their race. The group who drank the cherry juice group experienced less muscle pain after the race than those who drank another fruit drink.
cherries .... http://www.pinterest.com/mirielle66/fruit/  http://turquoblue.tumblr.com/
                           
Good for the Heart
Cherries are very high in
potassium, which helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure and reduces the risk of hypertension. The phytosterols in cherries help reduce bad cholesterol levels.

Osteoarthritis relief
The pain and discomfort of swollen joints were reduced when tart cherry juice was consumed twice a day for three weeks in a 
study of twenty women ages 40 to 70 with inflammatory osteoarthritis.
 

Prevent Colon Cancer
Substances in tart cherries can reduce the formation of the carcinogenic chemicals that develop from the charring of hamburger. 
Researchers added tart cherries to ground beef patties. “The fat contents of the cherry patties were, as expected, lower than that of the control patties, whereas the moisture contents were greater.  Cherry tissue will not only slow down the oxidation deterioration of meat lipids, but will also substantially reduce the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines. Now you have many good reasons to eat cherries. I eat cherries every day when they’re in season OR frozen.

 
If you’ve ever had an ulcer, you know how hard it is to get relief. You’ve probably taken your share of over-the-counter antacids and acid blockers. But those are just a temporary fix at best.
For some people, ulcers start out as gastritis. That’s widespread inflammation in the gut. Gastritis can cause enough pain on its own. But when it causes an ulcer…you need to treat it right away. Ulcers don’t just cause burning and sharp pains. They can be dangerous.
If you want real relief, you need to get to the root of the problem. What’s that? Well, for most ulcers, it’s usually bacteria called H. pylori.The good news is that your gut fights inflammation every day. It produces good bacteria and natural substances that keep you healthy. One of those natural substances is a surprising hormone that most people don’t know their gut even produces.This unlikely hormone heals gastritis and kills H. pylori. It’s melatonin ... Yes, the same melatonin you take to help you sleep.
Your pineal gland makes melatonin, but your gut produces 400-times more. And, it gobbles up damaging free radicals. Including the stomach acid and enzymes that can cause damage to your stomach lining.
In the past, human studies have shown that melatonin can prevent ulcers, colitis, irritable bowel disease, and colon cancer. Now a new study proves the power of melatonin to get rid of the H.pylori bacteria.
One hundred patients with duodenal ulcers and gastritis took part in the study. All the patients had H. pylori bacteria in their gut. For the first seven days, one group took an antibiotic and medication to block stomach acid. The second group had the same treatment, but also took melatonin. They took 3 mg before bed.After the first week, both groups quit taking the antibiotic.At the end of two months…The patients who took melatonin had less H. pylori in their gut. Melatonin helped get rid of it, and gut inflammation. These people experienced better gut healing.
As you age, your natural melatonin levels decrease. The best way to get it is to get enough sleep. But that’s not always so easy.
Try eliminating all artificial light from your bedroom. Darkness triggers melatonin production. Even an alarm clock’s light can interfere.

Caffeine might decrease melatonin levels in the body. However, several foods contain melatonin, and can help increase your body’s levels. Tart cherries, red wine, bananas, tomatoes, and ginger are good sources.
If you take a melatonin supplement, 0.3 mg to 3 mg at bedtime is the standard dose. Most melatonin supplements are supposed to be dissolved under the tongue.

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So if you’re prone to stomach problems, try melatonin to give your gut some powerful protection. You’ll also benefit from getting a good night’s sleep. Quality sleep lowers your stress levels stress can also cause inflammation throughout your body, including your gut and intestines.