9 things you need to know before stocking up on cherries for the Spring Festival!

As the Spring Festival approaches, everyone starts preparing for the New Year. Among the choices for this year's New Year's goods, cherries seem to be very popular. Even though they are very expensive, many friends still can't help but eat them.

Recently, cherries have become a hot topic again, and netizens have expressed that it is so difficult to achieve cherry freedom! #What is the relationship between cherries and cherries# ? In this article, we will talk about cherries.

1. Are cherries actually cherries?

▲Photo: Photo Network

It's cherry!

The name of cherry comes from the transliteration of "cherries", which is European sweet cherry, also known as wild cherry. It is native to Europe and is grown in central and northern my country.

However, my country does not grow cherries very often. According to statistics, my country's sweet cherry planting area accounts for about 17% of the world's total area, and its production accounts for about 10% of the world's total production. Therefore, most of the cherries we eat are imported. [1]

Cherries are sweet and rosy in color. Their flavor comes mainly from benzaldehyde, which has an almond flavor, as well as floral terpenes and clove essence. When heated with the kernel, they have a distinct almond and floral flavor, such as in the French dessert "cherry custard". [2]

2. Can eating cherries supplement iron?

cannot.

Although cherries are red in color, their iron content is not high. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrition Database shows that the iron content of cherries is only 0.36 mg/100 g[3]. The iron content of lean pork that we usually eat is 3 mg/100 g[4]. In comparison, the iron content of lean pork is nearly 10 times that of cherries.

Moreover, the iron in cherries is plant iron, that is, non-heme iron, which is poorly absorbed by the human body.

Therefore, it is not reliable to supplement iron and blood by eating cherries. It is better to eat a few bites of lean pork.

3. Can cherries supplement vitamin C?

cannot.

The vitamin C content of cherries is only 7 mg/100 g[3], which is not very high among fruits. It is only 21% of that of oranges (vitamin C is 33 mg/100 g[4]).

If you want to supplement vitamin C, it is more cost-effective to eat kiwi, strawberry, orange, tangerine, and grapefruit.

4. Will eating too much cause the stool to turn black?

Yes.

Cherries contain anthocyanins, which are polyphenol compounds, mainly anthocyanins, which have antioxidant effects, can prevent cardiovascular diseases, remove free radicals, delay aging, and are also anti-inflammatory. The redder the cherry, the higher the anthocyanin content. If the content is high, it will appear red or even black. However, this ingredient cannot be absorbed and metabolized by the human body and can only be excreted directly.

The anthocyanin content in cherries is 15 to 50 times that of strawberries. [5]

So if you eat too many cherries at one time and ingest too much anthocyanin, your stool will be black or your urine will be red. However, it is not poisonous and has no harm to your health. As long as you stop eating cherries and wait for the anthocyanin to be metabolized, everything will return to normal.

5. Are there any nutrients worth eating?

▲Photo: Photo Network

Supplement potassium.

Apart from anthocyanins, cherries do not have any special nutritional value. If there is one nutrient that stands out, it is the mineral potassium.

Its potassium content is 222 mg/100 g,[3] which is not much different from the potassium content of bananas and is relatively friendly for people who need to control their blood pressure.

6. Cherry cores cannot be eaten, will it cause poisoning?

▲Photo: Photo Network

Won't.

The reason why there is a rumor that eating cherry pits can cause poisoning is because they contain cyanogenic glycosides.

Cyanogenic glycosides are found in the seeds, roots, stems, and other parts of most Prunus plants, such as plums, apricots, peaches, and almonds, not just cherries and blackberries. [1]

And cyanogenic glycosides themselves are not toxic. Only when they are bitten and hydrolyzed will they produce toxic cyanide. The cyanogenic glycosides of cherries are mainly found in the fruit core. The fruit core is so hard that it is difficult to bite it. Under normal circumstances, no one would deliberately eat the fruit core. Swallowing the whole fruit core will not cause poisoning, but it may "See You Tomorrow".

According to the recommendation of my country's "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", we should eat 200-350g of fruit every day. If you eat all cherries, it's only about 30 cherries, so you don't have to worry about it. (I don't believe you can eat 30 cherries without spitting out the pits? How lazy are you?)

7. Can people with diabetes eat cherries?

Can.

The glycemic index (GI) of cherries is only 22-29[6], which makes them a low-GI food. The GL is only 4, which means they are a low-glycemic load fruit. People with high blood sugar, diabetes or obesity can eat cherries without worry.

However, cherries that are too dark in color may have a relatively high GI, perhaps up to 63, which is a medium GI food. If the cherries you buy are very dark in color, just eat a few less.

8. What does the “J” in the promotion mean?

When buying cherries, you will often see sellers saying 2J, 3J, or 4J. What does this mean?

J (jumbo) is a common unit for grading cherries in the Southern Hemisphere, usually used in Chile, New Zealand, Australia and other places. The more "J" numbers there are, the bigger the cherry is. Generally speaking, a fruit diameter of 26-28mm is a single J, 28-30mm is a JJ, 30-32mm is a JJJ, and a 1-yuan coin is 25mm.

Compared with various sizes, 2J and 3J have a good price-performance ratio.

9. How to store cherries?

▲Photo: Photo Network

In order to stock up for the New Year, many people will buy a lot of cherries at one time. The price is already quite expensive, and it would be a pity if they are not stored properly and spoil.

Low temperatures can inhibit the respiration of cherries. Studies have shown that the storage temperature of cherries should be kept at around -1 to 1°C. Temperatures below -1°C can easily cause chilling or freezing damage to cherries. Currently, most studies believe that the optimal storage temperature for cherries is 0 to -1°C. [7]

Therefore, it is better to store the cherries you buy directly in the refrigerator.

Summarize:

Cherries are delicious, but they are a bit expensive and don’t have any particular nutritional advantages. If you like the taste, eat them; after all, they can make people happy. But don’t eat too many. Pay attention to how you store them and clean up rotten fruits in time.

References:

[1] Ren Xiaodan. Study on chemical composition and biological activity of sweet cherry pits[D]. Tianjin University of Science and Technology, 2015.

[2] Harold Mackey, author, translated by Cai Chengzhi. Food and Cooking: Vegetables, Fruits, Spices, and Grains. Beijing Fine Arts Photography Publishing House. August 2013.

[3]. Cherry data: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1102660/nutrients

[4]. Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[5]. Yang Yuexin, Ge Keyou. Chinese Nutrition Science Encyclopedia 2nd Edition (Volume 2)[M]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2019.459

[6]https://glycemicindex.com/gi-search/?food_name=cherries&product_category=&country=&gi=&gi_filter=&serving_size_(g)=&serving_size_(g)_filter=&carbs_per_serve_(g)=&carbs_per_serve_(g)_filter=&gl=&gl_filter=

[7] Li Yongfu, Ha Yiming, Li Weiming, Li Zhen, Wang Feng, Li An, Han Mingzhu, Wang Zhijian. Study on the effect of different treatments on the ice temperature storage of sweet cherry[J]. Journal of Nuclear Agricultural Sciences, 2013, 27(11): 1675-1680.