What is National Cherry Day?
National Cherry day was created by the UK government to help boost the British Cherry Industry. It takes place on the 16th of July every year. In order to appreciate National Cherry Day, we’ve gone into some detail about cherries from its health benefits, to its history!
What are Cherries
Cherries are small, round stone fruit. They are usually red, but can come in yellow or different shades of purple. In the UK, they are usually in season in the summer. Typically, the richer the colour, the sweeter the cherries are.
In the UK, there’s two many types of cherries, wild cherries and sour cherries.
Health Benefits
Cherries have a wide range of vitamins and minerals that help your body perform better. It particular helps you recover after exercise quicker, as well boosts your quality of sleep.
High in Fibre
Cherries are high in fibre, which helps maintain a healthy digestive system and lowers the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
High in Antioxidants
Antioxidants are really important to help prevent your body from harming itself. They help fight off free radicals, which try and damage your cells.
The abundant amount of antioxidants also helps prevent inflammation in the body.
Promotes Sleep
Cherries are known for helping promote sleepiness. It has a high Melatonin content, which regulates your sleep-wake cycle. During night, your levels of melatonin rise, which gives you the feeling that you need to sleep. It also is high in serotonin which regulates your mood. Reduced amounts of serotonin is linked to things such as anxiety, lack of sleep and even depression. Healthy levels of Serotonin helps promote Melatonin production, which therefore promotes a healthy sleep-cycle. Finally, Cherries are also plentiful in Tryptophan, which helps boost Serotonin levels.
Promotes Muscle Recovery
Some studies suggest cherries help promote how quickly your body recovers after a workout. One study looked at the effect a tart-cherry powder supplement had on people who were about to run a half marathon. One group of people had the supplement for 10 days before the half-marathon, and the other group had a placebo. The group that took the supplement had a 13% faster time than those who took the placebo, and also said that they felt less achy afterwards.
Cherries and their History
In the 20th century, Britain lost 90% of its cherry orchards. It’s steadily been on the rise, increasing by 17% between 2003 and 2008. To help promote the cherry industry, the UK government introduced national cherry day. We still import about 95% of our cherries. Cherries are thought to have come from what was called Asia Minor (which is now modern day Turkey). They first came to the UK via the Roman expansion. When Henry VIII first tasted cherries, he demanded that they be grown in the UK which is when he ordered the construction of the Cherry Orchards of Kent.
References
National Cherry Day
National Cherry Day
National Cherry Day
National Cherry Day
Health Benefits of Cherries
Cherries and Antioxidants
Health Benefits of Cherries
