Dates
nutrition facts
What
nutrients are there in dates?
A
lot indeed! Here are delicious dessert
fruits with much needed minerals and energy to help you stay fit
and
healthy!
Botanically; they are the fruits grow on the palm tree belonging to the
family of Arecaceae
of the genus: Phoenix
and scientifically named as Phoenix
dactylifera. The tree is believed to have originated
in the lands around the banks of Nile and Euphrates rivers. Date palm
is now
extensively cultivated for its edible fruit in warmer climates across
all
the continents.
The date fruit is a "drupe" in
which an outer
fleshy part (exocarp and
mesocarp) surrounds a shell (the pit or stone) of hardened endocarp
with a seed inside. The fruit is oval to cylindrical in
shape,
3–7 cm long, and 2–3 cm diameter, and when unripe, range from bright
red to bright yellow in color, depending on the variety.
Date fruit pulp taste very sweet, described as
reminiscent of sugar syrup and honey mix. It contains
single, brown colored, hard seed about 2–2.5 cm long and 6–8 mm thick.
The seeds vary in size depending on cultivar type. In any case, they
are generally inedible and discarded.
There are many varieties of date palm cultivated and some important
varieties that are popular for their high quality are ‘Amir Hajj’,
‘Saidy’, 'Khadrawy' and 'Medjool'.
Health benefits of dates
-
Wonderfully delicious,
dates are one of the most popular fruits with an impressive list of
essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, required for normal
growth,
development and overall well-being.
-
Fresh date is made of
soft, easily digestible flesh with simple sugars like fructose and
dextrose that when eaten replenishes energy and revitalizes the body
instantly; thus, for these qualities, dates are being used to breakfast
during Ramadan months.
-
The fruit is rich in dietary
fiber, which prevents dietary LDL cholesterol absorption
in
the gut. It
is also a good bulk laxative. The fiber content helps to protect the
colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure time and as well as
binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon.
-
They contain many health
benefitting flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants known as
tannins.
Tannins are known to have anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and
anti-hemorrhagic (prevent easy bleeding tendencies) properties.
-
They are a good source of
Vitamin-A (contains 149 IU per 100 g), which is known to have
antioxidant properties and is essential for vision. Vitamin A also
required maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of
natural fruits rich in vitamin A is known to help to protect from lung
and
oral cavity cancers.
-
The fruit is very rich in
antioxidant flavonoids such as beta-carotene,
lutein, and zeaxanthin.
These antioxidants have the ability to help protect cells and other
structures in the body from oxygen free radicals and thereby found to
be
protective against colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and
pancreatic cancers.
-
Zeaxanthin, an important
dietary carotenoid
selectively absorbed into the retinal macula lutea where it is thought
to provide antioxidant and protective light-filtering functions; thus
it offers protection against age related macular degeneration,
especially in
elderly populations.
-
Dates are an excellent
source of iron,
contains 0.90 mg/100 g of fruits (about 11% of RDI).
Iron, being a component of hemoglobin inside the red blood cells,
determines the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood.
-
In addition, They are good in potassium.
Potassium is an important component of cell and
body fluids that help controlling heart rate and blood pressure; thus
offers protection against stroke and coronary heart diseases.
-
They are also rich in
minerals like calcium, manganese, copper,
and magnesium. Calcium is an
important mineral that is an essential constituent of bone and teeth,
and required by the body for muscle contraction, blood clotting, and
nerve impulse conduction. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor
for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Copper is required in
the production of red blood cells. Magnesium is essential for bone
growth.
-
Further, the fruit has adequate levels of
B-complex group of vitamins as well as vitamin K. It contains very
good amounts of pyridoxine
(vitamin B-6), niacin, pantothenic acid, and riboflavin.
These vitamins are acting as cofactors help body metabolize
carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Vitamin K is essential for many
coagulant factors in the blood as well as in bone metabolism.
See the table below for in depth analysis
of nutrients:
Dates
(Phoenix dactylifera),
medjool,
Nutritive Value
per
100
g
(Source: USDA National
Nutrient data base)
| Principle |
Nutrient Value |
Percentage of
RDA |
| Energy |
277 Kcal |
14% |
| Carbohydrates |
74.97 g |
58% |
| Protein |
1.81g |
3% |
| Total Fat |
0.15 g |
<1% |
| Cholesterol |
0 mg |
0% |
| Dietary Fiber |
6.7 g |
18% |
| Vitamins |
|
|
| Folates |
15 µg |
4% |
| Niacin |
1.610 mg |
10% |
| Pantothenic
acid |
0.805 mg |
16% |
| Pyridoxine |
0.249 mg |
19% |
| Riboflavin |
0.060 mg |
4.5% |
| Thiamin |
0.050 mg |
4% |
| Vitamin A |
149 IU |
5% |
| Vitamin C |
0 mg |
0% |
| Vitamin K |
2.7 µg |
2% |
| Electrolytes |
|
|
| Sodium |
1 mg |
0% |
| Potassium |
696 mg |
16% |
| Minerals |
|
|
| Calcium |
64 mg |
6.5% |
| Copper |
0.362 mg |
40% |
| Iron |
0.90 mg |
11% |
| Magnesium |
54 mg |
13% |
| Manganese |
0.296 mg |
13% |
| Phosphorus |
62 mg |
9% |
| Zinc |
0.44 mg |
4% |
| Phyto-nutrients |
|
|
| Carotene-ß |
89 µg |
-- |
| Crypto-xanthin-ß |
0 µg |
-- |
| Lutein-zeaxanthin |
23 µg |
-- |
Selection
and storage
Dates are
available in the
store year around. Some varieties of fresh,
soft, good quality dates are available from September through December.
In some dry climates regions of Africa, They are picked when they are
just mature and allowed to ripen inside the jars.
In the stores,
soft, semi-dry, and dreid types of dates are put for
sale. Dry dates can be kept at room temperature for several
months.
Preparation
and serving method
High quality
dates have been
handpicked directly from the bunch and
sold as premium variety in the markets. On a large scale,
most are harvested by cutting the entire cluster, fumigated, cleaned,
graded, packed, stored under refrigeration, and released to markets
according to demand.
Here are some serving tips:
- Dry and soft dates are usually eaten
out-of-hand.
- They can also be chopped and used with fruit
salad and in a range of sweet and savory dishes.
- Dates are also being used to prepare juice and Jallab (a type of
syrup popular in the Middle East and made from dates, grape molasses,
and rose water).
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