Health Benefits of  Dates

‘Jewels of the desert’, yes I m talking about the sweet and juicy fruit dates. Dates have been the staple food for the middle east and Indus valley for thousands of years. Dates have a very deep cultural significance too. They are tasty, sweet and a joy to have in your diet. Due to many macronutrients and other health benefits, dates are a great inclusion in your diet. 

Dates have many health benefits. If we are to mention all of them it will be a very long and boring blog to read. Today we will try to include some health benefits of dates so you can decide whether it’s a good inclusion to your diet or not. Here are some of the health benefits of dates.

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Nutrition: 

dates are very nutritious fruits. They have macronutrients and antioxidants. They have a large number of calories too. Here is what you get from 100 grams of dates or 6-8 pieces of dates

Energy     235 calories

Carbohydrates 75 g

Sugars(Carbohydrates )     63 g

Dietary fiber(Carbohydrates )     8 g

Fat 0.4 g

Protein 2.4 g

Thiamine (B1)    5% of RDI

Riboflavin (B2)    6% of RDI

Niacin (B3)    8% of RDI

Pantothenic acid (B5)    12% of RDI

Vitamin B6    13% of RDI

Folate (B9)    5% of RDI

Vitamin C    0.4 mg

Vitamin E    0.05 mg

Vitamin K    3%  of RDI

Calcium    4% of RDI

Iron    8% of RDI

Magnesium    12% of RDI

Manganese    12% of RDI

Phosphorus    9% of RDI

Potassium    14% of RDI

Sodium    2 mg

Zinc    0.29 mg

Here we can see that dates have a lot of calories which may seem bad but depending on the situation it’s an advantage. Traditionally Muslims have dates during ‘ifrat’. High calories of dates make it easy to recover after a long day of fasting. This can also apply to recovery from a long day of work. Apart from calories, they have a huge amount of minerals and vitamins for us. 

Healthy bowel movements: 

we know dietary fibers help in healthy bowel movement. Dates have high fiber content. If you eat dates regularly, you can ensure healthy bowel movements. High fiber contents of dates ensure your relief from constipation. 

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High in antioxidants: 

dates are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants bar the process of oxidation, preventing free-radical formation. Which saves your cells. Basically high antioxidants reduce the chances of diseases. Dates have many antioxidants, three of which are prominent. 

Phenolic acid: 

phenolic acid is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. It basically saves your heart. It is also known for its cancer-prevention nature. 

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Carotenoids: 

it is known to reduce macular degeneration which improves your ocular health. It basically helps keep your eyesight good and keep any eye diseases away. It also keeps your heart healthy. 

Flavonoids: 

well this one is my personal favorite. It has anti-inflammatory properties. It keeps your heart healthy. It reduces chronic diseases in diabetic patients. It helps in keeping good brain function. It prevents mental health-related diseases like Alzheimer’s. 

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Improves brain function: 

scientists found that the anti-inflammatory nature of antioxidants found in dates can lower interleukin-6 levels. Lower IL-6 means a lower chance of brain degradation. The chances of diseases like Alzheimer’s go down considerably. 

May ease natural labor: 

it is found that consuming dates at late periods of pregnancy may promote cervical dilation and ease natural labor. It has been found from the study that eating dates for the last few weeks of pregnancy can ease natural labor. It can be a great help for women. 

Now there is a push and awareness for natural labor in contrast to surgical labor. If we look at underdeveloped countries, most of the birth is from natural labor. Dates can be a great help to them. It can potentially lower the mortality rate during childbirth. 

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Natural sweetener: 

dates are very sweet due to their high fructose content. They are also sticky in nature. The combination of these two makes it a great natural sweetener. We can use dates instead of sugar for baking cookies and other desserts. Since the sugar of dates is natural, there will be zero added sugar in your food. 

Added sugar is the main reason for sickness. Using dates we can save ourselves from a lot of trouble. 

Dates were a blessing to dessert people for thousands of years. With their health benefits, they can be a blessing to all. They are sweet and tasty fruit, making them suitable for all occasions.