Dates: fruits of the tree of life
Do you know that dates are one of the oldest cultivated fruits in the world? The date palm was known in the past as the tree of life. The name is not an exaggeration, since this wonderful fruit is extremely nutritious brimming with important nutrients for our health. A research published in Int J Food Sci Nutr showed that The fruits of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) contain a high percentage of carbohydrate (total sugars, 44-88%), fat (0.2-0.5%), 15 salts and minerals, protein (2.3-5.6%), vitamins and a high percentage of dietary fibre (6.4-11.5%). The fruits contains more natural sugar than any other fruits. Ten medium sized dates contain a generous 25 percent of fiber needs and 15 % of daily potassium needs.
The potassium help control your blood pressure in check. In addition, dates contain elemental fluorine that is useful in preventing teeth from decay. Another element in date, selenium, help prevent cancer and important in immune function. Study in Harvard School of Public Health demonstrated relation between date and blood pressure level. The researcher found that men eating a fruit-rich diet had lower blood pressure readings than men who consumed little fruit.
There are three main kinds of date: soft, hard, and semi-dry. If you go to your local grocery store, most likely you would find the third kind which are more aromatic but are less sweet than the other types. The good news for date fans is that they are available in packaged from year round. Use dates for your favorite meal:
- topping off your cereal
- mixing it with almond or walnut half for munchies, fruit salads, bread recipes, muffin
- adding it to vegetables, rice, beans or meats
