Cherry Juice Health Benefits

The cherry, a fleshy stone fruit, belongs to the Prunus family. This fruit is extremely rich in anthocyanins, a potent antioxidant believed to offer a number of health benefits. Cherries are available year-round both in the frozen and dried form and can easily be added to your diet. Cherries taste extremely good and can be included in a number of recipes or can be consumed in capsule form or as a juice.

Some of the common cherry juice health benefits include the following:

Drinking cherry juice can to some extent provide relief from conditions such as arthritis and chronic gout.Tart cherries are also extremely good to get relief from the inflammation and pain of muscle and back pain.The anthocyanins in fresh cherries are what work to provide relief from pain.
Very few people may be aware of the cherry juice benefits for sleep.

The serotonin and melatonin in black cherries has a positive effect on a person’s sleep patterns and is extremely good for persons suffering from insomnia.
Black cherry juice health benefits are many as well. Researchers believe that Iqueritrin and queritrin, two important compounds found in cherries, may provide protection against certain illnesses and diseases. These two compounds when combined with anthocyanin might just be one of the most effective antioxidants known. Antioxidants help provide relief from any damage caused by free radicals in our body.
Cherry juice is good for cancer prevention as well. Tart cherry juice is loaded with disease-fighting chemicals that could play an important role in preventing cell transformation. These chemicals include limonene, perillyl alcohol, and ellagic acid.
You can also drink cherry juice for bladder infection. Black cherry juice has a cleansing and diuretic effect on the bladder and helps flush out the toxins from the body.

Is cherry juice good for athletes?

Yes, research indicates that cherry juice helps prevent symptoms caused due to muscle damage that is exercise-induced. Drinking cherry juice for sore muscles is also recommended as cherries have anti-inflammatory properties.

Cherry Juice Nutrition Facts, Value

Here are some interesting cherry juice nutrition and other facts that you should know:

Cherry juice is rich in many minerals, vitamins and antioxidants and has been used to treat many health ailments.
Cherry juice does not contain any cholesterol or fat. The calories in cherry juice could vary depending on how concentrated the serving is and if any sugar is added.
Most of the calories are provided by carbohydrates and about one percent of the calories come from protein.
Many of the cherry juice nutrition benefits are due to vitamins A and C and the potassium found in cherries. Benefits include good vision, better wound healing, and an improved response by the immune system. Cherry juice is also good to lower blood pressure and decreases your risk of kidney stones.
Here are some black cherry juice nutrition facts based on a 2,000 calorie diet (1 serving). Calories – 70, Total fat – 0, Cholesterol – 0, Sodium – 0, Potassium – 260 mg, Total carbs – 18 g, Dietary fiber – 1g, Sugars – 14g, and Protein 1g. Tart cherry juice nutrition is the same as black cherry juice.
Cherry juice’s nutritional value cannot be undermined. The antioxidants found in cherries are found to be extremely beneficial in reducing incidences of cancer and are also associated with decreasing your risk of cardiovascular disease.

However, cherry juice does have a high content of simple carbohydrates, and it is important that you check the food label before you include this juice in your diet. Those advised a low potassium diet should check with their health care provider before consuming cherry juice. Cherry juice that is commercially produced is pasteurized and usually contains preservatives. Sugar may also be added to some products.

Calories in Cherry Juice

Cherry juice is not very high in calories. In an 8oz. serving of cherry juice, the calories could be around 130 to 140. The cherry juice calorie count in low-calorie cherry juice is around 80 to 90 calories per serving (8 oz.). Tart cherry juice calories are approximately 110 per serving size of 1.2 fl. oz. Maraschino cherry juice has 91 calories in a 1 oz. serving. The ingredients in this drink include cherry juice, water, and sweetener. In a serving size of 1 cup of cherries (224g) there are 100 calories. If you want to benefit from cherry juice, you need to consume about 2 tablespoons of the juice concentrate or 1 helping or serving of fresh or dried cherries. You may have to continue drinking cherry juice for a couple of weeks before you see any benefits.While buying cherry juice, make sure you buy concentrates that are cold stored, cold filled, and require refrigeration. Concentrates that are shelf stable may not necessarily have a similar antioxidant capacity. This is because their vibrant color is lost over a period of time at room temperature.

Cherry juice is low in calories and also has a number of health benefits such as the following:

It helps prevent diseases
Protects your artery walls from damage
Strengthens your blood vessel walls
Melatonin found in cherry juice helps destroy free radicals that cause cancer
It helps treat various kinds of pain
Provides relief from discomfort in the joint
Reduces headache
Provides relief from arthritis

Cherry Juice for Arthritis

Drinking cherry juice for arthritis can be extremely beneficial. It helps you control the pain associated with arthritis and other joint problems you might have. However, you need to understand that cherry juice is not a “cure”, but it helps give you relief and increases your mobility, especially if you have inflammatory conditions such as gout and arthritis, without the complications that are associated with anti-inflammatory over-the-counter drugs.

Drinking cherry juice for joint pain relief is also recommended. The cherry juice dosage for gout and arthritis is as follows. You can drink one cup of cherry juice twice daily. If it is in a concentrate form, you have to add two tablespoons of the juice to a glass of tepid water. Consume this two times a day. If you opt to take cherry juice capsules, you need to take them as directed by your doctor.

You could add cherry juice concentrate to yogurt or to your daily smoothie or you could add it to your other drinks as well. Once the symptoms of gout lessen, you can slowly start reducing the intake of cherry juice concentrate. You need to experiment and see what dosage you need to maintain for your arthritis and gout condition.

Tart cherry juice can also be used to treat any muscle pain and inflammation. Montmorency cherries have the highest amount of anti-inflammatory content as compared to any food including pomegranates and blueberries. In fact, the peel of the fruit has anti-inflammatory substance that equals to over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs.

To sum up, cherry juice is easily available and can be purchased online or at health food stores in capsules and juice concentrates. You can simply add this concentrate to your favorite smoothie or use fresh cherries in a variety of recipes to make sure you get the maximum benefit from the fruit. However, it best to use the fruit in moderation, and also, check with your doctor if you have existing health conditions.

Submitted on January 16, 2014