5 Reasons To Incorporate Coffee Cherries Into Your Diet
If you’re focusing on health in the new year, coffee cherries can be a highly beneficial addition to your diet. This bright red fruit, sometimes called “cascara,” surrounds the raw, green coffee bean. It offers a subtly sweet taste similar to a raspberry or cherry. Once the fruit is picked from the coffee tree, it begins a special process to separate the coffee beans from the delicious coffee cherry. This fruit is then used to produce everything from coffee fruit juice to flavorful tea, all of which offer incredible nutritious properties. To learn how coffee cherries can help you start 2019 on a healthy note, keep reading.
Coffee Cherries are Rich in Antioxidants
Packed with vitamins and minerals, coffee cherries are one of the most powerful superfoods available today. In fact, coffee cherries offer eight times more antioxidants than blueberries and even surpass antioxidant-rich foods like acai and pomegranates. But what are antioxidants, anyway? To put it simply, antioxidants are natural substances, like Vitamin C and E, selenium and carotenoids, that prevent cell damage. When you consume foods that contain antioxidants, you work to combat harmful free radicals or unstable molecules. These can cause diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. In addition to supporting your inner wellness, the antioxidants in coffee cherries also assist in preventing visible signs of aging. The cherries help with wrinkles and fine lines, so you can look as healthy as you feel!
Coffee Cherries Improve Cognitive Health
If you’re in need of a brain boost, try snacking on some coffee cherries! Multiple scientific studies have linked consuming coffee cherries with the production of BDNF. This is a protein that supports brain cell regeneration and cognitive function. One study, in particular, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, found that consuming coffee cherry concentrate could result in a 143 percent increase in BDNF. Another study uncovered that coffee fruit concentrate is more effective at producing BDNF than a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
Why does this matter? When your brain is producing BDNF, it’s producing the cells it needs to function properly. This protein helps to improve memory and reduces the risk of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. BDNF is also a crucial player in protecting the brain and improving cognitive wellness. So, whenever you are enjoying coffee cherries, you are also actively investing in your brain’s long-term health.
Coffee Cherries Support Your Immune System
When looking at a coffee cherry, one of the first things you notice is its beautiful red coloring. This bold color points to a major health benefit! When fruit is red, purple, or blue, it typically means it is rich in anthocyanins. This is a naturally-occurring pigment that benefits the human body in several ways. Anthocyanin pigments are used throughout the world to cure everything of vision problems to common infections. They are especially recognized for their ability to regulate the immune system. Anthocyanins boost the production of cytokines, which alert your immune system when there is a virus or infection. Acting as your body’s “chemical messenger,” cytokines kickstart your immune system. Helping you quickly fight off illnesses and get back to a happy, healthy lifestyle.
Coffee Cherries Provide a Healthy Energy Boost
On those days when you’re feeling fatigued, coffee cherries can provide a healthy boost of energy without the dreaded late-afternoon crash. Since coffee cherries are derived from the coffee plant, they contain trace amounts of caffeine – about 1/4 the amount in an average cup of coffee. When you consume coffee cherry products, such as coffee cherry juice or cascara tea, you’ll experience a slight buzz that will help you stay focused throughout the day. Plus, since coffee fruit products provide a stable, lasting source of energy, you won’t experience the jitters or sluggishness that you might get with a candy bar or energy drink.
Coffee Cherries are a Delicious, Low-Calorie Snack
One of the coffee cherry’s most useful attributes is its versatility. Arriving in a variety of forms – dried, raw, juice, tea – there are many options for enjoying this delicious, low-calorie snack. One of the most popular ways to enjoy coffee cherries is refreshing coffee cherry juice. At Greenwell Farms, we partner with KonaRed to produce high-quality coffee fruit juice, coffee fruit syrup and other tasty products. One example of a tasty and healthy coffee cherry product is KonaRed Hawaiian Coffee Fruit Juice, which contains just 100 calories per bottle. Rich in iron, calcium and Vitamin C, KonaRed Hawaiian Coffee Fruit Juice is a healthy way to hydrate and stay energized, all while getting your daily dose of antioxidants.
To learn more about the benefits of coffee and how Greenwell Farms produces 100% Kona coffee products, click here.
