Not-so-coincidentally, February is National Cherry Month and American Heart Month.  Studies show that cherries are a great sourch of antioxidants by way of flavonoids called anthocyanins.  These anthocyanins are thought to reduce the risk of coronary disease.  Also, cherries are one of the only fruits that contain melatonin (you know, that homeopathic pill that your friend told you to take for your sleep disorder). 

Melatonin helps reset circadian rhythms, our natural sleep pattern.  Better sleep equals less stress; less stress equals less heart stress.  And if all this isn’t explanation enough why the cherry is “America’s Super Fruit”, they have been proven to lower body fat, total weight, inflammation and cholesterol.  All of these are bad for the heart!!

The one thing that is a bit confusing is that cherries aren’t really in season during February here in the U.S.  A great solution is to add a handful of dried cherries to a bowl of cereal or a salad.  Dried cherries still measure higher in anthocyanins and melatonin than most other fresh fruits.

Make your life a bowl full of cherries!  Your heart will thank you for it!

Tags: Cherries, Heart Health

This entry was posted on Friday, February 20th, 2009 at 4:45 pm and is filed under Food Trivia, Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.