Friday

Cherries are in Season! Relief for Gout?

A Natural Gout Cure… Cherries

Cherries - cure for gout or is this an old wives tale? For many years, red delicious cherries have been thought to help control and decrease gout symptoms. Over 50 years ago a doctor named Ludwig Blau announced a cure for one of the oldest diseases known to man, gout. Dr. Blau suggested that eating about 8 cherries a day would cure gout.

We now know that cherries contain anthocyanins which have anti-inflammatory properties that work in the same way as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID).

Cherries work to reduce the inflammation that causes gout pain by reducing the uric acid that causes gout. And cherries are much better than NSAIDs because cherries cure the cause of gout. And NSAIDS only treat the symptoms (inflammation). However, many gout sufferers have found that eating as many as 40 cherries isn't the most convenient remedy. And now researchers believe that cherries are not the only gout cure that works.

The Most Effective Treatment for Gout

Gout was once thought to be caused by an unhealthy diet and excessive alcohol. This was sort of true but there are many other causes as well. By looking at all the causes of gout, natural health doctors have been recommending a natural cure for gout that works nearly all the time.

If you would like to start taking your health more serious and cure gout naturally, here are 5 tips you should know about a natural cure for gout.

1. Dieting! Most people who cure gout do it with a healthy diet! You should keep a food journal and keep note of what foods cause high uric acid levels. Stay away from purine-rich foods like: red meats, alcohol, fish and beans.

2. Vitamins! Did you know that most gout sufferers are deficient in 3 key vitamins that are essential for flushing uric acid? Vitamins A, B5 and E are found in many fruits and vegetables; fresh cherries, strawberries, blueberries, and other red-blue berries; vegetables including kale, cabbage, parsley, green-leafy vegetables; Tofu, although a legume and made from soybeans, may be a better choice than meat

3. Flush! Are you flushing everyday? I'm not talking about the toilet but about your body! Did you know that you can literally flush your body of many impurities with water and a high fiber diet? Flushing benefits your body by keeping the bad stuff out, like uric acid. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. You weigh 220 lbs. = 110 ounces of water.

4. More Acids! Surprisingly, ascorbic acid is also very beneficial to flushing uric acid. Did you know that ascorbic acid is also another name for vitamin C? Vitamin C is also a simple natural remedy that has helped many gout sufferers.

5. A common trend among gout sufferers is inactivity. If you live a sedentary lifestyle, you are very likely to get gout someday. On the other hand, when you exercise your body is able to effectively flush your body of toxins, uric acid and other impurities. It is also thought to be able to break up uric acid crystals between joints.
Try to go for a walk at least once a day and eventually, find an exercise program that suits your body type and goals.

These are a summary of tips from several of my favorite resources and other homeopathic research; www.buzzle.com and deliciousliving.com

In California, we know it is cherry season by all of the roadside stands that pop up.

Here are some helpful hints on selecting the best cherries. Pick a handful of cherries at a time and only select the best fruit. This may be time-consuming, but the reward will be better cherries. Good cherries should be large (one inch or more in diameter), glossy, plump, hard and dark-colored for their variety. Buy cherries with stems on — they should be fresh and green. Reject undersized cherries or those that are soft or flabby. Avoid fruit that is bruised or has cuts on the dark surface. If you find many damaged fruits, consider buying cherries somewhere else, as a number of spoiled cherries will start the others to decay.

STORAGE

Loosely pack unwashed cherries in plastic bags or pour them into a shallow pan in a single layer and cover with plastic wrap to minimize bruising. Store cherries in the refrigerator and cherries in good condition should last up to a week. Check the fruit occasionally and remove the cherries that have gone bad. Wash the fruit before eating.

You can freeze cherries by rinsing and draining thoroughly, spreading them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and placing in the freezer overnight. Once the cherries are frozen, transfer them to a heavy plastic bag. The frozen fruit may be kept up to a year.

Cherries, cherries everywhere what to do after you eaten the umpteenth cherry...here are some scrumptious recipes:


Black Cherry Champagne recipe

Ingredients:

1 bottle champagne.

Black cherry juice.

Black cherries, with stems.

Superfine sugar.

Preparation Instructions:

1. Wet the rim of 2 champagne glasses with water, then turn each glass upside down and dip gently in a saucer of sugar.

2. Pour 1/3 of chilled cherry juice and top each glass up with the champagne.

3. Garnish with a cherry.


Cherry Muffins with Crumb Topping


Crumb Topping

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

MUFFINS

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup butter (melted)

3/4 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 cups pitted sweet cherries (try to use 2 cherries per muffin)

1/3 cup chopped pecans (optional)

makes approximately 16 muffins

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line 16 muffin cups with paper or foil liners or spray 2 muffin tins with cooking spray.

2. Make the Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in the melted butter, then pinch the mixture until it forms pea-size clumps.

3. Make the Muffins: In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs and melted butter and beat with a handheld electric mixer at low speed until combined. Beat in the whole milk and vanilla or almond extract. Add the flour mixture all at once and beat at low speed until the batter is smooth. Stir in the cherries.

4. Spoon the batter into 16 cups, filling them about three-quarters full. Sprinkle the crumb topping on top of each one and bake for about 30 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before serving.

Great served with your morning cup of tea or coffee.