They are small in size and absolutely red in colour. Just pop them in your mouth and see the wonderful taste fill your being with deliciousness and health too.
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The beauty of eating Cherries is that you can use them as a topping on sundaes, ice-creams, shakes, kheer, yogurt, puddings and many more recipes. Truly, cherries are multi-faceted in nature and an immense recommendation for overall health. Nice to know that the United Kingdom celebrates cherries as an annual festival in the form of National Cherry Day on July 16. What an ode to this tiny looking red fruit.
Types of Cherries
There are over 1,000 different types of cherries, meaning there is one meant for everyone’s taste buds. Popular ones include Maraschino, Black, Bing, and Rainier cherries which are easily available in supermarkets across the world.
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There are sweet and sour cherries too. While sweet ones are eaten plain, the sour ones (also called tart) are used for cooking. Though sweet cherries have fair amount of vitamins and fiber, the sour cherry score high when it comes to the volume of Vitamins A, C and beta carotene.
Health Benefits
Cherries are a doctor’s recipe to good health. Here’s how:
Low Calorie
Being a low calorie fruit, cherries are good for overall wellness. Both the sweet and tart cherries have all the health ingredients such as nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that make them good for wellness.
[Also Read: List of Low Calorie Foods with High Protein Content]
Reduce Stroke
Tart cherries are heart-friendly. The anthocyanins (pigments that give a tart cherry its red colour) reduce risk factors for high cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. Since cherries have high potassium, it helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure. Moreover, the phytosterols in them help reduce bad cholesterol too.
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Reduce Muscle Pain
Day in and day out we are attacked by muscle pain which is a very painful process. Cheer up as tart cherries are there to reduce muscle inflammation. Drink a cup of tart cherry juice or alternatively take it in solid form.
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Slows down Ageing
Cherries are very strong in antioxidants. This helps the body fight out free radicals which are responsible for our ageing. The good news is that drinking a glass of tart juice daily helps slow down the ageing process.
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Prevents Colon Cancer
Tart cherries have substances that help reduce the growth of cancer-causing carcinogens. Sweet cherries being high in beta carotene, vitamin C, anthocyanins work together in fighting cancer.
Helps in sound sleep
Feeling the same old problem of disturbed sleep? Have a glass of cherry juice 30 minutes after you wake up and 30 minutes before going off to sleep at night. Since tart cherries are high in melatonin (a hormone that lowers down body temperature), it quite naturally leads to sound sleep.
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Cherries as Cooking Delight
Cherries are a great party nibble. It’s a summer time beauty which can add flavour to your sorbets and salads. Since it’s the season of ice creams, try out a great flavour listed below.
Chocolate Cherry Vegan Ice Cream
The very idea of chocolate in ice cream sounds delicious. Add cherry to it and the taste is irresistible. Try your hands in this easy-to-make recipe and call over your friends and family who will be more than happy eating dollops and dollops of it.
Ingredients:
- 1 banana (frozen and sliced)
- 1/2 cup cherries (frozen)
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tbsp cocoa
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- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tbsp rice syrup (or maple syrup)
Procedure:
- First chop the banana into thin slices and put them into freezer.
- Blend all ingredients in a blender till they become smooth and consistent.
- Eat and enjoy or freeze until it firms up.
Now time to go and taste this superfruit before the season goes away. Happy eating!