Cherries

Pleasing to tastebuds as well as the eye, cherries are native to Eastern Europe and Asia Minor, also known as Anatolia. Cherries score a 95 out of 100 in Dr. T.C. Fry’s “A General Guide to Food Selection.”

Cherries are in season in June. An average-size cherry weighs 8 grams. A cup of cherries without pits weighs 154 grams.

Cherries belong to the family Rosaceae. These fruits are “drupes,” or stone fruits, a family that includes peaches, plums and apricots. The two primary cultivars of cherries for commercial production are wild, or sweet, cherries and sour, or tart, cherries.

Cherries are a rich source of fiber and Vitamin C. They contain 82 percent water by weight.

Turkey produces the most cherries, with 439,000 metric tons in 2011. The United States produced 303,000 metric tons and Iran, 241,000 metric tons, in 2011. Italy and Spain round out the list of the leading five producers, with 113,000 and 102,000 metric tons, respectively, grown in 2011.

Stats for 100 Grams of Cherries (Sweet, Raw)

• 63 calories

Notable Nutrients

Percentages based on the Reference Daily Intake for a 2,000-calorie diet

• Fiber: 8.4%
• Vitamin C: 11.7%
• Potassium: 6.3%

Carbs/Protein/Fat

• Carbohydrates: 91.7%
• Protein: 5.7%
• Fat: 2.7%

Food Type

• Subacid fruit

Sources

• Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s by Dr. David Klein
• http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2261
• http://www.cronometer.com
• http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cherry-fruit.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherries