Dates: Benefits and harms to the human body
Delicious fruits are most often sold dried. The benefits and harms of dates for the human body are due to the chemical composition.
Composition and calorie content
The fruit, useful for the human body, contains a lot of vitamins and minerals. Food, biochemical and energy values determine the properties, benefits and harms of dates for humans.
Nutritional value of dates (100 g):
- proteins – 2.5 g;
- fats – 0.5 g;
- carbohydrates – 69.2 g;
- dietary fiber – 6 g;
- calorie content – 292 kcal.
What vitamins do dates contain:
- group B: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9;
- C;
- E;
- H;
- K;
- PP.
Mineral macro- and microelements:
- potassium;
- calcium;
- silicon;
- magnesium;
- phosphorus;
- iron;
- cobalt;
- manganese;
- copper;
- selenium;
- chromium;
- zinc.
What are the benefits of dried dates?
Dried fruits have a much higher concentration of beneficial nutrients than fresh ones. Due to their long shelf life, dates can be eaten to improve well-being all year round.
Why dates are useful for women and men:
- The rich vitamin and mineral composition strengthens the immune system.
- Regular consumption of dates strengthens the nervous, cardiovascular, and digestive systems.
- Anticancer activity is explained by their high content of antioxidants.
- Dates are introduced into the diet for giardiasis and amebiasis to enhance the effectiveness of the main treatment.
- Improving vision, relieving eye fatigue.
- Blood pressure normalization.
- Improving the condition of the skin, hair, nails.
- The fruits also have a tonic, tonic, expectorant, fat burning, disinfecting effect.
- A few dates before an athletic workout will help preserve muscle energy.
The benefits of dates for men and women are largely the same. However, there are several additional benefits depending on gender.
For women
The benefits of dates for a woman’s body:
- The libido-boosting ability of dates will help those with low sex drive.
- The manifestations of menopause will smooth out the regular use of dates.
- Iron in the composition of the fruit helps to make up for its lack during heavy periods.
For men
The benefits of dates for a man’s body:
- Potency problems can be avoided or reduced if these fruits are regularly eaten.
- The usefulness of dates for men lies in improving reproductive function, increasing physical endurance.
- Increased testosterone levels.
- The cleansing property of the fruit helps to remove substances from the man’s body that negatively affect the quality of the seminal fluid.
During pregnancy
It is permissible to eat the fruits while carrying a child with the permission of the attending physician.
Useful properties of dates for pregnant women:
- promote the development of the fetus;
- strengthen the walls of the uterus;
- increase the level of hemoglobin;
- make childbirth less painful.
When breastfeeding
In the absence of an allergic reaction in a baby, a nursing mother can begin to gradually introduce dates into her diet as early as a month after childbirth. Fruits help women cope with postpartum depression, and breast milk makes them more nutritious and tasty. Boosting immunity protects mother and child when there is a risk of contracting an infectious disease.
It is normal to eat 2-4 dates a day. At the same time, it is recommended to follow the drinking regime. If the baby has digestive problems, dates should be removed from the diet at least for a while.
For kids
It is permissible to introduce date fruits into the diet of infants from 10-12 months. It is allowed to add them to compote or wipe them in puree.
What are the benefits of fruits for children’s health:
- strengthen the body;
- help to recover from illness;
- enrich the diet with vitamins and minerals necessary for the developing body;
- improve brain activity;
- strengthen the skeletal system.
When losing weight
Dates contribute to the normalization of weight both when losing weight and when gaining the missing pounds. The main thing is, if you want to lose weight, do not exceed the norm of fruits in the diet allowed by the nutritionist.
What are the benefits of dates for the body during weight loss:
- quickly saturate, stopping hunger attacks for a long time;
- allow you to replace sugar in some dishes, for example, baked goods;
- sucrose contained in fruits becomes an energy reserve, and not fatty deposits;
- remove excess water, slags, toxins from the body.
Harm and contraindications
When you can’t eat dates:
- allergic reaction;
- stomach ulcer;
- inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- urolithiasis disease;
- overweight;
- migraine;
- frequent headaches;
- diabetes;
- caries.
Dates can be harmful if consumed excessively. Also, you can not combine fruits with acidic and carbohydrate foods, as this can cause indigestion.
Application in traditional medicine
Ways to use dates to improve your well-being and preserve your beauty:
- Regular consumption of fruits has a general strengthening effect on the body.
- A decoction in water relieves cough.
- A decoction of dates is recommended for colds and acute respiratory viral infections.
- Tincture on water helps against various intoxications. Including from an alcoholic hangover.
- Date syrup is used for weight loss.
- The fruits are ground to make masks and creams for skin and hair.
Cough
To get rid of a dry, prolonged cough, traditional medicine recommends drinking a decoction of dates in milk before going to bed. To prepare it, rinse 7 dates, pour 250 ml of cold milk, cook on the stove for up to 10 minutes. Next, you need to cool the liquid to an acceptable temperature for drinking and drink, and eat the fruits themselves.
Constipation
If you are prone to constipation, dates are recommended to be made a permanent food product. Dried fruits contain a lot of dietary fiber, which, when passing through the gastrointestinal tract, stimulates peristalsis, helps to cleanse the intestines, and adsorbs poisonous and toxic substances on itself. You can soak dates in water overnight and eat them in the morning. It is also useful to add to compotes, sweet dishes, pastries, but you should not abuse it either.
Another popular recipe for constipation:
- Rinse 10 fruits, peel.
- Grind with a blender until pasty.
- Add 1 tbsp. l. soft butter and 0.5 tbsp. l. freshly ground black pepper.
- Stir until smooth.
- Take in the morning on an empty stomach.
Heartburn
Traditional medicine recommends eating 2-3 fruits at the first signs of heartburn. You need to chew thoroughly, as long as possible.
Correct use
Compliance with simple rules for the use of dates will help you get the most benefit and avoid possible harm:
- The permissible norm per day for an adult is 10 pcs. It is important to consider which dates are in size. 10 is the number of fruits with average parameters. For example, 7-8 royal dates can be used. in a day.
- 3-4 pieces are enough for a child. in a day.
- It is better to eat in the first half of the day, so that the dates have time to be digested by the evening.
- Cannot be combined with citrus fruits, so as not to provoke stomach problems.
- Exceeding the daily intake of dates can cause constipation.
- It is imperative to wash dates, especially if they have been treated with chemicals, syrup or fat, or sold without sealed packaging. To do this, they are poured into a colander and washed with cool running water.
Diabetes
The glycemic index of fresh fruits is 70-75 units, dried – 165-200 units. The indicator is quite high, therefore, it is extremely undesirable to eat dates with diabetes. But in situations where sugar levels need to be raised urgently, this is a great option.
Pancreatitis
It is permissible to use only in the stage of stable remission. In this case, the daily rate should be prescribed by the attending physician. During an exacerbation, the fruit can cause intestinal cramps, bloating.
Gastritis
When the acute phase has passed, the state of health is normalized, it is allowed to consume 50-70 g of dates per day. By eating them 15 minutes before lunch.
For weight loss
Despite the high calorie content and glycemic index, dates can be included in some types of diets. This is due to their nutritional value, dietary fiber content, and their ability to quickly saturate. Dulling the acute feeling of hunger. In addition, there is even a date diet.
Dates can be used as a substitute for sugar in sweet dishes. Date syrup plays a similar role. The main thing when losing weight is not to eat more than 2-3 fruits per day.
The beneficial properties of dates are due to their rich biochemical composition. At the same time, the fruits are high-calorie, have a high glycemic index, therefore, in some cases, they cannot be eaten.