While we won't be seeing cherry blossoms in Michigan anytime soon, February is National Cherry Month. We can still enjoy the antioxidant-rich fruit that is locally grown, as a tasty way to support heart health, muscle endurance and recovery, promote better sleep and more!
Here are a few ways adding cherries to your diet may help give your body a boost.

Cherries can roughly be divided into tart and sweet types. Most health research on cherries focuses on the tart variety (Montmorency), but that's not to say other sweeter varieties lack benefits (other than tasting delicious!).

NUTRITIVE - Cherries are a good source of fiber, vitamins A and C, and minerals copper and manganese. One cup of raw, tart red cherries provides 2.5 g of fiber (10% RDI), 40% of your RDI of Vitamin A, and 15 mg, or 25% RDI of Vitamin C. It even has a little protein (1.5 g or 3% RDI) and about 68 mg Omega-3 fatty acids!

ANTIOXIDANT POWER - In addition to the Vitamin C antioxidant, cherries are high in polyphenols like anthocyanins and cyanidin, as indicated by deeply colored fruit. There are also anti-inflammatory effects associated with these antioxidants which may help explain some additional benefits.

HEART HEALTH - Drinking 8 oz of tart cherry juice was associated with lowering triglycerides, lower systolic blood pressure and lower LDL cholesterol in one study of older adults. In another study of high normal and hypertensive older adults, cherry juice was among the fruits to help reduce blood pressure.

EXERCISE PERFORMANCE AND RECOVERY - Research into this aspect goes back many years, and a recent meta-analysis (looking at many past studies) found that tart cherry concentrate has significant benefit for endurance. Taken for seven days, 1.5 hrs before exercise, it “may enhance endurance exercise performance via its low glycemic index, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative capacity, and blood flow enhancing effects.”

Other studies looking at distance runners found those who supplemented with tart cherry juice had reduced muscle pain and were able to recover faster following their races.

REDUCE GOUT - Linked to it’s ability to reduce uric acid buildup, Montmorency tart cherry concentrate was proposed to be useful in managing gouty arthritis pain.

GUT HEALTH - While scientists are just starting to understand the complexities of the gut microbiome, some initial research looked at the effect of tart cherries on this system. It appears the fiber content and the antioxidants had a beneficial impact on the gut bacteria.

SLEEP - Cherries are one of the few foods that contain melatonin, the hormone that helps to regulate your sleep-wake cycle. It is not a substitute for having good sleep hygiene, but some studies with tart cherry juice have shown improvements in sleep quality and duration, or a slight positive effect on those with insomnia.