Cherries

It’s the little red fruit with a powerful health punch. Cherries are great to reduce inflammation associated with heart disease and arthritis, lower blood cholesterol levels, encourage restorative sleep, promote normal uric acid levels which can ease gout, build muscle strength, improve muscle recovery, encourage healthy joints and have lovely skin .

Cherries are higher in antioxidants – which are increasingly recognised as vital to long term health and wellbeing - than any other fruit.

Research has found that the anti-inflammatory properties of cherries significantly reduces muscle pain following rigorous exercise .

Cherries help you sleep better as they are one of the very few known good food sources of melatonin, the chemical our brain needs to help regulate sleep, aid with jet lag, prevent memory loss and delay the ageing process.

Cherry has been shown to help lower blood uric-acid levels and reduce gout pain. The powerful anthocyanins in cherries reduce inflammation to ease joint pain as well as the effects of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It works by helping to dissolve the crystals of urate which can form around the joints and kidneys.

Eating cherries can slow the ageing process which are packed with antioxidants that are vital to helping the body to fight free radicals which makes us look old. Cherry is also recommended as an alternative treatment for other skin conditions including acne, rosacea and vulgaris. The fruit is rich in vitamin A and its antibacterial properties remove toxins from the blood and fight bacteria trapped under the skin.

Scientists at the University of Michigan showed that including cherries in the Diet for 12 weeks can lower body fat by 9 per cent. This was particularly so in fat deposited around the waist area, which contributed most to heart disease risk. The study also revealed that a cherry-enriched Diet may help reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol – both major risk factors for heart disease.

Cherries are an extremely effective diuretic – cherries have a reasonable potassium content and virtually no sodium.

Cherries are loaded with vitamins A and C, which boost libido in men and women. Vitamin A increases male hormone and oestrogen levels, while vitamin C boosts sexual appetite and increases men’s semen volume.

Best Eaten: Fresh or squeezed into a drink. You can also mix it with other fruits to make a great tasting fruit salad.