Well, it’s that time of year and cherries are in! But did you know that they are not only a super delicious, sweet treat, but cherries are also super healthy too, combatting conditions such as chronic inflammation, which we reviewed last week, and are also hailed as the next athlete’s super food.
Cherries are high in polyphenols, one of the main antioxidants found in foods, as well as vitamin C, both of which can act as anti-inflammatories, due to their high antioxidant levels. And that colour they hold in themselves, that bright red/purple/blue is anthocyanin, another mega potent antioxidant/anit-inflammatory. So, for a number of reasons, these little guys are a great addition to your Christmas holiday festivities.
If you know what to look for, and if we’re all being honest, the Christmas period is a time of enjoying foods and drinks, most of which trigger inflammation, weight gain, gout, over acidity, pain conditions, skin issues and more. I mean, it’s totally fun! We’re only human; The rich foods and presence of too many alcoholic beverages is great, but it triggers all our inflammatory markers.
But guess what a nice little reverser of this is? Cherries. Not only did eating cherries see a great reduction in inflammation of all kinds, it also saw a decrease in inflammatory triggered weight gain, skin issues, ageing, and even DOMs or muscle soreness in athletes.
Some studies have seen that ingestion of cherries or cherry juice 5 days leading up to, the day of, and the day after a marathon race, or before high level athletic performance, decreases muscle damage, weakness, uric acid markers and overall inflammation to the same degree as if over the counter Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs had been taken, but without the side effects or lingering chemical effects on the body.
So, weather you want weight loss, anti-ageing, pain relief, better recovery after exercise or just straight-out anti-inflammation, cherries can be enjoyed merely for taste and also, very much for medicinal benefit.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01005.x
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/sms.12085
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/3/368
Image & recipe from https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/61220876173150816/?fbclid=IwAR3cMe4swA-negWgT6E8hlu6_vJRiY0NX21exn5dtoa9JiG91TF_NZDRMAc
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