It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so look no further for your next date than here at FreshVibes!
Did you know?
Dates are considered the oldest fruit in the world. There is evidence that traces them back
almost 50 million years ago! This delicious and nutritious fruit has its origins in the Middle East
and Northern Africa. Due to the similar climate, most of the date palm trees in the United
States are grown in California. Since the early 1920’s there has been an Annual Date Festival
celebrating this tasty treat. There are many different varieties of dates, but here in America we
mostly use deglet noor and medjool varieties.
Sweet AND Healthy? Yes!
There are many benefits of dates that are essential to our health. Due to the fact that they are a
dried fruit they are higher in calories similarly to raisins and figs. Despite them being higher in
calories, they are full of nutrients: Potassium, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, Iron, and
Vitamin B6. Other added benefits include:
- Get the Colon Rollin’: Dates are high in fiber, which will help your body’s digestive health. The
fiber content in dates can assist in blood sugar regulation after eating. Additionally, dates have
a low glycemic index. Because of this, dates are a great natural sweetener to add into your diet
if you are watching your sugar levels.
- Fight Off Diseases: Dates are loaded with antioxidants, which help protect your cells from free
radicals that can lead to disease. Compared to the similar types of fruit, such as figs and dried
plums, dates have the highest level of antioxidants. The three most potent antioxidants dates
contain are flavonoids, carotenoids, and phenolic acid.
- Get Smarter: Well, maybe not. But dates do help improve brain health. In an animal study, it
was found that mice who ate dates had better memory, learning ability, and less anxiety
behaviors. The brain health enhancing properties in dates include the antioxidant, flavonoids.
Flavonoids help reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Labor Promotion: All the mamas out there, listen up! Research has found that eating dates in
the late stages of pregnancy may promote cervical dilation. The women who ate the dates in
the remaining few weeks of their pregnancy were 20% more likely to go into natural labor than
those who did not.
- Sweet as Sugar: …But better for you! Dates serve as a natural sweetener and can be used as a
healthy substitute for white sugar. The easiest way to make this substitution is through date
paste, which is simply dates and water mixed in a blender.
Dates are a beneficial fruit that, when used sparingly, can add a sweet boost to your food.
There are many ways to incorporate this treat into your diet: eat them paired with other foods
such as nuts or nut butters, make a date paste, or add them to smoothies! At FreshVibes, you
will find dates in your favorite smoothies like the Hardcore Herbivore and the Cacao Pow!
Check out some recipes to add them into your lifestyle!
Orange, Almond, & Date Salad:
https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-orange-almond-date-saladrecipes-from-the-kitchn-168307
Date Paste:
References:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-dates#section5
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