Date Nutrition – What Are The Nutrients In Dates?
Do you know what is the connection between fruits and dates? Fruits have lots of healthy benefits, but most people don’t know they can benefit from the goodness found in certain fruits and dates. Let me share with you some of the many health benefits you can get from eating a fruit or two a day. Eating fruits regularly will provide you with the amount of calcium your body needs to stay strong and healthy.
The first connection I want to make is dates nutrition. For ages women have enjoyed the sweetness and flavor of dates. From dessert dates to preserves and pickles, you can use them in all kinds of recipes. In fact, if you don’t like the sweetness that the fruits have to offer, there are other sweeteners you can use instead.
If you eat one to two fresh dates a day you can lower your risk of developing diabetes. It’s been found that dates contain a type of sugar that raises blood glucose levels. By lowering your intake of sugary foods you can also lower your risk of having a stroke. Since most people consume large amounts of these sugary drinks during the day, eating a couple of dates can help you cut down on your intake of soda and other high calorie drinks. If you drink one to two cups of coffee a day you can see a similar effect on your intake of coffee.
Calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and fiber are all beneficial nutrients found in dates. These nutrients help keep your body functioning properly. By giving you a higher daily value for each of these nutrients, you will be getting a lot more out of every date. Here’s a breakdown of the nutritional values each date provides:
Amount of Calcium: Calcium is responsible for strong bones and teeth. By consuming six grams of calcium a day you can lower your risk of developing osteoporosis. There are many benefits of this nutrient but it is one that is not often thought about. That’s because it is the number one dietary source of magnesium but it doesn’t provide a high amount of that mineral. By consuming four cups of dates you get a full gram of calcium for the day. This is almost half as much as what you receive from vegetables.
Amount of Potassium: One of the reasons why eating dates is beneficial is because it contains just over nine percent potassium. This mineral makes sure that your body keeps up proper fluid levels. Without enough fluid you can experience muscle cramps, dizziness and even weakness. One of the ways you can increase the amount of potassium you eat is to mix dates and peanut butter in a food processor. Once you add the dates and peanut butter to the mixture you have a delicious smoothie.
Amount of Phosphorus: Phosphorus is one of the most important minerals we need to stay healthy. It is an essential mineral that is required by the body to produce energy. A Phosphorous based diet can lead to an imbalance that can cause illness. A Phosphorus food review published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who are on a Phosphorus rich diet experience fewer heart attacks than those who aren’t. A Phosphorus food review published by the British Journal of Nutrition found that people on a Phosphorus rich diet had lower incident of depression than others.
These are only a few of the benefits of dates. They contain all of the nutrients our bodies need to be as healthy as possible, which makes them a good source of nutrition. However you want to make sure your diet is balanced and you’re getting enough levels of the minerals, nutrients and vitamins you need. Check out my article about what’s in dates for a complete food chemistry analysis of this amazing little fruit!