It’s still hot out for most of the country. We’re hoping it will cool off a bit, but we are still enjoying summer fruit and are holding on to the last dregs of cherry season! We can’t get enough cherries, and we wanted to talk about how beneficial they are.

They are sweet, tart and fun to eat. There is nothing nicer than sitting outside with friends, enjoying a bowl of cherries. As children, most of us were convinced that swallowing a cherry pit could lead to a cherry tree growing in your belly. As adults, we know that eating a cherry pit by mistake is relatively safe. The cyanide found in a cherry’s stone is inside the hard shell. However, swallowing multiple stones could cause digestive problems.

One cup of cherries has 97 calories, 35 grams of carbs, three grams of fiber, 18% of your daily value of vitamin C and 10 percent of your potassium. The high amount of potassium (342 milligrams) aids proper circulation. That boosts heart health and healthy blood pressure.

Despite their high-carb content, they have one of the lowest GI among fruit with a score of 22 — a number below 55 is considered low. Because of this, cherries aren’t likely to spike blood sugar. The fiber in them can help keep blood sugar normal and even.

Cherries are rich in quercetin, a flavonoid with potent antioxidant and health properties. Because they are very high in both antioxidants and anti-inflammatory abilities, they are often cited as being a super fruit. Like many other fruits and vegetables, they are best for you when raw. We like them straight out of the bowl, rinsed and plain. But some people love them in salads, or sliced and added to unsweetened tea. We also enjoy them dried in trail mix. But, of course, it is effortless to overindulge in dried fruit. In this hot weather, eating cherries out of the freezer can be a cooling, pleasant experience, but remember the pit when you bite into them.

Cherries are an excellent recovery snack after workouts. And, they can mitigate the oxidative damage your body incurs during a hard workout. Studies have shown that they help muscles recover fast and prevent exercise-induced inflammation. That same ability to fight inflammation is why they can ease the symptoms of arthritis and gout.

On these hot nights of late summer, it can be hard to sleep. Trying to fall asleep in a warm room with no AC is no joke, and we’ll take help where we can get it. That’s why we love that cherries are jam-packed with serotonin to aid melatonin to induce sleep. The cherries improve sleep quality and ease disorders like insomnia.

Obviously, cherries from a tin of pie filling, or a jar of maraschino, won’t give you the same benefits. So, eat cherries now, before they start disappearing from the shops!