Orchard Talk

Tart cherry juice has been making news headlines lately, as more studies are finding that cherry juice can help speed post-exercise recovery.  Last month,  Dave and I hit the road and headed south to represent King Orchards at the ING Georgia Marathon Health & Fitness Expo. This was an excellent opportunity for us to talk about tart cherries, and to introduce people to the great taste and wonderful nutritional qualities of King Orchards tart cherry juice concentrate.

The Health and Fitness Expo was held at the Georgia Dome the two days prior to the marathon. Race participants had to come through and pick up their numbers and race packets. It was free and open to the public, so there was a steady stream of runners, supporters, families, and members of the general public coming and going throughout the two-day event.

We had chilled cherry juice, and plenty of dried cherry samples for everyone to try. We also had several quarts of King Orchards Cherry Juice Concentrate, as well as 1 pound bags of dried tart cherries, and Red Recovery combo packs available for purchase.

We talked to thousands of people about Montmorency tart cherries and their unique nutrient profile. I think the best part was being able to share samples of our products and get so much great feedback.  Several people proclaimed, “These are the best dried cherries I’ve ever had!”

One of the nice things about being in the company of athletes and the fitness-interested is that everyone was happy to know there are no additives, no colorings, and no added sugars or sweeteners in our tart cherry juice.

Sometime it would be fun to do candid pictures or video of people’s reactions to their first taste of tart cherry juice.  Many are surprised to find the cherry juice is tart but not bitter, and describe it as sweeter and more refreshing than they imagine. We also see plenty of puckers, raised eyebrows, and exclamations of “Whoo! That’s tart!”

Our “Good for You” poster, designed by Kalmar Designs.  Doesn’t she look naturally fit & healthy as a result of regular exercise and a healthy diet which includes plenty of tart cherry juice and dried cherries?

Dave, my helper and honorary Cherry Ambassador, assisted folks with the cherry juice dispenser.  Dave was indispensable during this whole trip, providing the muscle to my madness. That was hard work, loading,  unloading and carting around cases of cherry juice, dried cherries, equipment and supplies.  Good thing he drank plenty of tart cherry juice!

Come to think of it, we both drank a lot of cherry juice over the course of  the weekend, and despite working and being on our feet for 12 hour stretches, we felt remarkably good and not too sore to go out exploring a little bit of Atlanta in the evenings.  That’s food for another blog, but I will say this: If  loving hot donuts and The Varsity chili dogs and onion rings is wrong, I simply can’t be right all the time.

We were so busy both days that we didn’t get to explore all the other vendors’ booths, but we did meet some great folks in our vicinity. We were across from All3Sports (we are seriously thinking about springing for the compression socks they sell for hiking and camping), next to the Children’s Tumor Foundation (Dedicated to improving the health and well being of individuals and families affected by the neurofibromatosis), and down the lane from The Arthritis Foundation Joints in Motion Team (they train folks to run and walk marathons, and raise funds and awareness on behalf of the Arthritis Foundation to fight arthritis), Women’s Running Magazine, and Sweaty Bands (who says you can’t be stylish as you sweat?).  Everyone was incredibly friendly and enthusiastic about their work and how it promotes well-being, health and fitness.

Kudos to all the marathon participants, and thanks to all who stopped by our booth. We had a great time meeting everyone, and were thrilled to see so many people with roots and family in Michigan.  A special thank you to Marie Spano, MS, RD/LD, FISSN, CSCS, who was kind enough to mention King Orchards tart cherry juice during her presentation at the Runners Lounge.

Cheers!
Patty

Tags: dried cherries, marathons, muscle recovery, Our Websites, tart cherry juice

In the 9/29/09 issue of Parade Magazine, Michael O’Shea asks, “Could tart cherry juice be the next big sports drink?”  He cited a recent study at Oregon Health & Science University that tested the effect of tart cherry juice on muscle recovery of long distance relay runners. Runners who drank the tart cherry juice reported faster recovery at the end of the race than those who drank the alternative placebo.

If you’re looking for a refreshing, healthful way to speed muscle recovery and a great source of beneficial antioxidants, try King Orchards tart cherry juice concentrate, direct from the Michigan grower.

See our Ad in September 2009 Prevention Magazine

Tags: cherry juice concentrate, cherry juice exercise, marathon tart cherries, muscle recovery, tart cherry juice

Take the Cherry Challenge (page 60 of the September 2009 issue of Prevention magazine or see our 8/25 blog post) then scroll down to check your answers.

Answers:

1-C:  Melatonin is a naturally occurring antioxidant in Tart Cherries that helps maintain normal sleep patterns. Tart cherries are one of the few known food sources of melatonin. Dr. Russel Reiter, a leader in melatonin research, gives tart cherries high marks for their melatonin content. “We were surprised at how much melatonin was in cherries, specifically the Montmorency variety,” says Reiter.  “Cherry juice concentrate, which involves greatly reducing the water content, has ten times the melatonin of the raw fruit.”

2-B: Montmorency dried tart cherries were certified heart healthy by the American Heart Association.

“Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans today, so it’s important we continue researching ways people can improve their diet to help reduce key risk factors,” said Dr. Steven F. Bolling, a cardiac surgeon at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center who also heads the U-M Cardioprotection Research Laboratory. “We know excess body fat increases the risk for heart disease. This research gives us one more support point suggesting that diet changes, such as including cherries, could potentially lower heart disease risk.”

3-B:  Yes. Research indicates tart cherries have substantial amounts of potent antioxidants including melatonin and anthocyanins. These and other compounds found in tart cherries are believed to maintain healthy joints and a healthy cardiovascular system, among other benefits.

4-C:  Tart cherry juice after a workout is the way many athletes speed muscle recovery.

5-C:  ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (measuring the antioxidant capacity of foods). We sent King Orchards Montmorency tart cherry juice concentrate to Brunswick Labs in Massachusetts for antioxidant testing. Their lab results reflected 7,077 ORAC units per one ounce of cherry juice concentrate.

So, how’d you do? We’d like to know.

Tags: antioxidants, Cherries, cherry juice, cherry juice concentrate, healthy joints, heart healthy, michigan, michigan tart cherries, montmorency, muscle recovery, tart cherry juice

As seen in the September 2009 issue of Prevention magazine.

CHECK OUT YOUR CHERRY SMARTS!

1. Melatonin is:

A. The color of a melon.

B. A mythical Greek goddess.

C. A naturally occurring antioxidant in Tart Cherries that helps maintain normal sleep patterns.

2. Were Montmorency Dried Tart Cherries certified heart healthy by the American Heart Association?

A. I don’t think so.

B. I know so.

3. Do Tart Cherries help sustain healthy joints?

A. No.

B. Yes.

4. What helps speed post-exercise muscle recovery?

A. More exercise.

B. A Boston cream donut.

C. Tart Cherry Juice.

5. Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate has an ORAC rating of over 7000 units per serving, making it very healthy indeed. ORAC:

A. Vacuums your floors.

B. Is a global intelligence-gathering satellite system.

C. Stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (measuring the antioxidant capacity of foods)

Tart Cherries:

The Answer to Everything

Check tomorrow’s blog update (8/26/2009) for answers.

Tags: antioxidants, Cherries, cherry concentrate, cherry juice, healthy joints, heart healthy, melatonin, michigan tart cherries, montmorency, muscle recovery, normal sleep patterns, ORAC, tart cherries