DATES – NUTRITIOUS AND HEALTHY

If you want to be healthy, don’t miss out on the goodness of dates. Dates contain a wide range of essential nutrients and have many potential health benefits. Because of this, one study concluded that dates are almost an ideal food.

Dates are packed with nutrients your body needs. Just one serving of dates (about 100 grams or 4 dates) contains a high percentage of your recommended daily amount of: copper: 40% (0.362 mg), magnesium: 15% (54 mg), manganese: 14% (0.296 mg), potassium: 23% (696 mg), and Vitamin B6: 17% (0.249 mg) (USDA figures).

Dates have many health benefits too – they improve gut health, help prevent chronic diseases, promote brain health, give you more youthful skin, boost energy, strengthen bones, prevent constipation, help your body fight infections, and lots more.

They are particularly great as a complete sugar substitute because, unlike sugar, they have so many positive accompanying substances.

But as dates are high in natural sugars and calories, it’s important to eat them in moderation. For diabetics, studies say 1-2 dates per serving is generally considered safe – but eat them together with other foods (eg: with nuts, yoghurt, or other protein-rich foods) to slow down sugar absorption.