14 Amazing Health Benefits Of Dates To Boost Your Health

Dates are high in nutrients. You can eat dried or fresh dates, but be aware that dried dates, like other dried fruits, have a higher calorie content.

Mostly, we need to get our vitamins and minerals from the foods we eat. Eating junk food or fast food every now and then is fine, presuming we're getting what we need. Plant-based foods are the best way of getting this.

Here's just some of the nutrition you'll get from a serving of dates:

• Protein    
• Fiber
• Iron          
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Copper
• Manganese 
• Magnesium
• Potassium

Adding date palm fruits to your diet is a surefire way of keeping yourself healthy. They make a great snack, without giving you empty calories. Dates contribute to good brain function and good heart health.

Fiber is absolutely essential to good digestive health. It may keep blood sugar levels balanced after eating, and ensures that bowel movements are regular and healthy.

Aside from blood sugar management, high-fiber foods are great if you're trying to lose weight. Dealing with cravings can be a serious obstacle to weight loss. Sugary, high-calorie foods tend to leave us hungry again soon after eating. Foods like dates provide plenty of energy and nutrients, but their high-fiber content makes us feel fuller for longer.

Antioxidants have a great effect on the body. Conversely, oxidation can cause a number of health conditions. For example, oxidating cholesterol particles harden in the arteries, leading to heart strain and other diseases over time. Antioxidants help to fight against this.

Dates are a similar kind of fruit to figs and plums. However, dates have the highest level of antioxidants of them all. They contain three main kinds of antioxidant.

Phenolic Acid

An anti-inflammatory, this antioxidant may work towards reducing chances of cancer and heart issues.

Carotenoids

This antioxidant is especially good for heart health. It also helps to prevent macular degeneration. This helps to keep your eyes healthy, too!

Flavonoids

Flavnoids are also an anti-inflammatory. While they also help with the heart and possible cancer reduction, they also improve brain function.

The high levels of fiber contained in date fruit are excellent for the gut and bowel function. Regular consumption of dates helps to keep your bowel movements healthy and regular, as well as reducing levels of ammonia in your system.

This also contributes to a healthy gut. A healthful gut is something that affects the whole body. It can even cause subtle changes to your mood. Eating a balanced diet is crucial to good gut health, and foods like dates can help give your gut a needed boost.

Dates contain acetone and methanol. These extracts can be very useful in fighting bacterial infections, even more serious infections like pneumonia and E-coli. They can even help reduce the side effects associated with certain medications.

Of course, many healthful foods contain properties that help them defend against microbial infections. However, dates have the highest levels of antimicrobial properties.

The later stages of pregnancy can be a tricky, stressful time. Natural labor is usually preferred amongst pregnant women, although complications can arise. Some studies indicate that eating dates give a pregnant person a higher chance of delivering their baby naturally, with fewer hours of labor.

This is because the compounds in dates reduce the need for oxytocin, helping to increase the chance of healthy, productive contractions during labor. Tannin, also related to dates, has a similar effect. All of this aids the birth process, making labor quicker and more productive for pregnant women. This means that the person shouldn't tire out too soon, being able to deliver their baby naturally.

The antioxidant benefits of dates may prevent cancer cells from growing and multiplying. However, they aren't a magic fruit that guarantees cancer potential. To get the nutrition and health benefits from any good food, you need to be consuming it regularly. Introducing dates into your diet now may well reduce your risk of developing cancer in later life.

Interestingly, when consumed regularly, dates may also reduce chances of developing benign tumors.

Diabetes is a common illness, which can be managed. However, a diabetic needs to be careful when eating fruit. Fruit are healthy, but they're also high in sweet natural sugars, which may cause blood sugar spikes. Fruit juices in particular can be dangerously sugary.

When eaten in moderation, dates can have a positive effect on diabetic sufferers. This is because dates encourage the production of insulin. While more studies are needed, there is definite reason to believe that dates have particular health benefits for diabetics. Feel free to seek medical advice if you need it before consuming dates if you're diabetic.

Kidney problems a serious, growing issue in the world. Dates may well help to keep our kidneys healthy and strong. One particular kind of date in middle east Asia is said to help prevent kidney lesions by forming a protective layer around the kidney. Dates may reduce excesses of urea and other substances in the kidneys, which is great for good kidney health.

While more studies are needed, it's clear that the nutrition and health benefits of dates are definitely not to be underestimated!

Strong bones require certain micronutrients. Often, the only way of obtaining these micronutrients is through the foods we eat. As we get older, strong bones becomes even more important. Chances of breaking bones or even osteoporosis become much greater.

As we mentioned earlier, dates are high in micronutrients like manganese, copper, and magnesium. These minerals are crucial for good bone health. If you're suffering from an issue that causes weak bones, adding dates to your diet is definitely recommended.

The neurological system is sometimes described as the wiring that keeps the vehicle of the body going. Issues with the nervous system can therefore be extremely serious. Dates are a good source of potassium, which is good for a proper-functioning nervous system. 

It also contains low levels of sodium, which is bad for the nervous system. High sodium levels can cause hypertension, or high blood pressure. This can cause damage to the nervous system, which will, in turn, affect the whole body.

Skin problems are very common, ranging from "normal" acne to more serious complaints, like dermatitis. While you can cover over these problems with makeup, that isn't going to deal with the root cause of the problem.

Dates are also a good source of iron. Iron helps with blood circulation, and will make sure that plenty of blood gets to your scalp. A healthful, nourished scalp is a great way to avoid hair loss. It can help promote new hair growth, and reduce the risk of hair loss.

Even better, dates don't come with side effects like many hair loss medications.

Sugar is addictive, and many people don't realise just how much. Dates are very sweet, due to their high levels of natural sugar. Like many fruits, they're a great between-meals snack for good weight loss.