Plant
Maraschino cherries
USDA description: Cherries, maraschino
How maraschino cherries scores for gout, what moved that score, and the nutrition and portions behind it.
Food Index score
Maraschino cherriesExcellent
| Starting score | 100 |
| Fructose | -10.5 |
| Nutrient Gaps | -8 |
| Cherry/Berry | +3 |
| Calorie Density | -2.4 |
| Fiber | +2 |
| Purine Load | -0.5 |
| 2 smaller factors | 0 |
| Final score | 84 |
Maraschino cherries scores 84 out of 100 and sits in the excellent band. Among the lower-risk choices for most people with gout, and often carries protective nutrients.
Penalties took 21.5 points off a starting score of 100, and protective factors added 5.1 back. Every factor is listed in full below.
Scores run 0–100, where higher means more gout-friendly on average. They reflect relative ranking across foods, not a personal risk level. The same food can suit one person and not another, so use the score as a starting point for a conversation with your clinician.
The underlying data
Nutrition and portions
Nutrition Facts
- Total Fat0.21 g
- Saturated Fat0.04 g
- Sodium4 mg
- Dietary Fiber3.2 g
- Total Sugars38.8 g
- Protein0.22 g
- Calcium54 mg
- Iron0.43 mg
- Magnesium4 mg
- Vitamin C0 mg
- Folate0 ug
- Water57.3 g
- Alcohol0 g
- Omega-3 EPA0 g
- Omega-3 DHA0 g
Common portions
- 1 cherrytypical5 g
- 1 cup160 g
- Quantity not specified5 g
Where the purine figure comes from
No direct purine measurement has been published for this food, so the score uses the measured median for its category (fruit).
We rate this a good confidence estimate.
How purines affect the score →Nutrition values from the USDA FoodData Central database.
Scoring rationale
Every factor, in full
Each row shows the points a factor moved, what drove it, and the studies behind its weight.
- -10.5Long-term
FructoseLong-term
An estimated 16.3 g of fructose per 100 g, with no portion adjustment. Reduced 70% because whole fruit blunts the fructose effect.
Evidence: Choi HK 2008, BMJ · Choi HK 2010, JAMA
- -8Long-term
Nutrient GapsLong-term
Provides meaningful amounts of only 1 of the 5 protective nutrient groups (vitamin C, fiber, omega-3, magnesium and folate).
Evidence: Choi HK 2009, Arch Intern Med · Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Zhang M 2019, Arthritis Rheumatol
- +3Flare risk
Cherry/BerryFlare risk
Cherry and berry anthocyanins are linked to fewer flares (odds ratio 0.65).
Evidence: Zhang Y 2012, Arthritis Rheum
- -2.4Long-term
Calorie DensityLong-term
165 kcal per 100 g, above the 80 kcal energy-density threshold.
Evidence: Aune D 2014, Eur J Nutr
- +2Long-term
FiberLong-term
3.2 g of dietary fiber per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol
- -0.5Flare risk
Purine LoadFlare risk
10 mg of purines per 100 g, weighted 0.45x as a plant source and 1.0x for the typical portion: 5 mg effective.
Evidence: Choi HK 2004, N Engl J Med · Kaneko K 2014, Biol Pharm Bull · Zhang Y 2012, Ann Rheum Dis
- -0.1Long-term
Saturated FatLong-term
0.04 g of saturated fat per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Juraschek SP 2016, Arthritis Rheumatol · Yokose C 2021, Curr Opin Rheumatol
- +0.1Long-term
MagnesiumLong-term
4 mg of magnesium per 100 g, with no portion adjustment.
Evidence: Li X 2015, BMJ
Keep looking
Similar foods in fruit
Fruit salad, excluding citrus fruits, with marshmallows
Fruit · Excellent
Banana, baked
Fruit · Excellent
Fruit salad, excluding citrus fruits, with salad dressing or mayonnaise
Fruit · Excellent
Fruit salad, including citrus fruits, with marshmallows
Fruit · Excellent
Fruit salad, including citrus fruits, with salad dressing or mayonnaise
Fruit · Excellent
Apple, candied
Fruit · Excellent
Common questions
About maraschino cherries
Look up any food's Food Index score
Each score lists the factors that moved it, the portion it assumes, and the studies behind each factor's weight.