Sweet Cherries are an attractive fruit appreciated for their taste, their sweetness and their diversity in an assortment of various recipes. However, they are also highly nutritious and incredibly good for you.

Sweet cherries are firm, glossy, deep red, and larger than the sour cherry or “chokecherry” varieties. They’re closely related to the wild cherries native to the Caucasus Mountain regions between the Black and Caspian seas. Like peaches and apricots, these little red fruits are drupes, containing a single seed.

They are low in calories and are full of antioxidants whose benefits include the ability to prevent many diseases including cancer and heart disease. Many people also believe that the antioxidants found in cherries may even slow the signs of ageing!

The health benefits of sweet cherries are multiple. Research shows a connection between eating sweet cherries and the prevention of Alzheimer’s. Between the fiber, vitamin C, carotenoids, and anthocyanins, several types of cancers have been shown to be inhibited, and the cyanidin found in cherries significantly increases the free radical scavenging activity in the body. In fact, this is one of the most important ways cancer is shut down. Research shows that cherries may aid this benefit by blocking cancer cells from accessing the proteins they need to proliferate.

However, consume sweet cherries in moderation because they contain fructose, which may be harmful to your health in excessive amounts.