Health Benefits Of Dates: The Power of Dates
Dates are really good for you because they have lots of fiber and antioxidants. Eating them can help your brain stay healthy and keep diseases away.
Dates are the yummy fruits that grow on date palm trees in warm places around the world. People really like them nowadays.
In Western countries, most dates are dried before they’re sold. You can spot dried dates by looking at their skin. If it’s wrinkled, they’re dried. If it’s smooth, they’re fresh.
Fresh dates come in different sizes and colors like red and yellow. Medjool and Deglet Noor are kinds of dates that many people eat.
Dates taste sweet and kind of chewy. They also have good stuff in them that’s good for you. This article will talk about 8 ways eating dates is good for your health and how you can eat them.
Health Benefits of Dates:
Eating dates can be really good for your health. However, it’s essential to remember that no single food can solve all your health problems. Allison Tepper, a registered dietitian, suggests enjoying dates at different times during the day to make your meals more enjoyable and give you energy.
1. Very Nutritious
Dates are really healthy because they have lots of good stuff in them, even though they are a bit high in calories. Most of the calories in dates come from carbs, and there’s a tiny bit of protein in them too. But they also have important vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
For example, a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of Medjool dates has:
- Calories: 277
- Carbs: 75 grams
- Fiber: 7 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Potassium: 15% of what you need in a day
- Magnesium: 13% of what you need in a day
- Copper: 40% of what you need in a day
- Manganese: 13% of what you need in a day
- Iron: 5% of what you need in a day
- Vitamin B6: 15% of what you need in a day
Dates are also packed with antioxidants, which are good for your health and might be why they have so many benefits.
2. Guards Against Cancer:
Dates contain a special substance called beta D-glucan that’s really good at fighting tumors in your body. Dates are like superheroes with antioxidants that can stop the bad guys called free radicals. These troublemakers can cause cancer, but dates help prevent that. When you eat dates regularly, you’re giving cancer a harder time to develop, and even those non-cancerous growths called benign tumors are less likely to appear.
3. High in antioxidants
Dates have a lot of good things called antioxidants, which are like superheroes for your health. Antioxidants act like bodyguards for your health, shielding you from harmful troublemakers called free radicals that can make you unwell.
Dates have more antioxidants than similar fruits like figs and dried plums. The top three antioxidants in dates are:
1. Flavonoids: These strong antioxidants can reduce inflammation and might lower the chances of getting diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and some types of cancer.
2. Carotenoids: These are great for your heart and can also lower the risk of eye problems like macular degeneration.
3. Phenolic acid: These help fight inflammation and might lower the risk of cancer and heart disease.
4. Shields Against Infections:
Sometimes, infections caused by bacteria can be really serious and expensive to treat with antibiotics, which can also have unwanted side effects. Using natural stuff instead of antibiotics can be a smart and cost-effective choice. Research showed that extracts from date pits and leaves can help fight off certain harmful bacteria. Dates are like a shield against dangerous microbes like E-coli and pneumonia, helping keep you healthy without the side effects of antibiotics.
5. May Promote Natural Labor.
Some folks believe that certain foods, like dates, can make giving birth a bit easier. They even say dates might help start labor. While there’s no solid proof of that, research does suggest that dates could make labor shorter and reduce the need for oxytocin injections. Oxytocin is used to make contractions stronger and speed up labor.
Long labors can be really uncomfortable and potentially risky for the baby. There can be rare problems like a drop in the baby’s heart rate or a lack of oxygen. Long labors, also called “failure to progress,” are when labor goes on for more than 20 hours for first-time moms or over 14 hours for moms who’ve given birth before.
6. Kidney Defender:
Dates have things in them that can be like a shield for your kidneys, especially when your kidneys are having a tough time. In a study on a special type of date called Ajwa, which comes from West Asia, it was discovered that these dates can actually decrease the damage caused by kidney problems. Date extracts can also lower the extra stuff like plasma and creatinine in your kidneys, which is really good for their health. So, eating dates can be a way to take care of your kidneys.
7. May Help with Anemia:
Some studies have compared eating dates regularly to taking iron supplements to treat anemia, a condition where you don’t have enough red blood cells. Surprisingly, the results showed that dates can actually reduce anemia by increasing the iron in your hemoglobin, even though dates don’t have a lot of iron (only 0.24mg to 3mg per 100g). This is important because iron supplements can often lead to constipation, which can be uncomfortable. While this isn’t one of the usual benefits of dates, it shows that this superfood can be quite helpful.
8. Helps Prevent Night Blindness:
Not being able to see well at night is often caused by a lack of vitamin A over a long time. Dates are loaded with vitamin A, and eating them regularly can lower your chances of getting night blindness in the long run. People in West Asian countries have used dates as a natural remedy for night blindness for a very long time. Date palms are one of the oldest natural medicines recommended to treat problems caused by not having enough vitamin A.
Dates are like food chameleons because you can use them in lots of ways.
You can munch on dates in the afternoon when you need a quick pick-me-up. They give you energy.
But they’re sweet too, so you can have them as a treat after a meal.
You can eat them just as they are, make oatmeal bars with dates, toss them in with pork for a touch of sweetness, or blend them into smoothies for a creamy taste.
You can even chop them up really small or turn them into a smooth paste and use them instead of regular sugar in desserts. It’s like a healthy sugar swap!
Date Based Recipes:
1. Date Energy Balls:
- Take some dates (about 1 cup).
- Add 1/2 cup of nuts like almonds or cashews.
- Put in 1/4 cup of dried coconut flakes.
- Blend them all together in a food processor.
- Roll the mixture into small balls.
- You can add extras like cocoa powder or honey for flavor.
- Keep them in the fridge to snack on whenever you need a boost.
2. Date and Nut Butter Sandwich:
- Grab some whole-grain bread.
- Spread your favorite nut butter (like peanut or almond) on it.
- Slice up some dates and put them on the nut butter.
- Put another slice of bread on top, like a sandwich.
- Enjoy a tasty and filling snack.
3. Stuffed Dates:
- Take some dates and slice them open (but not all the way through).
- Remove the pits.
- Stuff each date with a small piece of cheese or a nut like a walnut or almond.
- Wrap them in bacon if you like, and bake in the oven until crispy.
4. Date Smoothie:
- Blend together some pitted dates, yogurt, and milk.
- You can also add bananas or berries for extra flavor.
- Pour it into a glass and enjoy a sweet and creamy drink.
5. Date and Oatmeal Cookies:
- Mix oats, flour, and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
- In another bowl, mash ripe bananas and add dates, cinnamon, and a bit of honey for sweetness.
- Combine the dry and wet mixtures.
- Drop spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake until golden brown for healthy and tasty cookies.
