With summer right around the corner, we are able to eat more fresh produce now more than ever during the year. One of the most overlooked fruits are Cherries ! With a wide range of health benefits, cherries and to be more specific the tart cherries are considered superfoods. If it’s insomnia, joint pain or belly fat that’s holding you back, cherries might be that one fruit to add into your daily routine.
There are some amazing benefits to eating cherries. One of them is the ability to help combat belly fat. Those who ate cherries over time had significantly lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides than their cherry-deprived counterparts. Another great benefit for cherry lovers is the ability to help eliminate soreness post workout. It is suggested that eating a cup and a half of tart cherries or one cup of tart cherry juice can significantly reduce muscle inflammation and soreness. Remember that a good workout actually causes muscle damage because of the microtears you are creating in your muscles which result in inflammation. Cherries also help with insomnia. Whether it stems from unbalanced hormones, excess stress, a busy mind or unhealthy habits, a large portion of us are left tossing and turning each night in wide awake but drinking cherry juice could help just by drinking a 1/2 cup 30 minutes prior to bed time.
When buying cherries you want to loos for cherries that are dark and large for their variety with firm and glossy skin. The ones with the nice green stems are the ones that were most recently picked. To store you can keep fresh unwashed cherries at room temp for up to 2 days. If storing in bags to prevent bruising store and refrigerate three to five days.
Now with your new cherries here is a breakfast recipe to try out !
Cherry Pie for one
Ingredients
-1/2 cup old fashioned oats
-1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
-1 tsp. chia seeds
-1 tsp. honey
-1/2 tablespoon almond butter
-1/2 cup 2 % plain Greek yogurt
-1/4 cup fresh cherries pitted and halved
Directions
-In a 4-6 oz glass container, layer ingredients in this order: bottom is uncooked oats, almond milk, chia seeds, honey, almond butter, yogurt, and cherries. Refrigerate eight hours overnight !!
265 calories, fat 9 g, saturated fat 1 g, carbs 46g, dietary fiber 6 g, sugar 25 grams, sodium 77 mg, protein 10g.