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Are Cherries Good for Weight Loss? 5 Benefits of This Berry
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Cherries have often been touted as a weight-loss-friendly fruit, and for a good reason, since not only do they have health benefits, but they’re also low in calories yet high in fiber and water content, both of which help promote satiety and prevent overeating.
Are you looking to break your weight loss plateau with a new superfood? Or maybe you’re just interested in adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet due to their health benefits.
Either way, you may be wondering whether cherries are good for weight loss.
Both sweet and tart cherries have been shown to have many health benefits, including reducing inflammation, improving heart health, and aiding digestion. But can they help you lose weight?
Eating fruits and vegetables is generally a healthy way to lose weight, but some are better than others when it comes to weight loss benefits. This article will take a look at the evidence to see if cherries can help you slim down.
Are Cherries Good for Weight Loss?
Cherries are a type of stone fruit that’s related to plums, peaches, and nectarines. Cherries are low in calories and high in fiber, making them a great fruit for weight loss.
While there’s no doubt that cherries are good for you due to their other health benefits, there’s less evidence to support their use for weight loss specifically. However, eating cherries as part of a healthy diet may help you in your weight loss journey in the long run.
Ideally, whole fruits are more filling and may be a better choice for weight loss than concentrated juice, such as cherry juice or dried cherries, which can be high in sugar as well as calories.
However, fresh cherries can be expensive and difficult to find year-round. If you’re interested in adding cherries to your diet but don’t want to break the bank, frozen cherries are a good option.
Cherries Nutritional Value
Cherries are low in calories, making them an ideal food for weight loss. One hundred grams (100 g) of cherries contains:
| Calories/Nutrient (per 100g) | Amount |
| Calories (kcal) | 63 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 16 |
| Protein (g) | 1 |
| Fat (g) | 0 |
| Fiber (g) | 2 |
| Sugars (g) | 12.8 |
| Vitamin C (mg) – 10% of the daily value (DV) | 7 |
They are also a good source of potassium and contain small amounts of calcium, iron, and magnesium. Cherries also have a high content of water and fiber, which are important for weight loss.
The water content helps to keep you hydrated, while the fiber helps to fill you up and promote regularity. Fiber is especially important in a weight loss diet because it helps to control hunger and cravings.
Cherries are also a good source of antioxidants. Antioxidants are important for your health because they protect your cells from damage. This damage is caused by free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can cause cell damage and lead to chronic diseases like cancer.
The antioxidants in cherries may also help reduce inflammation, boost brain health, and promote healthy aging. Additionally, these chemicals can lower the risk of heart diseases.
Do Cherries Make You Gain Weight?
The simple answer is no. Cherries are not high in calories and do not contain any fat. In fact, they are a good source of fiber which can help promote satiety.
Cherries are also rich in antioxidants and have been shown to help reduce inflammation. This can be beneficial for those who are trying to undergo a healthy weight loss as inflammation can lead to weight gain.
Moreover, because cherries are made up of mostly water, they won’t contribute to an increase in your weight. However, it’s a different thing altogether when you drink too much commercial cherry juice since the calorie and sugar content could lead to weight gain.
What Happens if You Eat Cherries Every Day?
Generally, eating cherries give more health benefits rather than side effects. However, eating too many cherries, you may experience some digestive issues, like gas, bloating, and even diarrhea or constipation.
This is because berries, including cherries, are a natural source of salicylates. Some people are sensitive to these compounds and may need to limit their intake.
Additionally, eating plenty of cherries in a short period can increase your risk of eating the fruit’s pits. While swallowing it whole and in small doses won’t cause any major problems, crushed pits are the ones you should pay extra attention to.
When you chew or crush cherry pits before swallowing, this part of the fruit releases amygdalin, which is converted to cyanide in the human body. Cyanide is a toxic compound that can cause serious health problems in large doses, including death.
5 Benefits of Cherries for Weight Loss
Cherries are not only delicious fruit, but they offer a host of health benefits due to the many nutrients they contain, such as vitamin C. Here are the five health benefits of cherries:
#1 Helps to control blood cholesterol levels
Blood cholesterol is a type of fat found in your blood. High cholesterol levels can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and other health problems.
One of the health benefits of cherries is that they can help control blood cholesterol levels by decreasing inflammation in the body. This is because they contain a substance called anthocyanin.
Anthocyanin are a group of antioxidants that can scavenge harmful cholesterol molecules and prevent them from being absorbed into the bloodstream, resulting in controlled levels.
#2 Regulates sleep/wake cycles
Another one of the health benefits of cherries is that they can improve your sleep/wake cycle. Cherries contain a high level of melatonin, which is a hormone that regulates these cycles.
Getting enough sleep each night plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy weight. The science behind it revolves around neurotransmitters.
Lack of sleep can influence your body’s regulation of neurotransmitters, like ghrelin and leptin, which are primarily involved in managing appetite. An imbalance in the levels of these neurotransmitters can result to an increase in appetite, potentially leading to weight gain.
Eating cherries can help you get a good night’s sleep and wake up feeling refreshed in the morning. When your body has ample rest each night, you’ll be less likely to reach for unhealthy snacks throughout the day out of boredom or fatigue.
#3 Reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke
Cherries are a good source of antioxidants, which help to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. They work by scavenging harmful toxins and molecules called “free radicals” that can damage cells.
Heart disease and stroke are markers of an unhealthy lifestyle. Eating cherries should be a part of a healthy lifestyle to help reduce the risk of these conditions. Keeping your body free from chronic diseases can lead to weight loss, which is an added bonus.
#4 Maintains pH balance
Cherries are a good source of potassium, which helps to maintain pH balance in the body. Potassium is an electrolyte that helps to regulate fluid levels in the body and is commonly paired with sodium in athletes’ drinks.
It helps keep the body functioning properly, such as keeping blood pressure at a healthy level, preventing kidney stones, and helping with muscle function.
#5 Gives a boost of energy
Cherries are a natural source of energy. They contain fructose, a type of sugar easily converted into glucose by the body. Glucose is then used by the cells for energy.
You can put this energy to good use by working out. Regardless of the type of exercise you do, your body will use up more energy than usual. Use cherries to power up your workouts and you may see an improvement in your weight loss results. You can even use them as a natural pre-workout snack.
FAQs
Tart cherries and sweet cherries may help you lose stubborn belly fat since they are low in calories and high in fiber. As you lose weight and gain muscles, you also lose fat cells all over your body, including stubborn belly fat and facial fat.
21 cherries are equivalent to one serving and can be consumed in a day to reap health benefits. This means that if you’re seeking weight loss, you can eat cherries as part of a calorie-controlled diet.
Yes, 100g of cherries contains 12.8g of sugar. Cherries contain a type of sugar called fructose. Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar found in many fruits and vegetables. Moreover, since they’re small, it’s easy to overeat cherries. So, if you’re watching your blood sugar, limiting your portion size is important.
Yes, cherries are relatively low in calories. 100g of cherries contains about 63 calories, and most of those calories come from carbohydrates which the body uses for energy. Although they are low in calories, cherries are still a source of other nutrients like vitamin C, just like oranges.
A Word From a Nutritionist
Losing weight is a journey that requires making many healthy choices. One way to create a calorie deficit and promote weight loss is to eat foods that are lower in calories but still filling. This is where cherries come in.
In consuming cherries, you get a fruit that is lower in calories but still has fiber and water to help fill you up.
This means that you can have cherries as a snack or part of a meal without worrying about them sabotaging your weight-loss goals, while also reaping their health benefits.
When choosing cherries as part of your weight loss journey, be sure to select them as a whole fruit instead of drinking cherry juice. This will limit the amount of sugar you consume.
However, remember that fruit consumption should be limited when an individual has diabetes due to fruits’ high sugar content.
If you’re getting bored of your current weight-loss routine, adding some new foods like cherries into your protein shake in the morning or any dessert can help satisfy your sweet tooth while mixing things up and keep you on track.
As always, speak with a healthcare professional before making any drastic changes to your diet, and always consider the health benefits and health precautions before deciding.
Conclusion
To answer the question asked multiple times in this article, the simple answer is yes.
Cherries are a healthy fruit that can be part of a weight loss diet. They have a lot of health benefits and contain antioxidants that may help reduce inflammation. They can help you feel fuller for longer and give you a lot of energy.
You can eat them fresh, dried, or juiced, but always consume them fresh if possible.
They’re low in calories and high in fiber, which may help you lose weight by making you feel fuller longer. Eat cherries as part of a balanced diet and exercise routine to maximize their weight loss potential and health benefits.
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