How much did you know about the benefits of eating dates on an empty stomach? Find out why it should be part of your regular diet.
Dates are fruits from a date palm tree known as Phoenix dactylifera. A flowering plants from Palmaceae family. Dates are mostly cultivated because of their fresh fruits, with many benefits.
The health benefits of date fruits are many because of their disease-fighting antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-diabetic properties. (2).
Because of these phytonutrients, dates helps in promoting brain health, bone health, healthy heart, healthy skin and hair.
It prevents anaemia, sexual weakness, hypertension, diarrhoea, constipation, and abdominal cancer. It also prevents night blindness including other benefits which are included in the article. (3 4)
Health benefits of Date Fruits
Ripped dates have an excellent nutrition profile which helps us in several ways like
- It maintains a healthy Heart: Date fruits are essential for a healthy heart, the abundant potassium content of the fruits helps in preventing coronary heart disease, and stroke. The absence of cholesterol in the fruit also reduces bad cholesterol in the blood, improving the health of the heart. (5)
- Improves bone health: Dates Medjool is rich in magnesium, copper and other essential minerals that are required for healthy bone development. Regular consumption of the fruits can strengthen your bone, preventing certain chronic illnesses like osteoporosis and other diseases.
- Rich in iron: The high level of iron in dates makes it an ideal supplement for people with anaemia disease. It also improves the level of iron in people with iron deficiency.
Benefits of eating dates on an empty stomach
There are lots of potential health benefits of eating dates in the morning, especially on an empty stomach. They are high in calorie content, natural sweeteners, protein, fibre and other essential nutrients.
Eating the fruit on an empty stomach helps in gaining instant energy. It equally keeps you saturated throughout the day without feeling hungry. That is why it is used by Muslims while breaking their fast, to reduce the quest for food.
Eating dates on an empty stomach also cures constipation and equally promotes a regular bowel movement.
Benefits of dates for skin beauty
Date fruits are loaded with adequate nutritional compounds such as antioxidants, vitamin C, B5 and flavonoids. These essential elements offer great skincare benefits.
- The flavonoids and vitamin C in date keep your skin elastic, which prevents the occurrence of wrinkles on the face by resisting oxidation and accumulation of melanin in the body. It also improves the freshness and smoothness of the skin.
- The vitamin B5 helps in preventing stretch marks and other skin problems.
- The various antioxidant compounds in dates help in preventing the harmful effects of free radicals on the body, preventing premature ageing of the body.
Date benefits for hair growth
The hair follicles need enough nutrients for its growth and maintenance. dates being rich in iron and vitamin B5 improves the growth and maintenance of healthy hair. Deficiency of these nutrients may cause loss of hair and other hair related problems.
Benefits of dates with milk
Eating dates with milk has a lot of benefits for the body. Milk contains almost all the nutrients needed for body development except iron and fibre, and dates are the rich source of those compounds.
Eating dates with milk supplies the body with all the nutrients needed for growth and development. It can also help in
- Body defence
- Preventing constipation
- Energy-boosting
- Prevention of abdominal cancer
- Strengthening of the teeth and bones.
Health benefits of dates in weight loss
Date fruits are made up of proteins, calories, sugar and other essential vitamins that promote weight gain. However, eating fresh dates with cucumber keeps the body at a normal healthy weight, preventing overweight.
Date fruit and fertility benefits
Date has been in use for hundreds of years, both as a fruit and as a perfect home remedy for sexual weakness. The rich nutritional content of the fruit makes it used as an aphrodisiac.
Date fruits contain estradiol and flavonoid which helps to boost sperm count and mobility.
It enlarges the size of testicles in men, and also, the breast size in women.
Eating four to five dates a day with milk for about thirty days will boost the sexual performance of both men and women.
Dates and constipation benefits
According to a report from the University of Rochester Medical Center, insufficient intake of fibre causes constipation. Dates being a rich source of fibre can solve the problem. Adding dates to your diet will prevent constipation.
It promotes regular bowel movement, leading to the formation of a normal stool, hence improving digestive health.
The fibres in dates also help with blood sugar control. It slows digestion and also prevents the level of blood sugar from rising. This shows that dates have a low glycemic index.
Treatment of night blindness: The primary cause of night blindness is vitamin A deficiency. Date fruits being rich in vitamin A helps prevent this condition.
Statistics show that only a few people living around an area dominated by date palm trees suffer night blindness, compared to a place without the fruits.
Regular consumption of the fruits can help in keeping the eyes healthy. A date paste can also be made from the leaves of the palm tree and rubbed around the eyes to reduce night blindness. (5)
Dates promote brain health
Date fruits are loaded with vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids which help to keep brain cells healthy. The potassium in the fruit helps in strengthening the nervous system which significantly betters the memory.
The potential brain-boosting properties of dates help to protect the brain against oxidative stress and inflammation. Regular consumption of the fruit helps to prevent neurodegenerative and Alzheimer’s diseases.
What are the benefits of eating dates in pregnancy
There are so many health benefits of dates during pregnancy, being rich in calories, fibre and amino acids, date fruits help pregnant women in the following ways.
- The phytonutrient on dates help prevent pre and post-delivery bleeding (6)
- Having known that pregnant women need more calories and nutrients during pregnancy, eating the fruits while pregnant can easily resolve the issue.
- Eating date fruits in the last month of pregnancy strengthen the uterus wall and, promotes natural labour. (5)
Lowers blood pressure: Dates fruits are rich in magnesium and potassium. This helps to lower blood pressure. Research has shown that regular consumption of dates lowers blood pressure.
Dates Nutritional Value
The nutritional value of date fruits, according to the United States Development of Agriculture (USDA), is very high. It is a rich source of antioxidants, soluble fibre, minerals, vitamins, calories and some important chemical elements.
Below is a table showing the nutritional values of date fruits.
| Ingredients | Nutritional Values | % of RDA | Ingredients | Nutritional Values | % of RDA | |
| Energy | 277 Kcal | 14% | Riboflavin | 0.060mg | 4.5% | |
| Protein | 1.81g | 3% | Thiamin | 0.050 mg | 4% | |
| Total Fat | 0.15 g | <1% | vitamin A, | 149 IU | 5% | |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0% | Vitamin C | 0 mg | 0% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 6.7 g | 18% | Vitamin K | 2.7 µg | 2% | |
| Folates | 15 µg | 4% | Sodium | 1 mg | 0% | |
| Niacin | 1.610 mg | 10% | Potassium | 696 mg | 16% | |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.805 mg | 16% | Calcium | 64 mg | 6.5% | |
| Pyridoxine | 0.249 mg | 19% | Copper | 0.362 mg | 40% | |
| Carotene-ß | 89 µg | — | Iron | 0.90 mg | 11% | |
| Cryptoxanthin-ß | ß0 µg | — | Magnesium | 54 mg | 13% | |
| Lutein-zeaxanthin | 23 µg | — | Phosphorus | 62 mg | 9% | |
| Folate, DFE | 15 µg | — | Zinc | 0.44 mg | 4% |
Types of dates
There are different varieties of dates depending on where it is cultivated. Below are some of the popular variety
- Medjool: This type of date originated from Morocco. They are large, and equally, have a sweet taste and a rich deep flavour.
- Barhi: This variety is popular in Basra in Iraq.
- Harlawy: This variety is native to Iraq. They are incredibly sweet and small to moderate in size.
- Dayri: or Monastery Date.
- Deglet Noor: This is the most popular variety of dares in Algeria and Tunisia. they are mostly used in cooking because they are not very sweet.
- Saidy: They are mostly grown in Libya, and usually have a sweet taste. They perform better under hot weather.
- Maktoom
- . Hayani
- Migraf
- Iteema
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