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ALPHAPEDIA

DATES: Benefits, Properties and Contraindications

The date is a fruit produced by the date palm; it is a berry of different colors, among which yellow, red and black predominate; its flesh or pulp is completely soft, aromatic and with a sweet and unique flavor; inside, it has an elongated bone in the form of a longitudinal groove.

This kind of fruit can be eaten both fresh and dry, and it is a basic food for all those people who live in North Africa and the Near East, from where the main international productions come from. Within the nutritional values of dates stand out carbohydrates, fibers, lipids, vitamins and minerals, being an essential food for all those people who want to stay healthy. It belongs to the following classification of fruits; fruits rich in fiber, antioxidant fruits, fruits with vitamin C, fruits with potassium, fruits good for digestion, laxative fruits, tropical fruits, fruits with iron, among others.

Origin of the Date

  • The date is produced mainly in countries whose climate tends to be completely arid, this is because the plant is mostly called a palm tree and needs to grow in regions with arid climates. Thanks to this, the main origin of this fruit is located in the African continent.
  • Many sources at present, continue handling the data that the origin of the date took place in Saudi Arabia, nevertheless, between the most out-standing studies, they stand out the dates and their long and extensive production in Iraq, in which every day they advance with better results on it.
  • From the chronological point of view, it is thought that the cultivation of dates originated approximately 3000 years B.C.; in which in prehistoric times they assure that dates were venerated as a good omen coming from the kindness of human beings.

Properties of the Date

Among the main nutritional properties of this wonderful fruit such as the date, people find the following:

  • The date is considered a dry fruit, so that its water content is completely reduced, giving rise and passage to different concentrations of nutrients. Its caloric value is extremely high, more than anything else, because of its abundance of simple carbohydrates and sugars.
  • They are indispensable sources of potassium, iron and calcium, as well as provitamin A, or what represents the beta-carotene, in the same way, provides niacin or B3. On the other hand, the vitamin C that it contains, is lost completely, being constituted more than everything by main sources in soluble fiber as much as insoluble, reason why it confers him of direct way, healthy properties to improve the intestinal transit.
  • The beta-carotene that it provides is transformed into vitamin, more than anything, according to what the body really needs; this vitamin is indispensable for the vision, as well as, for the good state of the skin, of the mucous membranes, of the hair, of the bones and of the good operation of the immune system in general.

Benefits of Fresh Dates

Among the main benefits of this wonderful fruit, as is the date, people are with the following:

  1. The date is good for constipation, since it is often considered a completely laxative food, that is why it is always recommended for those people who suffer from constipation frequently; they are fruits that have high levels of soluble fiber, helping to promote healthy bowel movements and a comfortable intestinal tract.
  2. The date is ideal for bone health and resistance, due to the amount of minerals found in its properties, making them perfect foods to strengthen and directly combat painful and debilitating diseases, such as osteoporosis. Thanks to its content in selenium, magnesium and copper, it is ideal for the development and strengthening of healthy bone.
  3. The date is ideal for intestinal disorders, since it is believed that the nicotine content in dates is extremely beneficial for curing different types of intestinal disorders, helping to inhibit the growth of different pathological organisms and in turn, stimulating the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines.
  4. Dates are indispensable for all those who suffer from anemia, as they contain high levels of minerals, which are beneficial for many health conditions, but, in general terms, the impressive levels of iron they provide make them a perfect dietary supplement for individuals suffering from anemia.
  5. Thanks to the iron it possesses, it balances the inherent lack of iron in different anemic patients, helping to increase both energy and strength in the body, while helping to decrease the feeling of fatigue and sluggishness that is constantly experienced.
  6. The date is also indispensable for all those people who suffer from constant allergies, since one of the most important aspects of dates is the pleasant presence of organic sulfur that it possesses, helping to reduce allergic reactions and seasonal allergies.
  7. Likewise, dates help to reinforce the energy that is dispersed throughout the day in the body, since they are rich in natural sugars, among which glucose, fructose and sucrose stand out; therefore, when consumed frequently, they have an immediate effect in terms of energy explosion.
  8. Next, dates help in the health of the nervous system, making it stimulate its functionality; among the remarkable properties of this, it stands out the potassium, which is the main ingredient in promoting the proper functioning of the healthy and completely sensitive nervous system, as well as, to improve the speed and monitoring of brain activity.
  9. It is a perfect fruit to keep the heart healthy and stable, since they are a rich source of potassium, demonstrating that they can help reduce the risk of a stroke and different diseases related to the heart.
  10. Finally, dates are good for abdominal cancer, since different studies have affirmed that it helps reduce the risk and impact of abdominal cancer, functioning as a tonic for all ages, without having side effects.

Types of Dates

Within the different types, varieties or crops of dates, people can find the following:

Barhi Date

It is a kind of crop that was introduced in California in 1913, coming from Basra, Iraq. It is an almost cylindrical variety, with amber color, completely clear, going to dark brown when it is mature. Its skin is soft, with a completely thick pulp and with a unique flavor in its species. It turns out to be a variety of excellent quality.

Dayri Date or Monastery Date

It is a variety that came to the United States from Dayri, Iraq, in 1913. It is an elongated crop, completely thin, almost black and soft-skinned. The palm of this culture requires very special cares; it is one of the varieties mostly cultivated in this country.

Deglet Noor Date

It is a date that is often found in places of Tunisia and Algeria, in the former, being cultivated inside different oases and such cultivation is exported to many regions around the world. In the United States it was introduced in the late 1900s. It is a semi-dry variety, which is not very sweet.

Halawi Date

This kind of date is extremely soft, completely sweet in comparison to other crops, they come in different sizes, however, they do not go beyond medium fruits; normally they tend to dry out during their ripening, making the palm a little weaker with the passing of time. It is a humidity tolerant variety.

Hayani Date

It is one of the most widely seen crops in the world, often produced in Egypt. It is a variety that is not easy to cure, selling completely fresh. Its fruit is of dark red color, throwing in many occasions, to black. On the other hand, its structure is soft and its palm tree is tolerant to the cold.

Khadrawi Date

It is an important fruit in regions of Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and is often grown in the United States in California and Arizona. It is a variety that appeals mostly to Arabs. Its quality is passable, it is considered a soft date, of early maturity, although in most cases, it is not very well preserved.

Maktoom Date

It is a fruit of both red and dark brown color, which when ripe becomes black; it is considered a high quality food, with extremely thick, soft and floury skin; it is a medium-sweet crop and is completely resistant to moisture.

Medjool Date

It is a crop that was mostly exported from Morocco; at present, it is marketed in places in the United States as a completely luxury date. Its skin is thick, it is a big, delicious and sweet fruit, while its cultivation is easy to transport to different places.

Thoory Date

It is a crop that belongs mostly to the customs of Algeria, often growing in California. Its fruit is totally dry, and when cured, it becomes red-brown, and in many cases, with blue flashes. Its skin is wrinkled, while its pulp is hard and brittle, but its taste is sweet and good.

Date Tree

The date tree is considered a completely erect palm tree, which reaches levels between 100 and 120 feet, this is approximately 30/38 meters high; on the other hand, the trunk of this palm tree is covered from the ground, with the superposition of different and persistent completely woody bases, more than anything, with fallen or cut leaves pointing upwards.

After they are between 6 and 16 years old, this palm begins to produce numerous sprouts of its fruit around the base of the trunk. In the same way, its leaves are pinnate, of up to 25 feet, a total of 7 centimeters; which are composed of a thorny petiole completely, besides having a robust central nerve, from which many ruffles emerge, mostly of gray and greenish color.

For its part, its flowers are totally fragrant, extremely small, the females are usually whitish, and males, are usually waxy cream, which are born in a branched spadix, which is divided between 25 and 150 strings, between 12 and 30 inches.

A large inflorescence can have up to 10,000 flowers; among the different palms, some may have strings with different flowers, both male and female, and in other cases, completely hermaphrodite. When the development of its fruits occurs, the stem can support a long bunch of up to 2 meters, while it is curved by the weight of the fruits.

On the other hand, the fruit of this palm is completely oblong, measuring a total of 8 centimeters long; it is dark brown, although its tonalities also vary, between reddish, or yellowish if this one is mature; its skin is thin, with a completely sweet pulp and a completely elongated cylindrical nucleus.

Does The Date Get You Fat?

The date is a fruit that provides a high energy power to the human body, compared to other types of foods, mostly of vegetable origin, but although it has high caloric levels, it is not recommended to remove it completely from the diet in thinning, on the contrary, if people control the exact portions of this fruit, it provides an ideal energy level for diets, so it does not allow people to fatten

Does the Date Have Fiber ?

The date abounds in composition of fiber, more than everything, soluble, having the capacity to form different viscous gels that manage to fix so much to the fat, as to the cholesterol, diminishing all absorption of these substances; main reason for which, its consumption must be moderate.

In the same way, thanks to the insoluble fibers that it contributes, the date turns out to be an effective food for the constipation, increasing the speed of the intestinal traffic and with it, the evacuation of the faeces, for its power on having been a fruit laxative.

Does the Date Have sugar?

In the past, it was thought that consuming dates frequently could represent risk levels mostly for patients suffering from diabetes, due to their high sugar content.

However, despite the fact that it is a fruit with high caloric levels, it is not directly related to the levels of glycemic indexes that dates have, making it an ideal fruit to be consumed by patients suffering from diabetes, overweight or obesity.

Does The Date Get You Fat At Night?

Since people are aware of the high caloric content that dates have, it is thought that this will make different remodeling in certain nutritional situations and, they are wrong.

It is always necessary to emphasize that although it is a food high in calories, it constitutes an ideal and important source of energy, which easily would be needed so much in the day, as in the night. If people consume it with extreme care, the levels of calories ingested will be controlled and would not modify the weight of individuals, neither during the day nor at night.

Is Date Diuretic ?

Since ancient times, the date is considered an ideal food to be diuretic or purifying extremely natural, not only allowing an increase in intestinal transit in a remarkable way, but also helps to eliminate all the liquids that people retain in their body, making them expelled easily by the process of urine, thus avoiding fluid retention in the blood.

Is Date Good for Digestion ?

Thanks to its ample fiber content, in addition to other components of the date, this fruit helps notably to prevent diseases of highly digestive origin, since it acts as a powerful depurative for the organism, helping to facilitate any stomach discomfort, either caused by constipation or problems of indigestion.

Does the Date Let You Lose Weight ?

Although the date is not a fruit that makes people fat, neither is it considered a food that helps people lose weight, because in any case, it provides high levels of calories, carbohydrates and sugars.

However, although it does not help people to lose weight, it is a fruit that keeps each individual in his weight, therefore, this is not modified, neither to get fat, nor to reduce; it is recommended to consume it frequently, measuring the exact rations by the components, vitamins and minerals that it has, which are ideal for the health in general.

Calories of the Date

Within the composition per 100 grams of edible portion of the date, this incredible fruit contributes a total of 228 calories to the human body, representing one of the foods with the highest caloric value to the body in general.

In the same way, it is in charge of contributing other indispensable elements for the human body; among those that stand out the carbohydrates, with a total of 58 grams; proteins 2.9 grams; a total in fiber of 6 grams; potassium 590 milligrams, iron 1.1 milligrams, magnesium 46 milligrams, calcium a total of 52 milligrams; among others.

Date History and Prices

Different dried fruits were already part of the traditional cuisine in different countries in the Middle Ages; among these fruits were apricot puffs, raisins, and plums, among others; however, in Europe, a strange taste for both plums and dates began to be noticed.

With time, this fruit began to expand rapidly, mostly in places like Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and regions of North Africa, being implemented today, as a traditional and unique fruit of those areas.

In the same way, there is another theory that states that dates were originally exactly from the Middle East, as well as from North Africa, and given their high production, they are often found today, soft dates, semi-dry dates and totally dry dates.

Their price is generally estimated between 10 and 15 Dollars per Kilogram.

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DATES: Benefits, Properties and Contraindications
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DATES: Benefits, Properties and Contraindications
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The Date. Fattening or Medicinal. It's Good for Diabetics. Recommended Daily Amount to be Ingested. Its History and Price
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ALPHAPEDIA
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