From a middle eastern origin, dates are popular fruits due to their high protein mass, fiber content, and natural sweetness. If you are not an expert on dates, your first query should be – are dates healthy?
Dates are very health beneficial compared to other dried fruits. They contribute to fighting cardiovascular diseases, promoting bone health, maintaining blood sugar levels, brain health, weight loss, etc. Dates are also a great source of different vitamins and essential nutrients.
Eating dates might help you instant recovery of energy and even support you in maintaining your blood sugar level. Moreover, dates also reduce natural labor pain and improve men’s sex life.
Excess of anything isn’t good at all. And it goes for dates so well. Being delicious and energetic, dates have the appeal to be consumed frequently. But you mustn’t exceed the suggested level to avoid specific threats.
What Are Dates?
When we refer to dates, we are not indicating any outing of human beings but rather a tiny fruit. The trees that they grow on are called date palm trees.
They are abundant in and native to the Middle East and have spread over some African countries, the USA, Canada, and some Asian countries.
Dates are sweet to taste. They grow in clusters, large ones. You may find similarities between a bunch of grapes and dates. They hang high off the ground.
These fruits are a part of various regions’ cuisine worldwide but primarily for desserts and juice as they are mostly eaten raw. The more a date gets dehydrated, the sweeter it becomes.
Types And Forms
There are different types of dates, and they are prepared in various forms. Among various types, Medjool date, oamni, piarom dates, deglet noor dates, ajwa dates, mazafati dates, bahri dates, thoory dates, ameri dates, etc. are mentionable. Medjool dates are the most popular ones.
Dates are processed in different forms. You may find jam, dried dates, jelly, stuffed dates, date paste, and other forms of dates for consumption.
You can turn them into different delicious recipes. Dates are suitable for your regular meal or desserts. You may even prepare a cake of dates and juices by blending dates.
Food Value Of Dates
The health benefits of dates are numerous. Date consumption may fill your daily nutrition requirement to some great extent.
You can eat dates to help your body fight intestinal disorders, weight gain, constipation, heart problems, diarrhea, sexual weakness, abdominal cancer, etc.
Dates are also a great source of antioxidants (carotenoids, phenolics mainly). As dates have two parts, the seed and the flesh, they contain nutrients like protein and fat.
The fruit also carries a high amount of dietary fiber. Date calories are good for our daily life. A whole date of 8g may provide you with the following nutrients according to USDA:
- Calories: 23
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fat: 0g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Iron: 0.1mg
- Magnesium: 3.4mg
- Potassium: 53 mg
- Protein: 0.2g
- Sodium: 0.2mg
- Sugars: 5g
Benefits Of Eating Dates
The benefits of eating dates are excellent. Many of them will surprise you. Eating dates daily might keep you healthy and free from physical difficulties. Eat fresh dates to help your body function more fantastically.
Are Dates Healthy For Weight Loss?
It is reported that consuming dates may help you balance your weight management or prevent you from weight gain. However, more research needs to be carried out regarding this.
Dates are prone to check cholesterol levels and contain very little fat; they contribute to weight loss. They are low in GI (glycemic index) too.
Moreover, you will get a good amount of unsaturated fatty acids that control obesity and other weight-linked diseases. The vegans and gym-goers prefer dates for their high protein,
Benefits Of Dates For Women
Dates contain essential vitamins and nutrients for women. They carry cancer-fighting antioxidants that protect the cells from radicals.
Even dates play a role in easing natural labor while reducing the pain and time. They also contain fibers that help reduce belly fat.
Women may consider dates on their diet for skin health, fighting hair loss, and improving hair health. Vitamin B16 and amino acids, including carbohydrates, are necessary for pregnant women, and one can get those in date.
The fruit also plays a role in healthy digestion and maintaining healthy bones. They even contribute to fighting heart disease.
Other Benefits
There are other significant health benefits of dates. Incorporate dates in your diet and maintain your blood sugar level, digestive health, heart health, brain health, liver health, bone health, etc.
Dates are well known as natural sweeteners or natural sugars. They are naturally sweet enough to make a dessert with them and serve to a diabetic patient without adding any other sugar or so.
The nutritional value of dates is high as our daily essential nutrients can be met up through date consumption. If you consider the top 10 health benefits of dates, the following are the ones:
- Dates are very effective in providing instant energy. If you feel unlikely about plain dates, you may go for energy balls packed with dates.
- If you take too many cocktails or drugs, dates may help you intoxicate and prevent a probable severe hangover.
- Dates effectively strengthen bones as foods with enough vitamin D are excellent for bones.
- If you are suffering from constipation, dates may help you out.
- Dates are also effective in fighting cardiovascular disease.
- As dates are rich in magnesium and Vitamin C, they help reduce inflammation.
- Essential micronutrients like B vitamins and iron help you reverse anemia. And dates are a pure source of both.
- If you take in too many whole dates, you might be able to put on weights.
- If you are never satisfied with the sugar content in your diet, you may take natural sugar (dates) as an alternative to processed sugar.
- Containing soluble fiber, dates help you keep your cholesterol low.
Side Effects Of Dates
Consumption of dates brings you various health benefits concerning preventing painful and debilitating diseases, helping you with blood sugar control, and so on. Some other health benefits include anti-inflammatory properties, preventing Alzheimer’s disease, improving health conditions, etc.
However, apart from saving you from several diseases, excessive or uncontrolled date consumption might have harmful reactions upon you as well.
There may be questions on your mind like how many dates to eat per day, are dates fattening, the quantity of sugar in dates, and so on.
Food science suggests eating 4-7 whole dates a day. Otherwise, there might be issues like skin rashes, red, watery, or itchy eyes, a runny nose, or even might trigger your blood pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do dates cause gas?
Date palms are the provider of dates that are fresh fruits. But if preservatives are mixed with them, they might cause gas for some because of the chemical added on.
Are dates good for sperm?
Research suggests that dates might help a man increase sexual stamina and even sperm count to some extent.
Is eating dates on an empty stomach good?
The answer is yes, as doing so will increase the hemoglobin level in your body and relieve constipation.
