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Dates are fruits rich in benefits for health! Their presence abounds on our tables and in supermarkets especially during the Christmas holidays. They are cultivated mainly in Western Asia and Mediterranean Africa and their production takes place thanks to the date ball, a long-lived tree.
Dates nutritional values every 100g of product:
- Energy: 282 kcal
- Water: 20.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 75g - Of which sugars: 63.5g
- Fiber: 8g
- Fats: 0.4g - Saturated: 0.0039g
- Protein: 2.45g
- Micemic index: 55
Potassium: 656 mg
Properties of dates
As can be seen from the nutritional values, sleep dates rich in fibre (both soluble and insoluble), excellent for a good functioning of the digestive tract, to increase the sense of satiety and to control cholesterol levels in the blood.
Dry Dates, more widespread and easy to find than fresh ones, have a high concentration of sugar, an immediate source of energy for the body and, precisely for this reason, they lend themselves very well for breakfast or to sweeten drinks or confectionery preparations naturally (without having to add white or cane sugar)! They can be added to smoothies or they can be chopped and "shredded" to then join the muesli that we usually use (obviously it must be a natural muesli, not the packaged one already sweetened with honey or other sugars).
Dates are also a good source of vitamins of group B (B1, B2, B3 and B5.) and vitamin C and there is no shortage of mineral salts! They are very rich potassium and are therefore an excellent food for sportsmen! They lend themselves very well to sports of endurance (given the presence of sugars and energy immediately available) or as a post-workout.
In addition to potassium, among the mineral salts most present we find magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, selenium, calcium and iron.
In addition to the above mentioned, dates possess many other qualities beneficial to the organism:
- Relieve inflammation, especially those that affect the respiratory tract and are caused by Cold. Boiling the dates for a few minutes in the water, you get an ideal decoction against the cold, which helps relieve inflammation, find relief and get a faster recovery.
- Thanks to the high content of iron, dates are perfect for those suffering from anemia.
- They are a natural remedy in case of jambs: it is recommended to leave in "soaking" some dates in a little water for a night, in the morning on an empty stomach, consume the liquid and after the fruits.
- Also excellent for the view and, thanks above all to the phosphorus, for the brain functions!
- They are the "protagonists" of raw/crudiste diets (excellent in case of autoimmune pathologies).
Dates: Benefits in the diet
In conclusion, we can say that dates are a food to be considered a real ally! Of course they must be of biological origin, not treated with additives and other industrial substances and they must be used in the right way! Why is that? Because it is true that they are a food rich in benefits for the body and mind and that can be used by anyone but it is good to be careful in case there were problems with Diabetes or Iperglycemia (precisely because of the high sugar content!).They are also low in fat but still extremely caloric! Calories due almost exclusively to simple sugars and rapid absorption: if you are sporty the problem does not exist but, if you are on a slimming diet and what is more, the lifestyle and work are mainly sedentary, it is good to limit their consumption or temporarily eliminate them.
Curated by
Dott.ssa Patalano Myriam Biologist Nutritionist
Ischia Nutrizione Patalano