Cherries are some of the most delicious and accessible fruits we can indulge in once summer sets in, and we want to eat something that’s both delicious and refreshing. However, few people know just how healthy cherries are since they are packed with antioxidants and vitamins that do wonders for your health and well-being – this is precisely why they’ve been called some of nature’s finest superfoods.
Even if it may not be their season, you can still find cherries regardless of the part of the world you find yourself in since many cherry varieties are available. In addition, there is a robust industry worldwide built around cherries.
What Are the General Health Benefits of Cherries?
Cherries are well-known for the myriad health benefits they bring to the table, no matter how you consume them. So whether you prefer eating them raw or incorporating them in desserts, baked goods, or your morning yogurt treat, you still get an essential boost to your well-being.
To better understand why they’re so widely popular and recommended as part of a healthy diet, let’s look at their nutritional value in greater detail. If you take one cup (154 grams) of sweet, raw, pitted cherries, you’ll benefit from 2 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber, 18% of the daily recommended intake (DRI) of vitamin C, 10% of the DRI of potassium, 5% of the DRI of copper, 5% of the DRI of manganese. Additionally to this, they also contain a good dose of vitamin K, vitamin E, and magnesium.
Due to their potassium and polyphenol content, cherries may improve your heart health. They have also been proven to improve the painful symptoms of gout and arthritis due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have consistently shown that gout patients with a daily intake of cherries had considerably fewer gout attacks than those who did not consume this fruit. The ability to relieve pain in these patients is an extraordinary quality that cherries possess, making them a good supplement that can be added to the recommended pharmaceutical treatment.
Cherries are also delicious for athletic recovery, especially in their juiced form. They are widely popular among athletes who need to relieve exercise-induced muscle pain while maintaining strength.
If you have trouble sleeping correctly, cherries can remedy this issue. They are among the few fruits containing melatonin, which helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle and induce sleepiness when needed. Both raw cherries and cherry juice are efficient in this respect.
However, cherries still need to be discovered regarding their positive impact on your physical appearance. Their composition makes cherries an effective aid in improving the health and look of your skin and hair. So are cherries good for the skin? How about for your hair? Let’s look a bit closer at seven benefits of cherries for skin and hair:
1. Antioxidants Fight Damaging Free Radicals
Cherries are packed with an impressive amount of antioxidants, which weaken the skin barrier, making the skin more vulnerable to external damage from harmful UV rays and pollution. These free radicals also accelerate the body’s natural cellular aging process. To this end, antioxidants can help slow down this process with results that can also be seen at the skin level. By having a regular intake of cherries, you can help your skin look young for longer by protecting it from pestering external factors.
2. Vitamin C Makes an Efficient Ally for Both Your Skin and Hair
Some benefits of cherries for hair also stem from their vitamin C content. This vitamin is one of the most known antioxidants out there, and it helps strengthen the hair follicles while also strengthening the hair and helping prevent it from breaking from the roots. Vitamin C also stimulates the growth of new hair follicles, which means that a healthy intake of cherries will have you growing lush, stronger hair.
Apart from this, vitamin C also does wonders for the skin since it efficiently staves off the natural aging process, reducing its dullness and leveling fine wrinkle lines. In addition, vitamin C also stimulates the body to produce more collagen, which helps the skin maintain its elasticity and firm appearance in time.
3. Vitamin A Nourishes and Stimulates Regeneration
Vitamin A has hugely positive effects on the hair, as it helps stimulate sebum production, the one substance that nourishes and protects the hair. Just like vitamin C, vitamin A also a href=”https://www.environskincare.com/vitamin-a/what-does-vitamin-a-do-for-your-skin/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>prevents unpleasant hair breakage from happening. <
When it comes to your skin, vitamin A is there to help it get the moisturization it needs, giving it the magazine-like radiant glow you’re looking for. Vitamin A is the active ingredient that promotes the two top layers of your skin, the dermis and epidermis. For example, suppose you are suffering from acne or breakouts on your skin. In that case, you may see a decrease in these symptoms if you start consuming cherries regularly, as the vitamin A they contain regulate the sebum secreted at the skin level.
4. Potassium Helps Improve the Health of Your Skin and Hair
If you’re suffering from hair loss, it’s important to note that this loss may be attributed to a potassium deficiency in the body. Potassium is a mineral that will keep your hair looking and feeling healthy and shiny.
As for the skin, this potassium electrolyte efficiently controls the water you retain in your body while keeping your blood at a healthy pH level. Therefore the potassium you find in your daily cherries intake will help you get more moisturized and hydrated skin, naturally substituting expensive creams and lotions.
5. Vitamin E Is Essential In Skin and Hair Care
Although not in impressive quantities, vitamin E is still found in sour and sweet cherries, which is genuinely miraculous for the skin. Vitamin E fights free radicals and protects the skin from harmful outside factors. It also supports healthy cell function and a robust immune system. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that will help even out any outbreaks and irregularities on your skin.
Aside from this, vitamin E also promotes blood circulation, which can help your hair maintain its excellent growth rate and luscious look. It also repairs damaged hair follicles and prevents tissue corrosion.
6. Melatonin Acts as an Aid In the Natural Aging Process
As mentioned before, melatonin is naturally found in only a few fruits available to us and is responsible for the pigmentation of our skin. It controls pigmentation changes by aggregating melanin into the melanocytes within the skin while fighting the damaging action of free radicals in the body.
Cherries are also known for their ability to lighten up the skin, slightly changing its pigmentation and reducing color spots. So if you want to notice an improvement in the health of your skin, consider introducing cherries into your regular diet – the results won’t take long to appear.
Melatonin also regulates a secondary sleep-wake cycle, ensuring a better night’s sleep and making your skin look fresher and less worn out.
7. Vitamin K Is the Key Ingredient in Blood Clotting
The nutritional value of cherries indicates they also contain a decent amount of vitamin K that’s very welcome to the overall health of your blood and clotting process. That’s right; this vitamin is the star for helping the body heal wounds, bruises, scars, and body areas affected by surgery.
Although more studies are needed to back up this information as a scientific truth, it’s thought that vitamin K can also help with improving the appearance of stretch marks. In addition, it’s also believed that a proper intake of this vitamin can help you lighten the dark circles that tend to form around the eyes.
Vitamin K also reduces inflammation, swelling, and redness and may even alleviate the symptoms of eczema. These are only the direct effects on the skin, but vitamin K also prevents calcium from being deposited in the arteries, which makes for a healthier heart. This, in turn, only results in healthy blood circulation, ultimately leading to healthier-looking skin.
Vitamins and minerals are lovely like this since they impact the skin and hair directly and ensure the proper functioning of other essential systems in the body. All the body’s functions, organs, and tissues are intimately connected, which means the antioxidant, vitamins, and minerals intake you’ll get from regularly consuming cherries will have a manifold positive effect on your overall well-being and, implicitly, on your skin and hair.
There are around 1,200 varieties of cherries worldwide, each with a unique taste and nutritional value. Having said this, it’s up to you to choose the variety that best suits your taste and is more accessible in your region. However, regardless of what type you choose, you can be sure you’ll enjoy the same health benefits mentioned above – after all, they are some of nature’s most appreciated superfoods.
The best part about cherries is that they’re versatile. You can eat these magnificent antioxidant fruits raw, dry them up and include them in your muesli, juice them, or incorporate them into amazing desserts.
