For diabetics, pregnant women and those losing weight: who and how dates can be useful
Dates are quite popular dried fruits. They come to us in dried form, and you can buy them almost all year round.
The taste of dates is quite sweet and even cloying, so they are recommended as a substitute for sweets.
Dates can be added to compotes, used as a filling for poultry rolls, pies, cake decorations, homemade candies and, of course, eaten just like that. The taste combination of dates and cheese has long been appreciated by gourmets.
They are also very tasty with yogurt, honey and milk.
Is there any benefit from these dried fruits? Of course, there is.
Dates are distinguished by their high nutritional value. For this reason, they are loved by athletes and those who adhere to a strict diet. Dates contain a lot of glucose and fructose - sugars necessary for muscles and the brain. There is also quite enough protein in the pulp of dates: for one hundred grams of these dried fruits of the date palm there are about 2 grams of protein.
There is an opinion that you can live for several years on dates and water alone. Although dates are very sweet in taste, their glycemic index allows the possibility of eating the fruit with diabetes (of course, in small quantities).
Dates are also rich in vitamins and minerals: vitamin A, C, B2, B6, phosphorus, manganese, copper, potassium, magnesium - all these substances are present in the pulp. By consuming dates daily, you thereby strengthen your bones, teeth, heart muscle, vision and blood vessels.
Another reason to include dates in your diet is the abundance of antioxidants in them. They prevent oxidative processes in the body's cells, thereby protecting against heart disease, malignant tumors, and diabetes. In terms of antioxidant content, dates surpass prunes and figs.
Want to protect yourself from Alzheimer's? Eat dates every day. Studies have shown that eating dates reduces the risk of neurodegenerative changes in the brain tissue and blood vessels, allowing you to maintain mental clarity even in old age.
Of course, we can't ignore the fact that dates can become part of the menu for those who want to lose weight. In addition to carbohydrates, the pulp of dates contains a lot of fiber, which improves bowel function and prevents sharp jumps in blood sugar.
After eating a few dates, you will feel full for quite a long time, and there will be no desire to snack on something forbidden.
If you want to make sweet baked goods, but at the same time make them healthier and more nutritious, prepare date paste from dried fruits and add it to dough or filling instead of the usual white sugar.
Interesting fact: dates are good for pregnant women. And it's not just because they contain calcium and phosphorus, which are actively used by the body of the expectant mother during pregnancy.
Dates also contain substances that help the cervix open naturally, without the use of stimulants. Therefore, to speed up and ease the birth process in the last weeks of pregnancy, you can start eating dates. But for the same reason, it is better to avoid them in the early stages, so as not to provoke a miscarriage.
Dates are a very versatile product and are suitable for both children and adults. Of course, everything is good in moderation: in order to avoid unpleasant consequences, you should eat no more than a dozen dried dates per day.
If you violate this rule, you may experience unpleasant sensations in the gastrointestinal tract, allergies, and diarrhea. And if you eat dates just like that, wash them down with water. Otherwise, there are almost no contraindications to eating dates.
Choose them in the store based on a fairly simple criterion: the smoother the surface of the dates, the fresher they are.
