I’m a long time fan of dried tart cherries; they are like nature’s sweet tarts and are oh-so-moist and succulent. Remember when I posted this recipe for Monster Trail Mix Cookies and this Chicken Pasta Salad with Herbed Buttermilk Dressing and this Broccoli & Kale Salad? All these recipes are chock-full of those little dried tart cherry beauties. I’ll admit it, every time I eat dried tart cherries I wiggle with happiness. True story; go ask Eric.
So when the Cherry Marketing Institute contacted me to take their 7 Day Tart Cherry Juice Challenge, I got excited to try tart cherry juice for myself. CrossFit is all about making your muscles sore and now that marathon season is over for me, we are focusing on CrossFit workouts.
Many of the athletes that I work with drink tart cherry juice because of its effects on reducing muscle soreness and oxidative stress. The research shows that 8 ounces of tart cherry juice twice a day or 2 tablespoons of concentrate twice a day is effective in reducing inflammation in as little as 7 days!! Remember my terrible DOMS experience post CrossFit GHD sit-ups? Ouch, if only I was drinking the juice at that point.
The natural compounds found in Montmorency tart cherries, including anthocyanins, are thought to be a big factor in enhancing recovery.
I’m starting the 7-Day Tart Cherry Juice Challenge today and will report back next week on how well it worked. Today I mixed 2 oz concentrate with plain Greek yogurt for breakfast and topped with tart cherries and granola! I’ve never been a fan of eating plain Greek but adding the tart cherry juice made it taste so good. I’ll be posting pics on Instagram & Twitter using the hashtag #RecoverWithRed if you’d like to follow along 🙂
Question: Have you tried tart cherry juice or concentrate? Any tips, ideas, or recipes for how I should incorporate it into my routine?
Disclosure: I’m partnering with The Cherry Marketing Institute for an endorsement of the 7 Day Tart Cherry Juice Challenge. This blog post is sponsored by the Cherry Marketing Institute. All opinions are my own.
Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, RD (registered dietitian nutritionist), Peloton addict and mama to two active and hungry boys. On Love & Zest, you’ll find healthy-ish recipes that fuel the whole family. I’m all about veggie-filled breakfast, meal prep recipes, healthier sweets, and easy weeknight dinners made in the Instant Pot or sheet pan.
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I’ve tried this before but could never tell for sure if the juice made a real difference as far as muscle recovery. However, the juice was delicious, so anything on top of the awesome taste was just a bonus!
I just drank it plain, or added it to any fruit smoothie I may have been making, but your yogurt/granola mix looks so much better, I might switch to doing that!
I’m pushing it really hard this week in CrossFit to give it a really good test run. I’m doing the concentrate in the AM/mixing it into foods and taking the juice in afternoon.
Where did you buy your tart cherry juice?
Can be found at most grocery stores– I’ve purchased at Publix, Whole Foods, Fresh Market.