Some of mother nature's greatest natural treasures can often be overlooked even when they are right under our noses. The Native American Indians and the Romans were clued up to the health benefits of cherries. Now the humble cherry's myriad health benefits are being widely recognised. Here are just a few and if you want more information, it's all here on the Cherrygood website.
Cherries contain at least 17 different antioxidants. Cherrygood contains Montmorency Cherries which are especially high in antioxidants. Higher in fact than any other fruit. Antioxidants are intimately involved in keeping our bodies healthy.
Antioxidants are molecules which slow or prevent oxidation. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals, which in turn start chain reactions that can damage cells.
Oxidation
reactions are actually a crucial process for life but they can also be damaging. In effect it's about balance. Low levels
of antioxidants means our system falls out of balance and results in oxidative stress which can damage or kill cells, which
is why oxidative stress is believed to be responsible for many human diseases.
Antioxidants help by terminating these chain reactions, removing free radical intermediates.
Cherries contain powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins that also give them their distinctive red colour. Of the 150 different flavonoids found in plants, anthocyanins appear to have the greatest antioxidant capacity. Tart cherries, like the Montmorency variety, are one of the richest sources of anthocyanins, containing more than sweet cherries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries.
Antioxidant strength is measured in Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity or ORAC units for short. ORAC measures how many oxygen radicals a specific food can absorb and deactivate. The more oxygen radicals a food absorbs, the higher its ORAC score. The higher the ORAC score, the better a food is at helping our bodies fight diseases like cancer and heart disease.
Nutritionists suggest that people consume 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units a day to have a positive impact on their health.
| Cherrygood Original | 9,718 ORAC units per litre |
| Cherrygood Cherry & Berry | 10,586 ORAC units per litre |
Just one 350ml glass of Cherrygood can provide your required daily ORAC units
Montmorency Cherries are high in essential nutrients such as beta carotene (vitamin A), which helps promote better
eyesight and healthy skin. Montmorency cherries contain 19 times the beta carotene of blueberries and strawberries.
Montmorency cherries are especially high in Melatonin, a particularly powerful antioxidant that also plays a
vital role in controlling our sleep patterns. Melatonin helps to regulate our circadian rythyms - The melatonin
signal forms part of the system that regulates the sleep-wake cycle by chemically causing drowsiness.
New research shows that tart cherry juice can aid muscle recovery, by reducing muscle inflammation, especially
important for people doing vigourous exercise like going to the gym, distance running, training or playing sport.
If you're one of the many people who suffer from the pain and discomfort of gout you may very well be interested to know how cherries may help to relieve pain caused by gout.
Cherries have been shown to lower levels of uric acid in the blood, which is one of the most common causes of gout pain. A serving of cherries or cherry juice daily can significantly lower blood uric acid levels.
It's the anthocyanins, the pigments that give cherries their bright red colour, which are key to helping the
body relieve inflammation.