The next time you’re looking for a healthy and delicious beverage, consider reaching for cherry juice.

Like all types of fruit, cherries are low in calories and contain a variety of important nutrients including fiber, vitamins and minerals. There are several varieties of cherries, with Bing the most common type of sweet cherries grown in the United States. Approximately 75% of sweet cherries are enjoyed fresh, with 25% being canned, frozen, dried or made into juice. Almost 97% of tart cherries are used primarily in cooking and baking and, more recently, in tart cherry juice.

Research into the specific health benefits of cherries and cherry juice shows that they help promote health by reducing or preventing inflammation.

In one of the early studies with cherries,  researchers discovered that eating fresh cherries every day led to reduced swelling and increased range of motion in patients with gout. Other studies have shown that drinking 10-12 ounces of tart cherry juice twice each day helps reduce muscle soreness and pain associated with exercise. Several research studies have shown that drinking tart cherry juice lowers blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.

Another study looked at participants who had trouble staying asleep through the night. For this research project, they consumed two 8-ounce servings of cherry juice (one serving in the morning between 8 and 10 a.m. and one serving in the evening 1–2 hours before bedtime) and within three days the participants reported improved sleep patterns.

Adding Cherries to Your Eating Plan:

• Look for unsweetened cherry juice with no added sugars or additives.

• Cherry juice from concentrate with no added sugar is just as healthy as fresh cherry juice.

• Enjoy fresh cherries when they are in season as a snack or tossed into fruit or vegetable salads.