Supercherries

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So, back while I was working on the relaunch I was sending out surveys for people’s opinions on color schemes I screwed up and added an extra field.  This field populated with the default content on SurveyMonkey – fruits!  So I said whichever fruit won the fan vote, and that winner is…

SUPERCHERRIES

Fun cherry fact:  I like cherries, but I cannot stand anything artificially flavored to taste like cherries because to me it always tastes like cough medicine.  Same thing with mint flavored stuff and toothpaste.

MOVING ON.

Cherries are an awesome little fruit, packed with a whole lotta goodness, so let’s take a look at the basic stats, first:

As with all fruits, there’s a good amount of vitamins and such in there, particularly A and C.  Good stuff.  Unlike many fruits, they’ve also got a little protein in there, and not too much sugar!  Vitamins and protein not enough for you?  Let’s see what else cherries offer to “sweeten” the deal (ohgodthatpunIamsosorry)

Reduce Soreness and Muscle Pain from Exercise!

In a study among long distance runners, drinking cherry juice every day helped to significantly reduce soreness after a race, vs. the placebo “cherry flavored drink” (that probably tasted like cough syrup).  We do a lot of fitness type stuff around here, so that is AWESOME.  Get in some cherries or cherry juice on a regular basis and you can cut down on soreness (along with the usual remedies like getting enough sleep, stretching, and anti-inflammatories).

Fight Cancer!

(because &!*% cancer).  Cherries, like cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, and other nifty foods are full of antioxidants like flavonoids and their ilk.  These are special naturally occuring chemical compounds that help to fight free radicals in your body.  Free radicals can damage cellular structures, leading to an increased risk of cancer and other nasties, so YAY CHERRIES.

Help you sleep!

Cherries have been shown to have small amounts of melatonin in them, which can help to regulate your body’s natural circadian rhythms.  That’s good news for insomniacs like me!  If you, too, have a problem making yourself go to sleep at night, or wake up in the morning, then try a serving of cherries or cherry juice in the morning, and another at night.  Sleeping is awesome, and most people should be doing more of it.

Fight gout!

Have gout?  No?  Well skip this one.  BUT, if you do have gout, you will be happy to know cherries have been shown to help reduce pain for people suffering from it.  There’s also some evidence the same compounds reduce pain related to arthritis, as well!

How to Get Your Cherry On

So, you know cherries are awesome, now how do you get your daily cherry in.  EAT CHERRY PIE ALL DAY ERRY DAY!  Actually, no, don’t do that.  While it would be delicious, you would also probably get very fat very quickly.  We generally try to avoid that, if possible.   My personal favorite is just to buy a whole bunch of them fresh, and snack on them whenever I feel like it.  They take a little extra time to eat if they still have the pits in, which means you probably won’t overindulge on them too much, and they are freaking delicious.

Barring that, cherry juice was used in the majority of the studies referenced here, so you can try that, too!  Just make sure you get 100% cherry juice or cherry juice from concentrate, and make sure there isn’t added sugar.  Be sure to note, though, that having just the juice is going to limit the amount of fiber you get (that’s usually in the skin).  Also, make sure you watch your serving sizes.  It’s way too easy to drink way too much juice, and we don’t like liquid calories around here!  >:O

So, that about covers us for our cherry binge.  See you on Wednesday!  And keep an eye on the Be a Game Character social media channels and forums between now and then.  Might be some interesting stuff to see…

Until next time, remember to live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome.

Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace