I get questions about the latest food fads all the time. The miracle properties of sea salt, bananas, pomegranates, chia seeds, açaí berries and a million other so called ‘Super Foods’ have been touted by everyone from Dr. Oz to Oprah. It sometimes seems impossible to eat all of the foods we “should” be eating according to all of these experts. One of the latest miracles out there is tart cherries.

Tart cherries have been shown to ease muscle soreness by reducing inflammation in muscle tissue after exercise in quite a few studies. In most of these the subjects drank the juice for several days before strenuous activity as well as after. The reason inflammation was decreased is thought to be the high amount of antioxidants in the tart cherries. What’s the bottom line? The first thing I notice is that most of the studies have been funded by cherry juice manufacturers or those who have financial holdings associated with tart cherries. When looking at any study, the first question has to be the motivation for those who have funded the research, we also have to look at the numbers of subjects involved and the methodology used. Most of these studies have not been very large, plus they compare the tart cherry juice with a placebo but they have not compared it to any other fruits high in antioxidants.

Should you start making tart cherries a habit? Well, maybe. What it really comes down to is 1-Do you like tart cherry juice? 2-Can your activity level support the added calories? 3-Can your wallet support the cost? There are many other fruits that have high antioxidant levels and other things that you can do to ease muscle soreness after strenuous exercise. The first thing you want to do is make sure that you are typically consuming a diet that is high in a variety of brightly colored vegetables and fruits. All of the antioxidants in these will add up to form an inflammation fighting army within you. Notice that the studies have people consume the juice prior to the demanding exercise; by eating well on a daily basis, you too can reap the benefits of antioxidants. What else can you do? Massage has been shown to decrease inflammation and speed the process of healing in muscle tissue; bring on the foam roller! Lastly make sure that you have your recovery meal or drink soon after strenuous activity. Giving your body a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein will help give muscles the energy (carbs) and building blocks (protein) to make needed repairs to muscle tissue.

There are many different fruits and vegetables out there high in antioxidants and many antioxidants that haven’t even been discovered yet! This lack of knowledge is one reason why there are ‘new super foods’ coming out all of the time and it’s also the reason that when taken as a powder or pill, specific vitamins and antioxidants don’t stack up as well as whole foods when compared in studies. There are components of foods that work within our bodies in ways we haven’t yet begun to understand. What is known, is that eating a varied diet low in processed foods and high in whole foods will do you a world of good!