Happy Thanksgiving from Cheribundi

Thanksgiving is here! It's a wonderful time of year that is full of tradition, family, friends, eating, drinking and of course, giving thanks and gratitude for all that we have in our lives. The bustle of cooking and entertaining, along with the stress of the holiday season and pressure to shop till you drop can make it a challenge to find that moment to reflect on who or what we are grateful for.
Here is a guide to Thanksgiving to help you through one of the busiest weekends of the year!

Cherrified Recipe Idea:
Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cherries & Cloves
From Epicurious.com 

This quick and simple recipe with juicy cherries and fragrant cloves offers a new take on a traditional favorite that everyone will enjoy!

2 1/2 cups cherry cider or black cherry cider or cranberry juice cocktail
1 8-ounce package dried tart cherries (about 2 cups)
1 cup sugar
1 12-ounce package cranberries
1/4 teaspoon (generous) ground cloves

Bring cider to simmer in heavy, large saucepan. Remove from heat. Add cherries and let stand 8 minutes. Mix in sugar, then cranberries and cloves. Cook over medium-high heat until cranberries burst, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours (sauce will thicken as it cools). (Can be prepared 4 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)

Bonus idea: Cornbread Stuffing with Cherries



Regulate Stress with Tart Cherry Juice 
From  
Livestrong.com

Stress can get the best of us around the holiday season by affecting our mood and thus sleep quality. We now know that  tart cherry juice  is linked to dopamine production, which is a chemical is your brain that is associated with pleasure, reward, learning, motivation and motor control. A lack of this neurotransmitter may cause difficulty concentrating, loss of motor control, addiction, depression and cravings.
Insufficient sleep and too much stress can reduce your dopamine levels, but thankfully, some foods such as tart cherries can help naturally replenish your dopamine levels, boosting your mood and health.
One of the healthy nutrients that cherries contain is an amino acid called tyrosine, which your body needs in order to make enough dopamine.
Antioxidants also play an important role in this process. Dopamine is received by neuron receptors in your brain, but chemicals called free radicals can damage these neurons and thus interfere with dopamine use. The antioxidants found in tart cherries and other fruits and vegetables neutralize free radicals and allow your body to optimally use dopamine so that you can have a happy and healthy holiday season!




Small Business Saturday: Shop till you Drop…or Not!

First there was Black Friday, then Cyber Monday. Now, there's the 2nd annual Small Business Saturday, the day people support small businesses by pledging to Shop Small on Nov 26th.
Those hyped up sales are hard to resist, but this year, why not let go of the consumerism and participate in Small Business Saturday and shop close to home to support your local economy and community.  The best part is, you don’t have to give up low prices - local stores will still have plenty of bargains to choose from.

The only things you’ll miss out on are the traffic and the crowds!

Learn more about the movement on a Facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday.

New Study Proves Cheribundi Tart Cherry Juice Aids Arthritis Of The Knee

A new study has concluded that Cheribundi tart cherry juice is proven effective in symptom relief for patients with arthritis of the knee, it was announced today by Malachy McHugh PhD, Director of Research at the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma at Lenox Hill Hospital and Dr. H. Ralph Schumacher of the VA Medical Center and University of Pennsylvania. The findings were published in the Official Journal of the American College of Rheumatology on November 9th.

For the double blind cross-over trial, a group of arthritis patients were given Cheribundi tart cherry juice as well a placebo for individual six week periods. The exciting results show that patients who drank two 8-ounce bottles of Cheribundi (tart cherry juice combined with apple juice to decrease tartness) each day for six weeks had improved WOMAC scores and had significantly decreased hsCRP levels (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein). CRP is a systemic inflammatory marker and if patients had a significant drop in CRP while on the juice they had symptom relief. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) is a set of standardized questionnaires used by health professionals to evaluate the condition of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and hip. It assesses the pain, joint stiffness, physical, social & emotional function of a person with osteoarthritis in determining the overall level of disability.

The same patients drinking the placebo received no symptom relief.   
                    

Consuming foods high in antioxidant capacity has been in the spotlight now for the last few years and the enthusiasm for tart cherry juice is hitting an all-time high, thanks to proponents like Dr. Mehmet Oz, NCAA and professional athletes, the running/marathon community, the gluten-free movement and millions of health-conscious consumers to newly discover the juice. Studies have shown that the benefits of antioxidants from tart cherries apply to virtually all the major systems of the body, including the cardiovascular system, immune system and neurons in the brain.

Announcing New Flavors: Cacao Cherry and Ginger Cherry

Two tasty new flavors are joining the Cheribundi family and we can't wait for you to try them! 

As of today, the decadent Cacao Cherry and snappy Ginger Cherry are available for purchase through our website as well as across 4,000 stores nationwide. The best part?  These new flavors still uphold the Cheribundi promise of a fresh, all natural juice that is never from concentrate and still has all the power, antioxidants and phytonutrients of tart cherries.

Cacao Cherry enters the fold as a beverage that can be distinguished as a chocolate and cherry treat providing a combination that is wholesome, sweet, tart and healthy simultaneously. It’s all the allure and indulgence of chocolate without the guilt of a non-nutritious candy bar.


Ginger Cherry is another fragrant and invigorating flavor; Ginger itself can be a pain reliever, but with the additive boost of nutrients and antioxidants from tart cherries, Ginger Cherry Juice becomes a powerful and remedial beverage.


We are eager to know what you think of these exciting and delicious flavors from Cheribundi and hope you will share with us on our Facebook wall.   
No matter what, we hope our product line continues to provide refreshing new twists on health-conscious cherry juice!

Halloween Detox in 5 Easy Steps

From our friends at Mother Nature Network

Cherry Oatmeal from www.culinary.net

We all know that Halloween is practically synonymous with sugary candy and sweets.  Cupcakes, caramel apples, candy bars, and lollipops are just a few of the indulgences we engage in over this spirited holiday. While it’s fun to treat ourselves, we can’t forget that we’re still consuming loads of processed sugar, artificial colors and flavors, and lots of empty calories that affect how we feel and our body’s system.

Here is a simple and healthy detox plan for you and your family to help rebuild and replenish the body after all of those treats and get you back on track.

Tip 1: Replenish with vitamins, minerals and nutrient-rich food. This means reaching for those colorful super-fruits (like tart cherries!) that are packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients to give your body a much needed boost of nutrition.  Remember,  tart cherries also have heart-health benefits and studies have shown that they may help lower body fat, inflammation, and cholesterol – all major risk factors for heart disease.

Tip 2: Serve and eat plenty of protein. If you experienced sugar highs and lows after eating candy, protein will help stabilize your system. Protein also helps your mood, partly by giving your body the building blocks (that is, amino acids) it needs to rebuild. Plan on eating high-quality protein three times a day.

Tip 3: Eat healthy fats. Yes, some fats are healthy! Examples are coconut oil, grassfed butter and extra virgin olive oil. Fats help make you feel satisfied, so you don't feel the need to reach for the candy jar. Fats also help stabilize your blood sugar.

Tip 3: Eat lots of vegetables. All of those refined sweets are hard on your blood sugar, and they also use up minerals in your body to process them. Eating plenty of produce will get your mineral intake back on track and give your system a break from sugar. 

Tip 5: Hydrate! Drinking plenty of water throughout the day flushes out the system of toxins and aids in digestion. Drinking water also helps you feel more satiated and less tempted to eat sweets.