There are lots of foods that taste great and will benefit your health at the same time. Sweet cherries are on this list. These small fruits are sweet and tasty, but there are also some important health benefits of sweet cherries that you should be aware of. Not only can they make you healthier, but they can help reduce the effects of stress.
Cherries are a variety of stone fruit. They can vary in color from yellow to deep black-red and come in two main flavors, sweet or tart. Tart cherries are known as Prunus cerasus L. and sweet cherries are Prunus avium L.
Both of these cherry varieties are good for your health in different ways. But the many benefits of sweet cherries may give them an edge over their tart cousins.
Some of the most important benefits of sweet cherries are:
One of the best benefits of sweet cherries is that they’re extremely nutritious. They contain protein and carbs as well as vitamins and minerals such as:
If you’re trying to eat more fiber, then sweet cherries can help. Each cup of cherries contains up to 3 grams of fiber, which will help you get closer to your goal of 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. All of this fiber will help to promote healthy bowel movements and may also improve the health of your microbiome, the balance of bacteria in your gut.
Do you have a sweet tooth and crave sugary foods all the time? Sweet cherries can be a great way to beat that craving. Cherries are full of natural sugars that make them sweet but have no added sugar. Some varieties even have a low glycemic index, which means their sugars are released slowly into your bloodstream. This may help stabilize your blood sugar levels and help you feel fuller longer.
Sweet cherries are packed with antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamin C. Antioxidants are compounds that help to lower free radical levels in the body and prevent oxidative stress. This is important because oxidative stress is linked to premature aging and many chronic diseases.
One of the most important benefits of cherries is their anti-inflammatory effects, which may help reduce arthritis or other disorders related to inflammation. Sweet cherries contain anthocyanins, the compound that helps give them their color and helps to fight tissue inflammation. Cherries may also help to decrease uric acid levels in the body, which can help reduce symptoms of gout.
Other studies have shown that eating 2 servings of sweet cherries after a fast can lower C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. This is a protein that’s found in the blood and increases in response to inflammation.
Sweet cherries may also help protect your heart health. Cherries contain polyphenols, organic compounds found in many plants. Studies have shown that polyphenols can help reduce inflammation and promote healthy arteries.
Cherries also contain potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure by reducing sodium levels and helps maintain a healthy heartbeat. 1 cup of cherries provides 10% of an adult’s daily recommended potassium intake.
Sweet cherries contain melatonin and plant compounds that may help to regulate your sleep-wake cycle. In a recent study, people who drank concentrated cherry juice experienced higher melatonin levels and better sleep quality. However, further study is needed to confirm this connection.
Cherries are small and you may think that it will be difficult to eat enough to enjoy all the benefits of sweet cherries. However, with a bit of creativity, you can easily add more cherries to your diet. You don’t just have to eat fresh cherries either. There’s also cherry juice, dried cherries, and cherry powder that can be taken on their own or paired with other foods.
Here are some easy and delicious ways to eat more cherries.
Cherries pair well with lots of other foods. So, if you enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, then try putting things together and see how they taste.
Some of the most common benefits of sweet cherries may also help if you have Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS). AFS is caused by chronic stress, which overworks the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response, causing the adrenals to break down. The adrenal glands are responsible for releasing cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. High cortisol levels in the body cause changes in the 6 circuits in the NEM stress response. These changes help you respond to stress and help protect your body from damage that stress can do.
Under normal circumstances, your cortisol levels rise when you’re stressed and drop down again afterward. But if you’re chronically stressed over a long period, this rest time doesn’t occur. The adrenals can become fatigued and start to malfunction and the NEM stress response becomes unbalanced and dysfunctional. This will cause problems with the circuits and the individual components of the circuits.
AFS can be a very troubling and dangerous condition, particularly because it isn’t well recognized in the medical establishment. That’s why it’s vital that you find a medical practitioner who’s aware of the condition and can guide you on your journey to recovery.
There are many benefits of sweet cherries that can help improve your health and alleviate some of the symptoms and problems associated with AFS and high stress levels. Here are some of the ways that cherries could help:
Blood sugar problems are very common when you have AFS. This can cause low energy, lead to more serious problems like diabetes, or contribute to weight gain. Eating cherries as a snack may help alleviate this issue and stop the mid-afternoon energy slump that so often accompanies AFS.
Many people with AFS suffer from poor sleeping patterns as the NeuroAffect Circuit becomes unbalanced and because of ongoing high cortisol levels. When you’re stressed, the production of melatonin naturally drops. After all, your body isn’t concerned about sleep when it’s stressed and readying itself to run away from a predator. This is why many people with AFS have trouble getting to sleep or staying that way.
By providing melatonin, sweet cherries may help to reduce or eliminate this problem gently and naturally.
Rampant and chronic inflammation is very common when you have AFS because of all the problems that brought on adrenal fatigue in the first place. For most people, this list of problems includes stress, poor health, lifestyle issues, and illnesses.
Inflammation is an essential process that helps protect your body. But when it becomes chronic it can actually do damage or bring on serious issues like cancer and heart disease. Sweet cherries can help to reduce this inflammation safely, gently, and in a way that shouldn’t cause additional stress that could worsen underlying adrenal fatigue.
An inadequate diet is a common cause of stress that can bring on AFS. The modern diet is full of processed foods, many of which cause inflammation and other health concerns. The best way to alleviate this cause of stress is with a healthy diet based on lean proteins and plant foods. Sweet cherries can be an important part of that diet, helping to alleviate nutritional deficiencies and reduce your stress levels.
Gut problems like diarrhea and constipation are very common in AFS. One of the benefits of sweet cherries is that they contain lots of fiber, which can help with elimination and improve the quality of the bacteria in your gut. This may help to alleviate any gut problems you experience.
By helping to alleviate or reduce all of these symptoms and problems, sweet cherries make a helpful part of a plan to lower your adrenal glands' workload and move toward adrenal recovery.
Sweet cherries can be a wonderful addition to your diet. Not only are they delicious, but the benefits of sweet cherries could help improve your health and make a great addition to an adrenal recovery plan.
Cherries are easy to eat different ways. You could eat them as a fresh or dried snack, put frozen cherries into smoothies or a cherry compote, or even drink cherry juice.
For information on other foods that will benefit your adrenal health, talk to our team by clicking here to use the Ask the Doctor System or call our team on +1 (626) 571-1234.
The benefits of sweet cherries are many and varied. They will not only contribute to a healthy diet; they may also help reduce or eliminate some key health concerns like spiking blood sugar levels or inflammation. This is essential for a happy, healthy life with adrenal fatigue or without it.
