Cherry
Everyone is familiar with the cherry!
They come on your ice cream, you save it as the last part of your milkshake, and there are plenty more places to find them that involve dessert.
In fact, cherries are fantastic things to add to your juices and smoothies if you’re looking for healthy arthritis benefits.
The History
Cherries are members of the Cerasus genus and are identified by the small clusters of flowers that produce smooth, round, light red to almost black fruits. In nature, it is found mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Americas, there are two species, there are three in Europe, and many different varieties can be found in Asian countries.
Ever since prehistoric times, cherries have been consumed in a variety of foods. In fact, it became popular after being brought to Rome in 72 BC. Henry VIII introduced cherries to England and it soon became an export that Europe sent out into the rest of the world.
The Benefits
Compared to other fruits, cherries are very low in calories but packed with nutrients. The Montmorency cherry has the highest antioxidant level of any fruit with 17 different antioxidant compounds present.
Just take a look at all of these benefits:
- Cherries act as an anti-inflammatory
- Help prevent ageing, cancers, and neurological diseases
- Contain lots of zinc, iron, potassium, and manganese.
- Prevention of arthritis and other chronic pain disorders.
- Aid sleep due to high levels of melatonin
- Cherries can help boost libido
The Juice
Why juice?
When you juice cherries, you break down everything into small components that your body can easily digest. You see, cherries are very nutrient-dense, but to get the true benefits of the enzymes that are in them, you would have to eat lots of them each day. Juicing makes it easy to add cherries to your diet but without the hassle of trying to figure out how to prepare them.
Choosing Your Cherries
When you are looking for the best cherries, keep a few things in mind. Ripe cherries have a deep red colour and have a green stem when they are fresh enough.
The darker the stem, the older the cherry. You also want to make sure that you select cherries that are in sealed containers since they can absorb odours and dry out quickly.
Tips For Juicing
- Always wash your cherries thoroughly
- Make sure to put a plastic bag in your pulp basked to make it easier to clean
- Look at the pulp when you get done. If it is damp, there are still nutrients left that you can extract.
- Store it properly after juicing, or else drink it immediately.
- Finally, please remember to remove the stone, they will damage your juicer if you try to juice the cherries whole without removing the stone. If you intend on juicing lots of cherries you’re going to need a special tool to remove the stones, you can see one of these low-cost tools here
What Should You Mix Cherries With?
The cherry flavour can get lost in some juice blends because they tend to be juiced in smaller quantities but there are still delicious drinks to be made. Because cherries are tart try mixing them with sweeter lighter tasting fruits
Try mixing your cherries with:
Mango
Apples
Blueberries
Oranges
Coconut water
Cherries are a great addition to your diet but you can’t use dessert as an excuse to eat them. Make sure that you pick the right ones, select only the best ingredients for a juice blend, and enjoy the benefits.
Nutritional Data
Vitamins
- Vitamin A
Minerals
- Minerals