Cherry

How many health benefits can it bring to your health?

Cherry provides a real summer taste. It has multiple benefits such as improved sleep, reduced belly fat, taking care of your heart, and more.

The bird cherry, is the oldest of the species, a woody plant of the Pink family’s genus Plum. People discovered it more than 10 thousand years ago in Anatolia and the territory of modern Scandinavian countries.

These fruits are the drupe type, with a fleshy juicy pericarp; they are oval, round, or heart-shaped—color – from pale yellow to dark. Cultivated fruits reach 2 cm in diameter and are having a sweet taste. Berry varieties such as Regina, Summit, Vasilisa, Karina, Stakkato, and Yaroslavna are among the most famous.

Calories

100 g of sweet cherries contain 52 kcal. Simultaneously, the berry satisfies hunger well and pleases with a sweet taste – this is a natural dessert for those struggling with excess weight.

Useful properties

These fruits are containing: 82% water, 16% carbohydrates, 1% protein and have virtually no fat (0.2%). Due to their lower acidity, cherries can be eaten by those who suffer from heartburn. The benefits of cherries are associated with the content of vitamins A (25 μg), B1 (0.01 mg), B2 (0.01 mg), C (15 mg), E (0.3 mg), micro and macroelements (calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, iodine), as well as organic acids, sugars (fructose, glucose), pectin substances and a large number of anthocyanins – substances from the flavonoid group. Together, they have an effect that makes cherries a component of medicinal products.

Cherries for the winter

Like any berries, cherries can be frozen, but this is usually not done since seeds need to be removed with an effort—more common preservation options: jam without pits or with pits, cherries in their own juice. The configure of this berry is especially tasty. In summer, people eat cherries in raw condition. However, the summer pie with these berries will also be a great option.

Get the Recipe: Cherry Clafoutis

Clafoutis is a traditional cake made in a similar way as a pancake. There can be any fruits in clafoutis, but cherries are classics, and the berries are placed right with the seeds, which gives the cake a light almond flavor. However, the recipe below is designed for pitted cherries; however, if you want, you can not take it out – it’s up to you, and it’s better to choose dark berries with a rich taste. If you want to repeat the summer taste in winter, there is nothing easier – take the frozen fruits.

Preparation – 15 minutes, baking – 40 minutes. Yield: 6 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of pitted fresh cherries
• 2 tablespoons of almond flakes
• 3 eggs
• ¾ glasses of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• ½ cup of flour
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1 glass of milk
• 2 teaspoons amaretto or almond extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• icing sugar for dusting
• butter for greasing the mold

How to bake: Clafoutis

Grease a baking dish, sprinkle with flour, sprinkle with almonds, and put cherries in the bottom. Turn the oven on to preheat to 180 ° C. Whisk eggs and sugar until smooth. Add salt and stir in flour, then pour in milk, add almond extract or amaretto, vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Pour the resulting dough over the cherries. Place in an oven preheated to 180 ° C and baked for 35-45 minutes, until blush.

Try the clafoutis for readiness with a toothpick: it should come out of the dough dry. In this case, the middle of the pie should not be tough; it may shake like jelly. Cover with foil to prevent the top of the cake from burning during baking. Let the pie cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve.

Also, you can make the refreshing and mood-setting cocktails from cherry, check out some ideas in this video:

5 REASONS TO START EATING CHERRY RIGHT NOW

1. Sweet cherry – a source of energy
   Do you work a lot or spend your summer vacation actively and feel tired as a result? Cherries will help to replenish the lost energy. Thanks to its abundant natural sugars, you will quickly invigorate, and your mood will improve.
2. Sweet cherries for healthy sleep
   Sweet cherries contain melatonin. This multifunctional hormone is also responsible for the regulation of sleep and our biorhythms. Therefore, if you are tormented by insomnia, do not rush to take medications. They all have a lot of contraindications and side effects. It’s better to make it a rule to eat at least one handful of cherries every day. You will see the quality of your sleep will improve!
3. Cherries for visual acuity
   Consuming cherries regularly has been proven to help maintain vision and sharpen it. It’s all about beta-carotene. This is a well-known vision, “enhancer,” which is 20 times more in cherries than in blueberries and strawberries!
4. Cherries against cancer
   Sweet cherry is a warehouse of antioxidants. There are already 114 antioxidants in it! There are such powerful anticarcinogens as quercetin and anthocyanins. People consider cherries to be an excellent remedy for the prevention of cancer. According to a study conducted in the United States among rural residents, those who ate more than 3 kg of berries per year were much less likely to suffer from cancer and heart disease than those who ate less than 1 kg or did not eat berries at all.
5. Sweet cherries for beautiful skin
   Thanks to all the antioxidants, cherries noticeably improve the skin’s condition, helping the body quickly eliminate toxins. And vitamin A or retinol, rich in berry, is responsible for maintaining and repairing skin tissue.

5 MORE REASONS TO PRO’S CHERRY LIST

1. It improves digestion
   Due to its high fiber content, cherries normalize the digestive system and help lower cholesterol levels. Just one handful of berries is about a quarter of your daily fiber requirement.
2. Sweet cherries can help relieve muscle cramps and pain.
   Everyone knows that bananas are high in potassium, but not everybody loves them. Meanwhile, it is potassium that helps to reduce muscle cramps or even reduce them to nothing. Sweet cherries are an excellent solution for those who do not like bananas and do not know where to get potassium. And it is enough in berries to get the daily rate. It is also useful for those who suffer from attacks of chronic diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis, and gout. Salicylic acid, which is rich in cherries, has an analgesic effect. And also anthocyanins – their action is similar to that of aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen.
3. Sweet berry improves brain function.
   Did you ever notice that your memory begins to fail? Cherries, especially dark ones, will help you. It contains anthocyanins, which are excellent brain stimulants, regardless of the person’s age. Besides, cherries, like all dark berries, contain polyphenols that slow down the brain’s aging and the processes accompanying it, including memory impairment and loss.
4. Cherries – guards of blood health
   Carotenoids and flavonoids, which are abundant in the berry, improve blood clotting, prevent blood clots, and strengthen blood vessels’ walls. And because of their high iron content, cherries are on the list of foods recommended for anemia and anemia.
5. Sweet cherry – a delicacy for diabetics
   People with diabetes should not eat most fruits and berries. But usual and sweet cherries are not among them. They possess 75% of the carbohydrates that contain fructose, which does not cause problems for the pancreas. According to research, they contain substances that affect a diabetic person’s body, similar to when administering insulin or taking anti-sugar drugs.