CYCLING SUPERFOODS #8 CHERRIES
Pop some tart cherries for a sleep and recovery boost
If you’re looking for extra gains from your winter training, tart cherries, Montmorency cherries for example, could be your new best friends.
The juice is high in polyphenols, in particular flavonoids and anthocyanins, which have high anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to aid muscle recovery – and as a little boost they are also high in melatonin.
How much?
Current research hasn’t provided evidence to suggest that taking tart cherry juice regularly is a good thing, as reducing the inflammatory response from training could reduce the adaptions you get.
It has been found that taking tart cherry juice will help maintain muscle force production and reduce muscle soreness post-exercise, when compared with not taking it. Take 30ml of concentrate mixed with water within 30 minutes after exercise. These cherries shine when you’re doing a sportive, an event over several days, or after an intense training session. If you’re doing a multi-day event, take 30ml twice a day for four days preevent and on each of the race days for the maximum benefit.
Benefits
Due to the high amount of melatonin found in tart cherry juice it’s easy to see why it aids sleep, as melatonin is critical to the cycles of deep sleep. Studies have found that there were significant increases in time in bed, total sleep time and sleep efficiency with cherry juice supplementation. Take 30ml of concentrate with 250ml water 30 minutes before sleep to maximise the benefits. willgirling.com