Very nice but cherries are available about 6 weeks every year…how do you feel about DRIED cherries? Those are much easier to get at other times of the year, such as now.
You’ve probably heard the tip that if you’re interested in losing weight, it’s a good idea to eat slowly and chew your food at least 15-20 times before swallowing. Doing so allows your brain and body to actually sense that it’s full, instead of cramming a bunch of food down your throat only to find out 30 mins later that you’re WAY stuffed.
And for that reason (and a few others) , I’m picking cherries as my #1 fruit for weight loss.
With cherries, you can’t just pop 30 in your mouth in two mins like you could, and probably often do, with grapes or blueberries. Instead, the pits force you to eat them slowly, allowing your satiation sensors to chime in a prevent you from over-indulging.
So that’s reason #1 – built in portion control.
Reason #2, and it’s a BIG one, is that cherries have the LOWEST glycemic index of all fruits, and one of the lowest glycemic indexes of any carbohydrate source—period.
Scoring at a ridiciulously low 22, you can even snack on cherries in the evening without much detriment as their effect on insulin is minimal at best. Again, it’s not late-night eating that’s the problem, it’s eating the wrong foods (those that cause a substantial rise in fat-loss halting insulin) in evening hours that is.
So next time you’re in the mood for a sweet, satiating snack, reach for a small bowl of cherries and enjoy the goodness. My new favorite variety is Rainier cherries….Mmmmmmm mmmm good :)
Want to learn some other smart food choices for weight loss (and even some “healthy” foods that you should NEVER eat)? My good friend Isabel gives you the details in her video here:
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27 comments - add yours
love it joel, and right at the perfect time, cherries are in season now in australia, i might buy some tonight, never knew this extra benefit, awesome stuff!
Well it’s a good thing then that i have two young cherry trees in my veggie garden!!!
Thanks for the post Joel. Glad to know cherries are the lowest glycemic for fruit…and it’s even better they are delicious!
Ohhh, how I wish I could munch into some cherries. I live in Singapore and when you can get cherries, which is not that often, they are soooooo expensive you want to savour every bite. Is there another fruit that you would suggest for those of us who cannot get cherries!!
Hey Joel
Are there any other low glycemic fruits to snack on? I feel ravenous around 4 PM? and it is sabotaging my meal plan. I am on Isabel’s diet. DS
Cheers!
I’m reading this just after demolishing a bunch of grapes at my desk. I leave the grapes on the stalks; this slows me down in comparison to dealing with a portion of loose grapes, which disappear almost instantly.
Unfortunately the quality of the Cherries local to me is pretty poor, but if I’m near a fruit market I always make a point of picking up a punnet or two.
I love cherries, but I pit them before I eat them so they don’t slow me down. That’s not a problem though because I tend to eat slowly anyway
excellent!!! often late at night I feel like eating something sweet but I dont because of the GI of sweet foods such as mangos or cantaloupes…..but I love cherries, so a small bowl of cherries should end that problem for me right???
Love to hear info to help stay fit that isn’t a sacrifice at all–love cherries and so does the family!
Have a great week everyone!
Hey Joel,
You are so right…cherries are awesome! Especially Michigan cherries. I don’t know what it is, but fresh cherries from Michigan seem much better to me than from other regions.
In our house, we like to buy them fresh, pit them and them add them to plain yougurt, etc. We also freeze them and toss them into our protein shakes. Here’s a favorite recipe in our house:
1 cup plain (no sugar added) coconut milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Prograde of course)
1/2 cup frozen cheeries
A couple of ice cubes if you really like it thick
That’s it. Blend it till smooth and it’s awesome! Very refreshing in the summer, but great to enjoy year-round.
Take care brother,
~ Pete
Try Flathead Lake cherries. They’re so, so much better. :)
Has anyone tried Cherryactive? Looks impressive… their website makes some positive claims on sports recovery and it’s got a UK research study.
http://www.cherryactive.co.uk/
I also know that Patrick Holford of the UK Institute of Optimum Nutrition is recommending this product as well.
Personally, I can’t villainize any fruit. Glycemic index or not, I still think they’re all good for you and I don’t think that anyone got fat or even out of shape by eating too much fruit. If anything, we’re eating too little. Besides, no matter what impact it might have on your insulin, outside of moodswings and general clarity, insulin has nothing to do with fat loss. I could cite the research if anyone wants to.
Bill – do cite research – I thought it was well established that insulin is a “laying down fat” enzyme….Very low carbs and very low GI is certainly my solution to years of yo-yo-ing!@ Bill Pairaktaridis:
Great post have read on many sites that cherries are great for snacking, and they are tasty too.
Cutting down on carbs (carb cycling) has really worked for me, but I do miss all of the fruit I usd to eat. I now try to eat fruits with high fiber in combination with protein on my carb days. Cherries are one of my favorites, also Granny Smith apples. I know pineapple is not great, but I can’t seem to eat cottage cheese without it!
Did you ever answer the question about dried cherries? Trader Joe’s has some with no added sugar.
@ Bill Pairaktaridis:
I’d be interested to see what kind of research arcticle you can provide to back up that insulin has nothing to do with fat loss. Insulin has everything to do with fat loss, it’s the most powerful hormone in the whole body and controls everything that relates to food among numerous other things.
I pretty much agree on the rest though but your words about the insulin got me ticking.
@ Bill Pairaktaridis:
Please cite said research.
Living in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in British Columbia where most of Canada’s tree fruit comes from, cherries abound in plenty in the summer and are the best in the west!
If I had to pick my two favorite fruits for snacking it would be cherries and blueberries! Low GI and high antioxidants! Who could go wrong? : )
mmmm great post…. i love cherries too. but eating cherries does not make me eat slower….i swallow the pits! a bowl of cherries would be eaten pretty fast….
I think your comment might be due to this part of the article and I quote,
“Scoring at a ridiciulously low 22, you can even snack on cherries in the evening without much detriment as their effect on insulin is minimal at best. Again, it’s not late-night eating that’s the problem, it’s eating the wrong foods (those that cause a substantial rise in fat-loss halting insulin) in evening hours that is”.
If you read it again, you will see that he talks about eating the wrong foods which will cause a rise in FAT-LOSS HALTING INSULIN. He is actually telling you that certain foods will spike insulin and prevent weight loss.
f@ Fred:
If you are taking blood thinner, please be careful eating cherries. Last summer, I purchased a bag and really enjoyed them…by nightfall, I was in ambulance and headed to hospital for transfusion. Cherries are delicious but an even better blood thinner. If you take Warfarin or Coumaudin, stay away from this lucious fruit! It magnifies your meds and leads to real trouble.
you can also buy frozen cherries, and suck on them, making it even harder to eat quickly. I do this with banana. Cut it up into little cubes and whenver I get the munchies for something sweet I just suck on one of the cubs, it is like banana icecream… yum yum
I also heard that cherries are a good source of post-exercise nutrition, and I can’t quite remember, but they have some antioxidant properties that help repair muscle tissue
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...