cherries

Cherries are generally lower in vitamins and minerals. The flavor and low calorie content of the various sweet varieties make cherries an ideal snack or dessert.

Benefits:

• Low-calorie, almost fat-free snack or dessert.
• High in pectin, a soluble fiber that lowers cholesterol.

Drawbacks:

• Can provoke allergic reactions in susceptible people.
• They spoil quickly and are available for only a ew weeks in the summer.

Sour cherries, which are more nutritious than the sweet types are used mostly for making jams and other preserves or are baked into pies and other pastries.

Cherries are a source of beta carotene, vitamin C and potassium. Cherries are a good source of pectin, a soluble fiber that helps control blood cholesterol levels.