Eat 2 Dates Every Day for Good Health

• Because of the distance, they have to travel to get to American tables, dates are frequently sold dried.
• The nutritional benefits of eating dates are many.
• Try eating just 2 of them every day for one week and see what happens to your body.

Dates are the small, oval fruits of the date palm tree, grown in tropical climates. Because of the distance, they have to travel to get to American tables, dates are frequently sold dried, which concentrates their sweetness and gives them a pleasingly chewy texture. Honestly, eating dates can feel a lot like indulging in gummy candy – except that they are a lot healthier.

The nutritional benefits of eating dates are many. Just one 3.5 ounce serving has about 20% of your daily requirement for potassium along with 7 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, and several types of antioxidants. Dates also contain a nice amount of copper, manganese, vitamin B6, magnesium, and iron.

Whatever variety you choose and whether dried or fresh, dates offer some really great health benefits. Try eating just 2 of them every day for one week and see what happens to your body.

Better Digestion

Fiber is a critical component of healthy digestion despite that fact that we don’t actually digest it. Instead, fiber adds bulk to your stools. It sounds crazy, but that actually helps your body push waste through the colon and eliminate it more easily and regularly.

Dates have a hefty 7 grams of fiber per 3.5 ounce serving, so they’re a great way to add more to your diet. You can chop some up and sprinkle them on oatmeal for an even bigger boost, but it is best to work up to this meal. Fibershould be added gradually to the diet lest it causes the very constipation you’re trying to prevent.

Sustained Energy

Despite the fact that dates are quite sweet, they don’t spike your blood sugar. It’s the fiber once again that deserves the credit. Fiber slows digestion and evens out the rate at which the sugar in dates hits your blood stream. You won’t have a spike and subsequent crash when you enjoy dates, but rather a sustained source of energy.

So despite their candy-like taste, dates are considered a low-glycemic food, meaning that they score low on the test that measures how quickly blood sugar rises after eating specific foods.

Significant Disease Prevention

Dates are high in several types of antioxidant, which are compounds capable of binding with and neutralizing free radicals in the body. Free radicals tend to cause cellular damage until they are neutralized, which increases the risk of many common diseases. Dates have been found to have the highest level of antioxidants of all related fruits, including figs and plums. The three most potent antioxidants in dates are as follows:

• Flavonoids: Flavonoids are antioxidants known reduce inflammation in the body. They have been extensively studied and found to reduce the risk of diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and some kinds of cancer.
• Carotenoids: Carotenoids are antioxidants that do a lot to support the health of your heart; they may also work to keep your eyes healthy by lowering the risk macular degeneration and cataracts.
• Phenolic acid: Another strong anti-inflammatory, phenolic acid is thought to reduce your risk of developing heart disease or cancer.