These dried dates health benefits will surely compel you to add them to your daily diet without fail!
What are Dried Dates?
A ‘date’ is an edible, tropical, sweet stone-fruit that grows on the ‘Date palm’ tree in small clusters. Its botanical name is ‘Phoenix dactylifera’ and belongs to the Arecaceae family. It can be eaten fresh or in a dried form. There are different categories of dates, like soft, semi-dry, and dry ones, and are manually dried to increase life span and to prevent fungal growth and coliforms.
Types of Dry Dates
There’re different types of dried dates available, namely:
- Halawy dates
- Hayani dates
- Iteema dates
- Kalmi dates
- Khadrawy dates
- Khola dates
- Khudri dates
- Mabroom dates
- Maktoom dates
- Medjool dates
- Migraf dates
- Safawi dates
- Saghai dates
- Thoory dates, and
- Saidy dates.
Nutritional Info
Dried dates have nutrients and fiber along with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that give you many health benefits, including the reduced risk of heart and diabetes-like diseases.
200 gms of Dried dates contains
- Calories 532
- Total Fat – 0.4 g
- Cholesterol – 0mg
- Total Carbohydrate – 142.6 g
- Protein – 4.4 g
Vitamins & Minerals
- Vitamin A – 26 µg
- Vitamin B6 – 0.32 mg
- Calcium – 142 mg
- Vitamin C – 1 mg
- Folate – 38 µg
- Vitamin B1 – 0.14 mg
- Niacin – 3.6 mg
- Vitamin B2 – 0.08 mg
- Pantothenic Acid – 1.88 mg
- Vitamin E – 2.8 mg
- Potassium – 1100 mg
- Phosphorus – 116 mg
- Magnesium – 120 mg
- Sodium – 2 mg
- Zinc – 0.8 mg
- Iron – 1.6 mg
- Copper – 0.8 mg
- Manganese – 0.76 mg
Dried Dates Health Benefits
Below are some dried dates health benefits that’ll amaze you!
1. Promotes Cardiovascular Health
Dried dates have potassium, magnesium, and calcium that keeps the blood pressure under control. Furthermore, it’s a rich source of antioxidants like flavonoids and carotenoids, reducing the damage caused by free radicals.
2. Prevents Constipation
Dry dates contain dietary fiber that helps you to get rid of constipation because of its laxative effect. It promotes bowel movements by keeping your colon clear, thereby giving you smooth digestion.
3. Improves Bone Health
A dry date is a good source of calcium, potassium, and phosphorus along with magnesium-like nutrients that strengthen the bones and improves its health as well.
4. Energy Booster
Dates in dried form are high in iron along with raisins and figs like calorie-content that works as a perfect energy booster. Furthermore, dry dates contain carbohydrates in high amounts, which makes it a perfect candidate to use as an energy booster.
5. A Boon for Your Hair
This palm tree date fruit is a boon for your hair because of its high nutritional elements like vitamin A, C, E, along with zinc and protein that gives you a healthy scalp and repairs the brittle hair strands, split ends, and dryness as well.
6. Prevents Diabetes & Cancer
Fruits of palm trees are a rich source of anti-diabetic compounds like phenols, flavonoids, steroids, and saponins. Furthermore, it has antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties that fight against oxidative stress caused by free radicals, thereby preventing diabetes and cancer.
7. Fight Against Aging
When collagen production is decreased in the body it causes premature aging. But don’t worry as dry dates have vitamin C that boosts the collagen production in the body, thereby eradicating the fine lines and wrinkles. Furthermore, it detoxifies your body, thanks to its anti-oxidant properties.
8. Tackle Anaemia
Dry dates are a great source of vital mineral for the body, i.e. iron, that helps you to fight against anemia. When your diet lacks iron and essential nutrients to maintain the red blood cells in the body, this condition is called anemia.
9. Improves the Female Reproductive System
The consumption of dried dates enhances the function of the female reproductive system by controlling the hormones responsible for reproduction with the help of the phytochemical compounds like phytoestrogens.
10. Helpful in Late Pregnancy
Dried date contains tannins compounds that facilitate the contractions of smooth muscles of the cervix, and it decreases the length of labor processes along with reducing the need for oxytocin for accelerating labor in late pregnancy. Furthermore, natural sugar and calories present in the date fruit also maintains the energy-level during labor.
Dates are very nutritious, both fresh or in dried form. In fact, you can include dried dates in your food, as a snack or as a sweetener!