My Kitchen Projects: Cherrylicious Shake

My Kitchen Projects: Cherrylicious Shake

Here's one super healthy, all-natural, and kid-approved drink that you can easily make at home if you can get your hands on some fresh cherries!

Unfortunately for us in the Philippines, we don't grow the fruit so we import them. And my golly, they can be so expensive. Price can be as high as P1000/kilo!

Anyway, there are two primary varieties of cherries you should know about: sweet and tart (also known as sour cherries). Sweet cherries, such as Bing cherries, are best eaten fresh (and raw), while sour cherries develop a fuller flavor when they're used in cooking (which is why they're often used for baking).

Tart cherries are also used to make juice concentrates that may offer some unique health benefits. Some of the most notable health effects of cherries include: 1. Antioxidant Protection Cherries contain powerful antioxidants like anthocyanins and cyanidin. 2. Cancer-Preventive Compounds Sweet cherries contain fiber, vitamin C, carotenoids, and anthocyanins, each of which may help play a role in cancer prevention. 3. Reduce Inflammation and Your Risk of Gout Consuming tart cherry juice daily for four weeks may lower your levels of uric acid. 4. Support Healthy Sleep (Melatonin)
Cherries contain natural melatonin, which is a powerful antioxidant and free radical scavenger that helps "cool down" excess inflammation and associated oxidative stress. It also plays a vital role in sleep and bodily regeneration. 5. Arthritis Pain Relief Cherries contain many anti-inflammatory compounds, and research suggests they may help to relieve pain from inflammatory osteoarthritis. 6. Reduce Belly Fat 7. Reduce Post-Exercise Muscle Pain Athletes who consumed tart cherry juice prior to long-distance running experienced less pain than those who did not. It's thought that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of tart cherries may have a protective effect to reduce muscle damage and pain during strenuous exercise. 8. Lower Risk of Stroke Consuming tart cherries may activate PPAR (peroxisome proliferator activating receptors) in your body's tissues, which help regulate genes involved in fat and glucose metabolism. This activation may help to lower your risk of heart disease, and research suggests eating cherries may provide similar heart benefits to prescription drugs called PPAR agonists. (Source: Mercola)

So for the recipe...

Ingredients:

1 cup pitted fresh cherries, preferably organic

¼ cup honey, preferrably raw and organic

1 cup of water

½ cup of Ice cubes or chips

To make:

Combine all ingredients in a blender, process until smooth. Serve.

This is one expensive shake but it's so worth it because my toddler likes it so much!