Reasons to include dates in your diet
It is worth adding dates to your diet as it is a nutritious fruit, also as per variety and growth conditions, date fruit varies in shapes, sizes and sugar content. Dates consist of 70% carbohydrates, most of which is in the form of sugar with most of the varieties containing invert sugar which gets rapidly absorbed.
Now, coming to the functional constituent of dates, it is responsible for providing health benefits and associated with a reduced rate of degenerative or chronic diseases.
Macronutrients
It is a great source of energy, mainly due to high sugar content, providing 213 kcal/100g.
Dates have small amounts of protein and fats, with the average protein present in fresh and dried dates to be 1.5 and 2.14 g/100g respectively. The fat content is 0.14 g/100 g and 0.38 g/100 g for dried dates approximately.
Sugars
Fructose, glucose and sucrose are the types of sugars that on an average contains 43 g/100 g. Also, fructose and glucose are the dominating sugars, found almost in equal quantities.
Minerals
Dates are a rich source of selenium, copper, potassium, magnesium as compared to other dried fruits like plums, apricots, figs, raisins, and peaches.
It contains a moderate concentration of manganese, iron, phosphorus and calcium and provides over 7% of the daily RDA. Each mineral offers its health benefits with being significant for teeth, bones, muscle, haemoglobin and biological processes.
Vitamins
Dates contain mainly water-soluble vitamins – B complex and vitamin C, which help in energy metabolism and vitamin C being a potent antioxidant helps prevent diseases.
Amino Acids
Among fresh and dried varieties, the amino acid content varies significantly. Although the protein content is less but contains essential amino acids, predominantly glutamic, aspartic, lysine, leucine and glycine.
Fibre Content
The content of soluble, insoluble and total dietary fibre of fresh and dried dates varies. Insoluble dietary fibre is the major fraction of fibre, ranging from 7.5 to 8 g/100g due to moisture reduction and ripening process in which enzymes break down the substances into a more soluble form. The high content of soluble fibre induces satiety and has a laxative effect which helps relieve constipation.
Antioxidants
Dates are a moderate source of carotenoids, anthocyanin and phenolic compounds. They help fight oxidative stress and scavenge free radicals which help prevent inflammatory diseases.
In conclusion, dates are consumed fresh or dried and are a significant source of carbohydrates, dietary fibres, essential vitamins, minerals and a variety of phytochemical example phenolics, carotenoids, anthocyanins, and flavonoids. Also, it should be included as a part of a diet to reap its health benefits.
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