Cherries in the Fitness World Berries have been crowned a 'super-fruit' and rightly so.
The health market has jumped on this and produced extracts and juices for us but you can enjoy these super-fruits in their natural, unprocessed form for less money! Berries are brilliant to just to snack on, use in meals, smoothies, and sweet treats.
The best part of all is that they are so versatile and bursting with goodness and flavour.
Cherries are quickly becoming one of my favourites and I now always keep a bag in the freezer so I can snack on them when ever I want.
Why Endurance Athletes Should Eat Cherries? What Are The Benefits? Cherries are the next big super-food.
Frozen cherries are flying off the shelves and cherry extracts and supplements are widely available.
Here's why...
With a deep ruby red colour cherries are crammed with anti-oxidant compounds to protect us from damaging free-radicals, often far more than other fruits.
Like dark chocolate, they also pack a flavonoid punch, which helps our body to function correctly.
Specifically, anthocyanins and quercetin, which is anti-inflammatory! Cherries can also provide vitamin C, beta carotene (19 times more than blueberries/strawberries) potassium, magnesium, iron, fibre and folate.
These attributes make this all-in-one red health bomb a brilliant natural sports recovery product, with its anti-oxidants working in conjunction with plenty of vitamin C to strengthen collagen and keep colds and other viruses at bay.
A recent clinical study from the University of Michigan has reinforced the heart health benefits of cherries.
The study found that a diet incorporating cherries lowered body weight, reduced body fat (and "belly" fat!), inflammation and cholesterol.
The result was that the antioxidant activity in adults was increased after eating one and a half servings of cherries, thereby reducing the risks associated with heart disease.
From a scientific viewpoint, the answer is Yes, you should start eating cherries when you are training hard! How Should You Use Cherries In Your Training? I love to buy frozen tart cherries.
They are affordable, natural and versatile.
Throw them into a pre or post training smoothie or have them as a healthy evening snack.
There is ready-to-drink cherry products on the market but I never believe that these processed forms can offer quite the benefits that the natural fruit itself can.
They are convenient but if you have a blender you can do it yourself for less money.