Are tart or sweet cherries better for your health? A dietitian breaks down their benefits

 

Cherries — a summertime staple — are packed with antioxidants and other bioactive substances associated with numerous health benefits. 

There are two main types of cherries: tart (or sour) and sweet. In the summer, you can enjoy fresh, sweet cherries, which are mainly grown in Washington, California and Oregon. Tart cherries are also harvested in the summer, mainly from Michigan, though eating them fresh is less common. Despite their seasonality, you can enjoy cherries and all of their benefits year-round in other forms, like dried, frozen and 100% cherry juice.  

Cherries nutrition

Both sweet and tart cherries have meaningful levels of key nutrients. A one-cup serving of raw, sweet cherries without pits provides:

• 97 calories
• Less than 1 gram of fat
• 2 grams of protein
• 25 grams of carbohydrates
• 3 grams of fiber
• 11 milligrams of vitamin C (12% of the daily value)
• 342 milligrams of potassium (7% of the daily value)

It’s hard to find fresh tart cherries, and they’re not often eaten this way, but a one-cup serving of raw, tart cherries without pits provides: 

• 78 calories
• Less than 1 gram of fat
• 19 grams of carbohydrates
• 3 grams of fiber
• 99.2 micrograms of vitamin A (11% of the daily value)
• 16 milligrams of vitamin C (18% of the daily value)
• 268 milligrams of potassium (6% of the daily)

In addition to these nutrients, cherries are also rich in antioxidants and contain smaller amounts of many other vitamins and minerals.

Are cherries healthy?

Yes, cherries are healthy. They are loaded with antioxidants that help combat oxidative stress — a phenomenon that accelerates aging and promotes many chronic diseases, from heart disease to neurodegenerative diseases.  

The fiber in cherries aids digestion and promotes a healthier gut microbiome, which contributes to better health. That’s because the gut microbiome is involved in regulating inflammation, immune functioning, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, nutrient absorption, and mood.  

Cherries benefits

Due to their vitamin, mineral and antioxidant content, cherries are associated with some impressive benefits. 

Skin health

The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of cherries may protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals, which contribute to wrinkles and premature aging. Free radicals are unstable compounds that can be introduced by environmental exposures like pollution and smog. To become stable, they steal electrons from other cells, which then damages those cells. Over time, this leads to a process called oxidative stress, which can contribute to skin damage, such as wrinkling, dullness, dryness and age spots.

Antioxidants in the form of antioxidant-rich foods, such as cherries, can contribute an electron to free radicals, stabilizing them and preventing them from grabbing electrons and harming other cells. This helps delay skin aging.  

Vitamin C, which is plentiful in cherries, is part of your skin’s antioxidant defense system, but it also has another skin health benefit. When you age, you produce less collagen, which is your skin’s support structure. Lack of collagen contributes to sagging, wrinkling skin. Many people take collagen supplements to delay wrinkles, but vitamin C is necessary for collagen production and, therefore, firmer, more youthful-looking skin. 

Gut health

Cherries contain 12% of your daily fiber requirement, which helps support healthy digestion and regularity, and a healthy gut microbiome. Polyphenols in cherries have prebiotic activity, feeding the beneficial bacteria in your gut. 

So, what does this mean for gut health? Evidence suggests that polyphenols promote specific microbial strains that improve GI function, alleviating both constipation and diarrhea, improving lactose intolerance, relieving symptoms of irritable bowel disease and lowering the risk of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Exercise recovery

Studies indicate that consuming cherries may help alleviate pain and soreness after exercise, aiding in your recovery from a tough workout. This effect seems related to cherries’ anti-inflammatory properties, which may work similarly to anti-inflammatory medications. Most of the evidence comes from studies where volunteers drank tart cherry juice, so you might consider the same after a strenuous workout.

Improved sleep

Cherries may also improve sleep because they’re a natural source of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Consuming either tart or sweet cherry juice has been shown to increase melatonin levels in the body, which can help if you have sleep difficulties. Try drinking one of the juices about an hour before bed, or TikTok's viral "sleepy girl mocktail," which may help improve the duration and quality of your sleep.

How many cherries can you eat a day?

Cherries are healthy and delicious, but it’s never a good idea to overdo any one food. It would be reasonable to include about a cup of cherries a day and then enjoy another type of fruit. This will help you meet the general fruit recommendation of two cups a day for most people and consume a greater variety of beneficial nutrients.

Eating too many cherries in a day can produce stomach cramps and bloating if you’re not used to a fiber-rich diet. Make sure you ease into more fiber-rich foods and drink plenty of water while doing so, as this helps mitigate the effects of fiber on your digestive system.

Cherries are considered a high FODMAP food, so monitoring portion size is crucial for anyone with digestive issues, especially irritable bowel syndrome. 

If you’re managing your carbohydrate intake, be sure to consider the amount of carbohydrates in a cup of cherries and factor that into the total carbohydrate count of your meal.

Are cherries good for weight loss?

Cherries have some unique properties that may make them good for weight loss. For instance, one study suggested that polyphenol-rich dark, sweet cherries lower risk factors associated with obesity.  Cherries are also low in calories, so eating them can help displace other calorie-dense foods in your diet and help you lower your overall calorie intake. The fiber in cherries helps you feel satisfied after eating, so you may be more likely to avoid mindless snacking, making it easier to manage your calorie consumption.   

Cherries also promote weight loss by enhancing sleep, a crucial sneaky factor in managing weight. Research shows that regularly getting less than seven hours of sleep per night raises the risk of higher body weight and obesity. 

When you aren’t getting enough sleep, your appetite-regulating hormones get disrupted, so you’re hungrier and need more food to feel full than you would if you had slept well. You’ll also get hungrier again sooner than you would if you had gotten adequate sleep. Sleep deprivation is also linked to more frequent food cravings. These conditions make it very challenging to lose weight. Therefore, cherries support your weight loss efforts because of their role in improving sleep.

I also like the idea of using cherries to satisfy sweet cravings. This can help replace other higher-calorie, sugary desserts that make it harder to manage cravings and weight.

Nevertheless, it’s important to consume cherries as part of a balanced, nutrient-rich diet and not rely solely on them for weight loss.

How to eat cherries

There are so many ways to enjoy cherries and reap their many potential benefits. Fresh cherries are always a delicious choice, but here are some other ideas to inspire you.

• Incorporate fresh or frozen cherries into a smoothie, or add cherry juice as your liquid base.
• Use sliced cherries over toast spread with nut butter.
• Add fresh or unsweetened dried cherries to salads and whole grain pilafs.
• Blend frozen cherries with cocoa powder and chia seeds to make a sorbet-like dessert.
• Add a splash of cherry juice to seltzer water when you want something a little more exciting than plain H20.
• Heat frozen cherries and top with low-sugar granola for a healthy cobbler hack.