Should life be a bowl of cherries?
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A quick tip from RealAge.com. How about cherries as an anti-inflammatory? Ok, don’t throw away your painkillers yet. But adding cherries to your diet is certainly one of those "can’t hurt" things.
So what’s the big deal? Well, two things actually. First, Vitamin C is linked to reducing inflammation markers in your blood. Of course, that you can get from a lot of fresh things.
But cherries are also rich in anthocyanins, which also may inhibit enzymes that lead to inflammation. Other berries, such as raspberries and blackberries are also high in anthocyanins. Anthocyanins have been in the news because of their possibilities when it comes to diabetes, cancer and even clogged arteries. Sound too good to be true? Well, cherries may not cure the world’s diseases, but they may boost your health more than you thought.
All the way from Tampa, here’s a smoothie recipe and a few more research tidbits…
15 July 2011 @ 8:35 pm
I was curious about whether cherries were a migraine trigger.
What I discovered is a bit different from your statement.
Only what are called “tart” cherries have the inflamatory properties.
These are called Tart Montgomery Cherries grown in Michigan.
Black or “sweet-dark sweet” cherries do not contain these benefits.
But whether this type is a migraine trigger I do not know but would be interested in learning.
9 July 2012 @ 12:16 pm
I bought a bag of dark cherries a five days ago and have been fighting a migraine ever since. I didn’t eat any yesterday and my headache seems to be subsiding. I also wondered if the cherries were my trigger and found your post online.
I know that I can’t eat dark red or purple grapes and red plums. I cannot drink red wine. All of these things cause me to get migraines. Is it something in the red skin or some part of the fruits that is the migraine trigger? The dark red seems to be a common factor in all of them.
26 May 2017 @ 1:26 pm
Your comments are from years ago. But I too recently noticed that cherries are triggering my migraines. I’m curious, if you ever found out from anyone else, if it’s a common trigger. (Along with red dyes.)
23 June 2017 @ 5:09 pm
I recently added cherries to my diet and had quite a few last night. I woke up early this morning with a raging migraine. I believe they are a trigger due to their tannin content, similar to berries, which are also a trigger for me. I’m running out of foods I enjoy…
24 June 2017 @ 8:26 am
I ate red cherries yesterday and this morning when i wake up I have a terrible migraine. So I would like to know if it really trigers migraine so I can exclude these on my diet. Thanks
9 July 2017 @ 5:46 am
I have been trying to do elimination diet for migraines. Was going fairly well migraines reduced to one in last 2months from on e weekly. I recently bought bag of fresh cherries, eating them like candy, this thinking safe as so much written about how help with migraine. Been battling migraines since. I feel like Suzanne. What can I eat? Dining out with friends almost impossible as msg seems also a trigger. Frustrated.
24 July 2017 @ 7:18 am
Cherries! I too feel cherries are a migraine trigger. Wasn’t sure until I read others feel the same. Thank you for this important info. Arlene
25 July 2017 @ 6:54 pm
Tart cherry juice is a surefire migraine trigger for me. It only takes a few tablespoons and I’ll wake with a migraine the next day.
I’ve come to understand that foods that promote nitric oxide, a blood vessel dilator, are my triggers. These can also include high histamine foods, such as pumpkin seeds, cured meats, yogurt. Taking caffeine tablets, not coffee, has been the most help, as caffeine is a blood vessel constrictor.
Hope this can help somebody else with the same problem. It’s been the web, not doctors, that have been the most help for me.
17 July 2018 @ 7:54 am
Yes, me too – I started eating dark red sweet cherries a few weeks ago and have had raging headaches in the middle of the night. (after going a long time without migraines) today I googled – are cherries a migraine trigger, and sure enough, yep. Just like watermelon. I can’t eat that fruit either.
26 June 2019 @ 10:55 am
I actually just looked this up online, because my migraines have been getting TONS better since going WFPB no SOS, but this is the second time that I’ve had a bowl of cherries (these were days apart) and within 30minutes or so, here comes a migraine! Hmmmm…
29 July 2019 @ 10:44 am
Nancy your post is from 2 years ago but I think it may be a help to finding my migraine triggers. You mentioned the nitric oxide link and I have never come across that in my research. Anyway I googled foods that promote it and found several that I have been eating in generous quantities lately and they correlate with the frequent migraines in the past few weeks. I will limit or eliminate and see what happens. Thank you for your post!
6 December 2019 @ 2:51 pm
I have had migraines for the past seven days. Even my prescription migraine pills weren’t helping. I woke up with no migraine this morning. At 3:30 pm today, I ate some sweet cherries and suddenly I am getting a migraine twenty minutes later. I have added cherries to my diet seven days ago and I think they may be related to the cherries.
17 July 2020 @ 7:42 am
I too feel that cherries have been the cause of headaches, coming on quite quickly after eating them : 1-2 hours if that.
29 July 2020 @ 3:13 pm
I am so grateful to see your and others comments about cherries! When I google cherries and migraines they always come up as safe… even beneficial. In my case, the riper/softer/sweeter they are the more extreme the trigger. I can’t find information if like other overripe fruits, they contain tyramine… which is my main trigger. A secondary trigger for me is too much sugar… a double whammy? I wish there were a little more research available on these as a migraine cause.
18 August 2020 @ 4:10 pm
I have been fighting migraines this past week I’ve also been eating sweet dark cherries. Same with red grapes and red wine.
11 July 2021 @ 12:26 pm
I am 16th person to comment that I too just had an unusually bad migraine after eating cherries. I expect we all came here to find out why cherries would trigger headaches.
19 July 2021 @ 7:12 pm
Good to know I might not be crazy. I’ve been eating tons of cherries this month (5 lbs?) and have had awful migraines for days and days. I’m new to trying to figure 0ut triggers, but cherries (sadly) seem to be high on my list. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to note their similar experiences.
Like many, I’ve actually seen cherries on the “good” list of migraine foods….which made me doubt them for a long time. It seems insane that they could be a trigger, but man, all data seems to point in their direction.