Food

Eating Dates can Have Fantastic Health Benefits

Dates for Breakfast Experts say that you can have dates at any time of the day, but the best time is the early morning. Having dates… Trista - June 20, 2020

Dates have always been in the list of favorites for all of us. Along with the delicious taste, it has several beneficial health properties. It is worth mentioning that dates come from a flowering plant of the palm species, which is chiefly cultivated for this mouthwatering fruit. According to several studies, it is estimated that the largest harvester of dates is Iraq. The peak season for cultivating the date begins from the middle of autumn (October) and stretches till the end of winter (January). Try to incorporate dates into regular meals, including desserts because they have amazing health benefits.

The date palm has been around and used for several centuries. Shutterstock.

The History of the Date Palm

In Middle Eastern countries, the fruit used to be a staple food. Even the inhabitants of the Indus Valley used to prefer dates as one of their main meals. The Middle East nations are home to a wide variety of dates. Moreover, according to Egyptian history, the dwellers used dates to make wine. Historical records tell us that the date has been surviving for 50 million years back.

Not many people know that there are several different kinds of dates in the world. Shutterstock.

Different Types of Dates Including Dayri

Packed with incredible health benefits, dates come in a wide range of variety. The nutritional value of the various dates is the same, with just a few changes. The chief difference appears in their aspects and taste. Take a look at the below enlisting different types of dates. Dayri is considered to be one of the most delicious dates in the palm family. The Dayri date is a bit special in how it ripens. It has red skin or peel in the initial phase and tastes soft and juicy. When it starts to ripens, it becomes a reddish-brown color. This dense sweet-flavored fruit looks black in color when it fully ripe.

The Halawy date is a bit drier than other dates. Shutterstock.

Barhi and Halawy

Barhi is another popular form of date. It comes in small to medium sizes with a sweet flavor. Among all other types, the Barhi is the softest. This rich syrupy date is the most fragile one in the date family. It takes a little longer to ripe completely. In the early stages, Barhi resembles a color of amber, which gradually turns into golden brown.

Another date from the date family is the Halawy dates. These dates are not readily available everywhere. People consider it to be the most delicious among all. Halawy offers you to relish the sweet honey flavor. It is soft and syrupy. The fruit usually appears in small to medium in size. The flesh of the date remains tender with a skin of golden brown.

Medjool is the most popular because they are the sweetest. Shutterstock.

Deglet Noor, Medjool, and Zahidi Dates

With the fantastic health benefits, the Deglet Noor dates are chiefly popular owing to its excellent taste. These dates are semi-dry type, which means it has a medium amount of syrup in it. The dates are amber in color in its early stage; later, it ripens to deep brown. You can consume it either raw or cooked.

Have you heard about Medjool? It is soft on the surface, delicious in taste, and high in nutrients. It is incredibly juicy, and it is best to consume it in its fresh form. Its initial skin amber color changes to reddish-brown once it ripens completely.

Similar to the Deglet Noor, Zahidi is semi-dry as well. The taste is sweet and is roughly medium in size. The outer part of the fruit looks beautiful with a smooth surface and mustard-yellow hues. People mainly use Zahidi for baking cakes, cookies, and other desserts. You can also have it raw along with other dried fruits.

Thoory dates are mostly used in baking. Shutterstock.

Khadrawy and Thoory

The next in the list is the Khadrawy. These dates are moderately sweet, unlike other dates that are quite sweet. It is renowned as the best date in both taste and health benefits. The flesh of the fruit is firm, and the skin color gradually changes from orange-brown to pale brown.

If you like sweet and nutty flavors, then Thoory dates are the ‘must-try’ for you. It is dry and best for baking, which is what bread date recipes use. The size of the dates ranges from medium to large with a coat of golden-brown.

Vitamin K is one of the essential vitamins you find on dates. Shutterstock.

Nutritional Components in Dates

Having dates regularly provides your body with multiple health benefits, which is what makes it so demanding in the marketplace. The rich vitamin A, B6, and K promote bone health, as well as improving eyesight. Dates also are a rich source of fiber. If you eat 3.5 ounces of dates a day, you can get 7 grams of fiber, which is quite beneficial. Hence, if you consume it regularly, intestinal diseases can be sufficiently reduced.

Along with that, the fiber in dates assists in decreasing the levels of cholesterol in the blood. The nutritional value of the fruit does not stop here. You can also reap the benefits of calcium, protein, magnesium, iron, protein, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, copper, and sulfur from dates.

B12, also known as riboflavin, also promotes good health. Shutterstock.

More Helpful Ingredients

The fruit is exceptionally advantageous for pregnant women as well. Besides all the ingredients mentioned above, dates are an excellent source of niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, and more. Therefore, for keeping a healthy body, make sure to add dates to your regular diet. Moreover, dates are a great source of antioxidants, which defend your cells from free radicals. Unless you protect your body cells from those radicals, the chances of causing toxic reactions in your body are high, which can lead to cancer.

Dried dates still have the same nutritional value as of fresh dates. Shutterstock.

Nutritional Differences Between Dried Dates and Fresh Dates

Among the wide variety of dates, the two most common forms that are available in the market are the dried dates and fresh dates. The dried dates are harder and contain less moisture, whereas the fresh dates are soft and juicer in taste. Regardless to say, many of you often wonder about the nutritional differences between fresh dates and dried dates. The differences aren’t that much.

The critical component of the two different dates is iron, which is present in almost the same quantity in both. The only difference in its nutritional value includes the presence of a few elements like carbohydrates, protein, calcium, and fiber. Fresh dates contain a bit more of Vitamin C than the dried ones. On the other hand, the dried dates have more carbohydrates, calcium, and fiber in it.

Maintaining your health is vital for a long and healthy life. Shutterstock.

Health Benefits of Dates

The health benefits of dates are numerous. The fruit is the ultimate solution to the majority of your illnesses. Even the doctors prescribe patients to include dates in their diet for better blood production. Dates have an excellent connection with your heart health. Daily consumption of the fruit serves you with better heart health due to the presence of isoflavones. This compound is especially helpful in reducing the chances of risky cardiovascular syndromes. Along with that, dates are a huge source of antioxidants. Hence, if you consume dates regularly, you can prevent a lot of threatening heart diseases like atherosclerosis.

This is when the arteries get stiff, resulting in the heart getting blocked with plaque. But the present antioxidants in dates break down the congestion of the cholesterol and remove it from your heart’s artery cells. There is another fact that makes a date healthy for your heart in an ambiguous way. As you all know, the main culprit that pushes you towards the risk of heart diseases is weight gain. Consumption of dates helps you to manage your weight and assists you in preventing dangerous cardiovascular diseases.

Conditions of the brain can be difficult to treat later on in life. Shutterstock.

Enhance Brain Functionality

Nutritionists these days advise the consumption of dates with daily diet since it improves brain health. Several studies have proved that dates can reduce stress to a considerable extent. Besides, it also aids you by preventing brain inflammation.

There is a beta protein called amyloid that can create brain plagues. According to experts, it is the most common brain problem that occurs in human beings. It plunders brain functionality, affects memory loss, and can create a lot of neurodegenerative illnesses. Nevertheless, you can prevent those ailments with regular consumption of dates. Another research shows that dates can guard you against Alzheimer’s disease.

It’s a painful and embarrassing condition to deal with. Shutterstock.

Treat Constipation

Constipation is tough to deal with. The condition requires long term treatment to cure. In fact, in some cases, it never goes away. You need to fix your diet and continue medications to treat the symptoms. If you are suffering from this painful ailment and looking for the best remedy, go for dates. Dates have all those plus points that you need to treat your digestive condition. According to studies, it has been proven that the pulp of the fruit helps in stimulating the gastrointestinal transit action. The activity results in the loosening of the muscles and the secure passage of stool.

The fruit pulp helps in treating the disorder by fixing the deregulation of the mineral content. Also, dates help in reducing the risk of intestine cancer due to its fiber content as well. To prove the positive effects of the fruit for brain health, several scientists commenced experiments on mice. The results showed that dates significantly increased the power of their memory and the capacity of their learning.

Blood pressure becomes more difficult to treat the older we get. Shutterstock.

Control Blood Pressure

If your blood pressure rises high or gets low frequently, supplementation of dates in your daily diet is the best thing to do. Precisely, dates work equally as drugs in case of regulating your blood pressure. Moreover, according to a study by Harvard Medical College, you must not rely upon the medication to treat blood pressure. It is better to prefer organic ways to control it. Talking about the natural remedies, nothing can beat the results of dates in managing your blood pressure. Being affluent with minerals and potassium, dates help in lowering the blood pressure. The Medjool dates are the most ideal date forms to savor in this case.

A single Medjool date holds approximately 160 to 167 mg of potassium. Magnesium in dates eases your blood vessels and heart’s muscles, which consequences in decreasing the high blood pressure. Along with potassium and magnesium, the presence of fiber in dates also assists in controlling the blood pressure. Fibers help in balancing the aftereffects of sodium. As a result, you get blood pressure is returned to normal levels.

Staying at a healthy weight makes it easier to prevent certain diseases like diabetes. Shutterstock.

Maintain Healthy Weight

The whole world talks about the methods of losing weight. But, some people put much effort into gaining some healthy weight. Well, dates can help you with this. Dates make it easy for you to keep your weight down, as well as maintaining it.

Scientists took a simple experiment on a lamb to prove the potential of the dates for enhancing the body mass. The results were just amazing: a hike of almost 30% was seen. The scientists stated the fact that humans could observe the exact results as well with the eating ground date seeds.

Natural childbirth can be made easier by ingesting more dates. Shutterstock.

Encourage Natural Labor

Another of the most favorable benefits of dates is that it has the potential to support natural labor in pregnant women. However, scientists are still researching it to get further information. Until now, all the pieces of study concerning this fact explain positive outcomes. Women who consumed dates starting from the beginning of the pregnancy phase until the end had increased cervical dilation. When the cervical dilation remains moderate, the requirement of induced labor becomes low.

Research states that 69 women ate six dates regularly for a period of 4 weeks from their due date. The results were terrific. Those women were more likely to go into labor within less time and more naturally. On the other hand, women who did not consume the fruit required induced labor. Another study shows the fact that along with the natural labor, daily consumption of dates reduces the length of labor duration as well. This positive connection between the fruit and pregnancy is because of the presence of tannins.

Dates are rich with vitamin A, which is good for the eyes. Shutterstock.

Prevent Night Blindness

Dates are outstanding in case of improving your eyesight, as well as preventing certain eye diseases. For instance, moderate consumption of dates allows you to avoid night blindness. It is because dates are a rich source of vitamin A and the prime reason behind developing night blindness is the lack of vitamin A. Therefore, adding dates in your daily diet can keep you safe from night blindness.

As we age, we increase the risk of developing osteoporosis. Shutterstock.

Increase Bone Strength

Among the endless benefits of dates, few others are providing strength to your bone. It is especially helpful for both kids and adults. Kids need proper bone development to thrive. After a certain age, adults tend to lose their bone elasticity, which pushes them forward to different bone-related disorders and pains. The best way to cure this is by savoring dates. Dates serve you with a considerable amount of manganese, copper, magnesium, selenium.

All these compounds are incredibly advantageous for your bone health. Along with those favorable compounds, dates are loaded with vitamin K as well. A study from North Dakota State University shows the fact that dates provide your body with a substance called boron. Boron is the chief compound that aids in metabolizing your bones. It is again useful for strengthening your bones.

Anemia is the result of the red blood cells no longer being strong enough to carry oxygen to the rest of the body. Shutterstock.

Help Treat Anemia and Hemorrhoids

A significant number of people suffer from a common disorder known as anemia. The only compound that can help you to reduce the disease is iron, which you can attain from dates. You can get iron from several supplements in the store. However, getting iron in its more natural form provides you with the best results.

The most usual complication that women suffer during pregnancy is hemorrhoids. The difficulty occurs when you do not ingest a sufficient amount of fiber. As fiber is one of the main compounds in dates, it might help you to prevent the complication during your pregnancy. Thus, for the wellness of both you and your baby during pregnancy, make sure to treat yourself to some delicious sweet dates.

Have more energy in your day to do more things by eating dates. Shutterstock.

Provide Energy

Dates contain a high amount of natural sugars such as fructose, glucose as well as sucrose. People from around the world consume low-fat dates, which are perfect to complement as an afternoon snack, especially when they feel low in energy. People who are into sports can also consume dates regularly for getting energy. Working out involves a lot of muscle strength and fitness, and sometimes due to excessive strain on muscles, muscle fatigue occurs. Dates are the perfect fruit that works as an energy source.

Improve the health and quality of your skin with just a few dates each day. Shutterstock.

Beauty Benefits of Dates

The primary reason for dull-looking skin is the deficiency of vitamins C and D. Dates are the powerhouse of those two vitamins. It assists you in maintaining the elasticity of your skin and keeps it glowing. Apart from that, the fruit also has some anti-aging compounds to keep your skin tender and younger-looking. The fruit pulp incorporates a hormone known as phytohormones, which reduces the appearance of wrinkles and keeps the skin firm. Moreover, the fruit halts the accumulation of melanin and provide you with a brighter complexion.

Smooth and bright skin is something many women want to achieve. However, the beauty products that are available in the market can only provide you with instant beauty. In fact, those products have multiple side effects. How about making your skin glowing and beautiful naturally? Natural remedies might take long to provide you with the perfect results, but the outcome stays with you for the rest of your life. Besides, it has no harmful side effects. If you are wondering how to attain it, the answer is simply the dates! Dates have the solution to all your skin problems.

A regular diet of dates can actually promote hair growth. Shutterstock.

Hair Growth

After skin, the primary concern of most of the people is hair. A common problem that people suffer these days is tremendous hair loss. There are several causes of hair loss, but the solution is eating dates. Oiling and shampooing can only maintain the texture of your hair. To promote hair growth, you need to find out the root of the problem and cure it internally. The best way to improve your hair growth is by helping the blood circulation in your scalp.

Dates can help you out in the blood circulation. It is because of the iron in it. Loaded with iron, dates act in spreading oxygen to your entire body and even to your scalp. As a result, your scalp enjoys a smooth blood circulation. Therefore, this action stimulates hair growth. The fruit also works on the texture of hair and make it thicker and shinier.

Dates are delicious, but you shouldn’t overeat them at once. Shutterstock.

How Much Is Too Much?

It is hard to tell the exact number of dates that you should eat every day, as it depends on your metabolic rate. Several other factors connect with the quantity of your consumption, like your duration of exercise, body mass, height, and overall health condition. However, generally, consuming 6 to 7 dates per day is an ideal quantity to consume. You can increase or decrease the amount according to your needs.

Dates are an easy thing to add to your breakfast because they are so sweet and delicious. Shutterstock.

Dates for Breakfast

Experts say that you can have dates at any time of the day, but the best time is the early morning. Having dates in an empty stomach allows you to absorb all the favorable compounds efficiently. The delicious sweet fruit goes well with every breakfast dish.

Adding dates in different dishes increases both its taste and health values. You can make a mouthwatering smoothie using dates. The fruit combines amazingly with shakes and smoothies. Starting your day with a date-banana smoothie would boost your mood along with enhancing your energy. You can even add dates in your oatmeal or cornflakes.

Dates are quite versatile and can be paired with savory meats at lunch. Shutterstock.

Lunch and Dinner “Dates”

Not only breakfast dishes, but you also can eat dates even in your lunch. But, make sure not to repeat consuming the fruit. Select any one time of the day to eat the fruit. The best way to eat dates for lunch is to add the fruit in salad. You can even have dates with wrapped meals. You might cover the fruit either with vegetables or with fish. However, do not munch on the fruit after having heavy meals. As dates have fiber, it may slow down your digestion and can upset your body.

If you like to take your dinner light, opt for a fruit salad and put some dates in it. You can also make some delicious sandwiches adding dates. Most of the time, people prefer eating dates out of hand. You can also include some dates in your pasta. But, be careful about taking dates at night. If you walk straight to bed after having dates at dinner, the results might not be suitable for your health.

Dates are mostly included in desserts because of the rich quality of their sweetness. Shutterstock.

Date Desserts

Who does not like to lift their taste buds with some delicious desserts? Have you ever thought about increasing the health value of desserts? If not, then start thinking now. Desserts might taste awesome, but they are not always better for health due to the presence of sugar in it. But, if you replace the sugar with dates, you can savor both the sweet taste and obtain nutrients from the dishes. Dates work perfectly as a natural sweetener as it has a high level of fructose in it. The caramel-tasting fruit compliments the maximum number of dessert dishes.

Bake a few dates into some muffins, and you have a very delightful snack. Shutterstock.

Dates in Muffins

Christmas cakes are incomplete without dates. The fruit enhances every baking recipe instantly. When you bite on the cake and feel the taste of the sweet, soft, and often nutty dates, it gives you a heavenly feeling. If you are into baking, you can try out preparing new recipes of muffins or cakes using the date palms. This is a great way to get the nutrients along with savoring something lip-smacking. You can simply add dates in your pumpkin oats muffins. The dish tastes delicious, and the cooking time is less as well.

Dates can also be crushed and added to cookies for a delightful treat. Shutterstock.

Honey-Date-Stuffed Cookies

Dates are a good contributor in the baking game. No matter what you bake, the fruit is there to support every item. Apart from cakes and muffins, you can opt to prefer some delicious and healthy cookies to feed your tummy. One of the most excellent examples is honey-date stuffed cookies. As its name, the cookies taste delicious too. Moreover, it has the nutrients of honey besides the dates. If you want to make the dish more palatable, you might include peanut butter and varieties of nuts along with the honey and date stuffing.

Making your own orange syrup to add to date bread is a dessert everyone in your family will love. Shutterstock.

Date-Stuffed Bread with Orange Syrup

Have you tried out orange syrup with dates? If you are yet to try, without any delay, prepare the date-stuffed bread with orange syrups at home today. If you have kids, the dish is a must-try one. Orange juice and dates taste delicious together. Furthermore, both the ingredients are good for health. However, when preparing the meal, opt for the organic orange syrup to maintain the health benefits.

Add a few dates to your morning porridge, and you have a very heart-healthy meal. Shutterstock.

Creamy Porridge with Dates

Hot creamy porridge with some dates is the most wholesome dessert dish to relish. The recipe is perfect to have both at breakfast and for evening snacks. It keeps you full and brings out a happy mood to spend the overall day. All you need is a cup of milk, 2-3 drops of vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, nuts, and of course, the prime ingredient of the dish- lots of dates!

Share dates as a snack during TV night, and your friends and family will love it. Shutterstock.

Include Dates In Your Balanced Diet

Dates work outstandingly if you consume it rightly. Daily life schedules are hectic. Thus, it is essential to supply your body with the right choice of compounds. With dates, you get the most crucial ingredients that one requires to stay healthy. It is a complete package of power-compounds. But, you should always check the quality of the items before consuming it. Generally, the dried dates remain intact.

The problem occurs in choosing the fresh dates. Hence, whenever you are purchasing dates, opt for the plump looking one. If the dates have crystallized sugar on the surface, do not make the mistake of buying it. You can store the dates in your refrigerator straight for six months, keeping them in an air-tight container.

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-dates/

https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/top-10-health-benefits-of-dates/#gref/

https://www.thespruceeats.com/recipes-using-sweet-dried-dates-4137302/

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