Healthy eating tips

As grocers, we're aware of our responsibilities towards our customers. That's why we'd like to help you achieve a healthy, balanced diet. For this, you need a combination of fats, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and minerals.

Vitamins play an essential part in healthy living. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables as these contain high quantities of vitamins. These substances are also found in animal products such as fish.

Minerals include calcium, phosphorus, iodine, iron, sodium and potassium. These help build healthy teeth, bones, muscles, nerves and maintain your body's supply of oxygen.

The key to healthy eating is getting the balance right. Ideally this means as little animal or vegetable fat as possible. Proteins, on the other hand, are particularly important. They can be found in eggs, fish, poultry and dairy products, but also in potatoes and pulses.

Carbohydrates, our body's energy providers, are contained in sugars and starches in the diet - in rice, fruit and pasta, for example. Make sure you eat foods that are high in fibre.

 Tart Cherries have been hailed as the new 'superfruit' due to their excellent nutritional values and high levels of antioxidants.

A rich source of anthocyanins and other phenolic and flavonoid compounds, such as quercetin, known to possess powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, tart cherries can help keep joints comfortable and mobile, help muscles recover from training and sport whilst also help protect and maintain long-term cardiovascular health as well as helping to maintain a healthy immune system.

Cherries have been shown by various scientific studies, to help maintain uric acid levels at normal, healthy levels, which can help to reduce Gout attacks.           When uric acid levels build up in the blood, it can form into needle-like crystals of sodium urate, which can cause the inflammation, severe pain and swelling known as Gout.

The tart cherry is also one of the few fruits that is a potent natural source of melatonin.       Melatonin helps to regulate the body's rhythmic patterns, so eating tart cherries can help improve sleep cycles.

Tart cherries are rich in beta carotene (vitamin A), C and E and also provide a great source of potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and fibre.

Around June, July and August is the best time of year when you can buy fresh cherries, but if you are looking to buy them all year round then the tart cherry is a convenient way of getting the health benefits of cherries or you can buy the juice form, all to which are available to buy at R.A. & J.S. Fletcher and Sons by visiting our store.

 So at a glance, Tart Cherries are:

Rich in antioxidants

A natural source of Melatonin, which has been shown to help sleep cycles.

High in potent phytonutrients including anthocyanins - plant pigments that have been linked to a variety of health benefits.

A great fruit that can help keep joints comfortable and mobile.

An excellent source of beta carotene (vitamin A), 19 times more than blueberries or strawberries.

Rich in vitamins C and E.

A great source of potassium, magnesium, iron, folate and fibre.