{"id":4620,"date":"2025-09-25T08:26:49","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T06:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/cherries-the-red-fruits-that-are-good-for-the-heart\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T13:54:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T11:54:18","slug":"cherries-the-red-fruits-that-are-good-for-the-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/cherries-the-red-fruits-that-are-good-for-the-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Cherries: red fruits that are good for the heart"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sweet, juicy, and packed with benefits: <strong>cherries<\/strong> are a symbolic fruit of <strong>late spring<\/strong> and<strong>early summer<\/strong>, perfect to enjoy au naturel or to include in many recipes, both sweet and savory.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>A concentrate of antioxidants and minerals<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In addition to their irresistible taste, cherries are a <strong>valuable source of anthocyanins<\/strong>, the natural pigments that give the fruit its intense red color and <strong>protect the cardiovascular system.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nutritionally, they provide:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Lots of water<\/strong> (great for hydration in the early heat)<\/li>\n<li>Useful <strong>fiber<\/strong> for intestinal regularity<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vitamin C<\/strong>, an ally of the immune system and iron absorption<\/li>\n<li><strong>Potassium, phosphorus and magnesium<\/strong>, important for muscles, bones and nervous system<\/li>\n<li><strong>Phenolic compounds<\/strong> with antioxidant power<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>CHERRIES IN THE KITCHEN: NOT JUST DESSERTS<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Cherries are perfect to enjoy <strong>fresh<\/strong>, but also: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In <strong>preserves<\/strong>, <strong>syrups<\/strong>, <strong>jams<\/strong> and <strong><strong>jams<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<li>For homemade desserts: fluffy cakes, cheesecakes, strudels, tarts, clafoutis<\/li>\n<li>In <strong>savory<\/strong> preparations: surprising in <strong>salads<\/strong>, <strong>couscous<\/strong> and <strong><strong>cold grain salads.<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Dietitian&#8217;s advice:<\/em><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong>Try a &#8216; <strong>spelt salad<\/strong> with <strong>arugula, cherries and walnuts-a<\/strong> fresh dish, rich in <strong>iron<\/strong>, <strong>good fatty acids<\/strong> and with the perfect balance of sweetness and savoriness. A real summer treat! <\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>HOW TO CHOOSE AND STORE THEM<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Cherries are <strong>in season between May and July<\/strong>, and to enjoy them at their best they must be chosen at the right time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to recognize a ripe cherry:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Flesh turgid<\/strong>, firm but not too hard<\/li>\n<li><strong><strong>Bright color<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><strong>Green and fresh petiole.<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Store them in the refrigerator and consume them within a few days to preserve flavor and properties.<\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><strong>DID YOU KNOW THAT&#8230;? COSMETIC USES AND CURIOSITIES <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Cherry pits<\/strong> are not thrown away!<br \/>\nThey are used:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>in the <strong><strong>natural cosmetics<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<li>to create <strong>thermal pillows<\/strong>, which can be heated and applied to the neck or back for a <strong><strong>relaxing and decontracting<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A traditional remedy that combines sustainability and wellness!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>CHERRIES OR SOUR CHERRIES? HERE ARE THE DIFFERENCES <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Often confused with each other, cherries and sour cherries are actually <strong>different fruits<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Cherries<\/strong> are derived from <em>Prunus avium<\/em>, are larger <strong><strong>large and sweet<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Black cherries<\/strong> come from <em>Prunus cerasus<\/em>, and they are more <strong><strong>small and sour.<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Black cherries, due to their stronger taste, are often used:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>in the <strong><strong>variegated ice creams<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<li>into intensely flavored <strong>jams<\/strong> <\/li>\n<li>in <strong>sweet and sour<\/strong> pairings for savory dishes, where the contrast with more savory foods creates a perfect balance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>CONCLUSIONS<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Cherries are not only a treat for the palate: they are also <strong>allies of the heart<\/strong>, skin and hydrosaline balance. Let&#8217;s take advantage of them during their short season to bring taste, color and health to the table. <\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>by dietitian Alessandra Zanini<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sources:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Treccani, the portal of knowledge &#8211; Treccani<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/smartfood.ieo.it\/alimenti\/ciliegie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/smartfood.ieo.it\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Cherries and health: a review &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/?term=McCune+LM&amp;cauthor_id=21229414\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Letitia M McCune<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/21229414\/#full-view-affiliation-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/?term=Kubota+C&amp;cauthor_id=21229414\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chieri Kubota<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/?term=Stendell-Hollis+NR&amp;cauthor_id=21229414\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nicole R Stendell-Hollis<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/?term=Thomson+CA&amp;cauthor_id=21229414\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cynthia A Thomson<\/a> &#8211; PMID: 21229414<\/li>\n<li>Antioxidants in cherries: from farm to table by Gianna Ferretti, Tiziana Bacchetti, Alberto Belleggia and Davide Neri &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/molecules15106993\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/molecules15106993<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Food composition database for epidemiological studies in Italy &#8211; BDA.IEO.IT<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sweet, juicy, and packed with benefits: cherries are a symbolic fruit of late spring andearly summer, perfect to enjoy au naturel or to include in many recipes, both sweet and savory. A concentrate of antioxidants and minerals In addition to their irresistible taste, cherries are a valuable source of anthocyanins, the natural pigments that give [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-and-wellness"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4620"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5323,"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4620\/revisions\/5323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agrintesa.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}