News and Notes from The Johnson Center
Tart Cherry Juice: Giving You a Healthy Reason to Pucker Up
JCCHD | Wed, May 08, 2013 | [Family and Food]
Bright red cherries are used to make tart cherry juice. There’s a sweeter juice made with darker cherries, but it doesn’t offer the same health benefits—tart cherries have a higher concentration of phytonutrients and less sugar.
Health Benefits
There are several reasons to choose to pucker up with a tart cherry juice rather than a sweet one. Most health benefits can be attributed to the phytonutrients, which are a part of the flavonoid group. These phytonutrients are considered the most important found in all food [1], and they include anthocyanin, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, quercetin, and procyanidins [2]. The health benefits of these flavonoids include:
• A good night’s sleep. In a recent study, participants suffering from insomnia reported an improvement in sleeping patterns when drinking tart cherry juice daily [2].
• Lowered LDL Cholesterol. Quercetin is also known as the most powerful antioxidant. It decreases the probability of LDL cholesterol adhering to and hardening the artery walls, and also decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease [3].
• Sharpened vision. Studies have shown a direct correlation in anthocyanin consumption and visual acuity. As you get older, the pigment of your eye that helps you perceive light starts to deteriorate. Anthocyanin prevents degradation of the pigment and prolongs eye function [1].
• Decreased risk of cancer. Anthocyanin is an antioxidant. All antioxidants inhibit the free radicals associated with cancer, and anthocyanin also interferes with the enzyme responsible for tumor growth and formation [1].
• Pain relief. Marathon runners participated in a study that tested the effects of tart cherry juice on muscle inflammation and pain. The participants drank 10.5 fluid ounces of juice twice a day for one week. The runners reported a significant reduction in muscle pain during training and on race day [4].
Enjoy Eating Cherries Everyday
If you don’t like tart cherry juice, adding a splash of red to your diet is easy. Tart cherries are great in fruit, pasta, and chicken salads. You can even add them to couscous, grits, and rice pilaf. Adding some zing to your breakfast is easy with dried cherries. Tart cherries are great in cereal, oatmeal, and pancakes. If you want to stick with familiar foods, you can substitute cherries for blueberries in almost any recipe.
Try these tart cherry recipes modified from http://www.choosecherries.com.
Cherry Lemonade
Ingredients:
• 6 oz. lemon juice, fresh squeezed
• 4 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)
• 24 oz. water
• 4 oz. tart cherry juice concentrate
Directions:
Combine the lemon juice and honey. Stir to dissolve. Add the water and cherry juice concentrate and stir. Serve over ice.
Makes 1 quart
Tart Cherries with Carrots
Ingredients:
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced*
• ½ cup dried tart cherries
• 3 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)
• 2 tablespoons butter substitute
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
* 1-lb. package of whole baby carrots can be substituted for the sliced carrots.
Directions:
Cook carrots in water in a covered saucepan 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain well. Add dried cherries, honey, butter substitute, nutmeg and ginger to cooked carrots in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally until mixture is hot and bubbly. Wait 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 (½ cup) portions.
Article Resources
1 http://www.pbrc.edu/training-and-education/pdf/pns/pns_anthocyanins.pdf
2 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3133468/
3 http://www.livestrong.com/article/24160-health-benefits-tart-cherry-juice/
4 http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/about/news_events/news/2010/2010-07-07-tart-cherry-juice-r.cfm
