Karley Lange, Director of Domestic Promotions for Northwest Cherries, shares five ways that cherries can support your health and wellness goals in the new year.
Northwest Cherries represents 2,500 growers across five states: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Montana. They have extensively researched the health benefits of sweet cherries, working with WSU and Texas A&M. Read more in this published white paper.
Healthy and Delicious Sweet Cherries Can Help Beat the Winter Blues by Keeping You Feeling Great Inside and Out
Summertime’s bounty of fresh, dark sweet cherries promoted a healthy glow, and now that winter is here, it’s time to break into reserves to keep that glow from fading. Frozen, canned, and dried cherries are available year-round, enabling consumers to tap into the fruit’s many nutritive benefits for a glow that lasts through the holidays and beyond.
Wintertime means traditions, festivities, and snowy adventures, but this time of year can take its toll. The holiday circuit may mean less sleep, more stress, and a richer diet. Plus, fewer daylight hours can zap energy levels, and cold weather can do a number on skin. Fortunately, preserved dark sweet cherries are a flavorful aid in maintaining good health.
Rest Easier
Sweet cherries are a natural source of serotonin, melatonin, and tryptophan. Studies suggest that these compounds can improve the quantity and quality of sleep, which gives the body time to repair and restore itself. Consuming a serving of cherries, about half a cup dried, an hour before bedtime can help stabilize and regulate sleep.
Lower Stress
Along with helping sleep patterns, serotonin may help lower stress and improve mood. On a cellular level, cherry phenolics also work as antioxidants to offer some protection against oxidative stress. A cup of frozen cherries blended into a breakfast smoothie can help start the day right.
Support Gut Health
A recent study suggests that the phenolics and anthocyanins in dark sweet cherries may have a beneficial effect on the gut microbiome. The compounds appear to keep in check certain bacteria linked to inflammation, preventing one type from proliferating and reducing the presence of another.
Replenish Energy
With a lower glycemic index than most other fruits, dark sweet cherries help blood sugar stay level, and their fiber content helps the body feel full longer. Combined with heart-healthy nuts, dried sweet cherries make a perfect grab-and-go snack with staying power.
Nourish Skin
Dark sweet cherries are rich in antioxidants, which can give winter skin a boost. Antioxidants help stabilize free radicals and avoid oxidative stress, which can age skin. Sweet cherries also contain vitamin C, which has a role in collagen production and in maintaining a healthy complexion.
Shining a Light on the Health Benefits of Cherries
Meet Dr. Giuliana Noratto
“Gut health is critically linked to many health conditions, even if the localization is not gut-related. I incorporate Northwest-grown sweet cherries into my everyday diet when I can, as studies suggest they reduce intestinal inflammation and promote the growth and sustenance of a healthy gut ecosystem, which inevitably leads to overall health!”
- Dr. Giuliana Noratto
Dr. Giuliana Noratto is a research scientist at Texas A&M University, where her studies include how bioactive compounds in botanicals can help prevent or mitigate obesity-related chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Her work seeks to integrate microbiome, metabolomics, and proteomics analyses to explore how dietary interventions influence biological mechanisms — and to what extent certain biomarkers of disease are affected.
With funding support from Northwest Cherry Growers, Dr. Noratto has shed light on the benefits of cherry bioactive compounds in various scientific peer-reviewed publications. Much of her work focuses on how polyphenols and anthocyanins from dark sweet cherries can modulate intestinal bacteria to shift the physiology of the gut microbiome, which may help delay or prevent the onset of disease. In a recent study, Dr. Noratto was part of a research team that uncovered that dark sweet cherries appeared to prevent the rise of a certain type of bacteria that promotes inflammation while reducing the prevalence of another bacteria linked to intestinal inflammation.
Dr. Noratto continues to explore the nutritive power of dark sweet cherries, and more information about health benefits and the latest research can be found at www.nwcherries.com/health.
