Are dates good for you? Absolutely!!

In fact, they are nutritional powerhouses. Dates are packed with an impressive list of essential minerals, vitamins, fibre, and nutrients that offer an even more impressive list of health benefits. Here are a few:

Antioxidant Rich

Dates contain a natural balance of the essential minerals magnesium, manganese, copper and selenium. Copper is required for the production of red blood cells, while Magnesium is essential for bone growth. Manganese and Selenium are important in protecting the body for free radicals and infection.

Heart and Blood Health

• Research found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that for every 100 miligrams of magnesium a person consumes daily, stroke risk was reduced by 9%.
• Magnesium has also been shown to reduce blood pressure. Dates also contain potassium which also aids in reducing blood pressure.
• Fresh California dates, Deglet Noor, and Medjool varieties, are both now certified by the American Heart Association. Duzu Dates imports Organic Medjool Dates Aziz Farms located in Palm Desert, California. For more on why dates are a healthy choice, visit: https://www.healthambition.com/health-benefits-dates-fruits and https://oasisdate.com/why-dates/healthy-choice

High in Dietary Fibre

Fibre is essential for promoting colon health and for an efficient digestive system. Three medjool dates contain 12% of the recommended daily fibre intake. Dates (and other fruits) aid in cleaning out the gastrointestinal system, which can reduce risk of colitis, colon cancer, and hemorrhoids.

Natural Source of Energy

Dates contain only natural sugars, which are easily converted to energy by the body. These sugars are easily converted to glycogen, stored in the liver and muscle cells to be used as energy.

What’s the difference between natural sugar and other sugars?

Refined sugars are sugars extracted from sugar cane or sugar beets, and add calories without offering any nutritional benefits. These sugars are most often found in cakes, cookies, pastries, and the like. Not only do these sugars leave the body feeling hungry, they spike the glycemic index.

Natural sugars, such as those found in dates, are metabolized more slowly due to the fibre found in fruits. This slows down your body’s absorption of glucose, so one doesn’t get that insulin spike and subsequent crash that can occur with refined sugars. This also means your body has time to utilize the glucose as energy before storing it as fat.

For that reason, dates are considered a low glycemic food. Read more about using dates as a valuable sugar replacement in this article “Are Dates the New Glycemic Sugar Substitute�: http://www.fromthegrapevine.com/israeli-kitchen/are-dates-new-low-glycemic-sugar-substitute