Sweet overseas treat under the name dates are known to many.
If we are used to dates as a sweet dessert, then for the inhabitants of some regions of Africa they replace bread.
Dates: composition, calories, how to apply
Dates occupy a leading position in content carbohydrates (up to 65%) In addition, they include proteins and fats, vitamins, minerals and amino acids that are not found in other fruits.
Fresh dates can be found on sale only where they grow. In hotels and restaurants in Egypt they are served in large quantities in fresh form. They are less sweet, crunchy, tart taste. On the shelves of stores in our country you can buy dried or dried dates, their calorie content is often around 270 kcal per 100g.
The most basic use of dates is to eat. But they can not only be eaten as dried fruits, but also to make from them a filling for biscuit and shortbread cakes.
• Add them to fruit salads, pilafs, stews, they stuff chicken rolls.
• In Arab countries, dates are used to make carbonated juice, sweet pasta, date honey, and date palm leaves are used instead of vegetables.
• From fried crushed seeds of dates brew a drink, like coffee.
• They make a powder that helps with diarrhea, heals skin wounds, and the decoction restores the kidneys, bladder, removes stones.
• Date juice and date honey improve masculine strength.
Dates: what are the benefits for the body?
Dates are not only a delicious treat, but also useful product, as well as a therapeutic agent used for several millennia. Eating these fruits supports the general tone of the body, prevents the occurrence of various diseases.
Dates are rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids. If about 10 pieces are consumed per day, then the daily requirement of the human body for sulfur, magnesium, copper can be filled. Dried fruits contain the essential amino acid tryptophan, which stops the aging process of cells.
• In folk medicine dates are used to treat superficial wounds, ulcers, pustules.
• Since dates are able to neutralize excess acid in the stomach, they prevent heartburn.
• The fruits of the date palm tree contain a large amount of dietary fiber, which favorably affects the functioning of the intestine.
• Dates have an antitussive property, so they are successfully used for bronchitis, tonsillitis, and flu. They well remove sputum from the lungs. Increase immunity.
• Daily use of dates in food reduces the likelihood of problems with the heart and blood vessels. Dried fruit pulp nourishes the heart muscles, improves brain function.
• Amino acids contained in large quantities in fruits contribute to the restoration of the nervous system
• Vitamins B5, which is located in the fruits of the date palm, increases human performance, improves mental activity.
• A couple of dates after a meal will help prevent tooth decay. They contain fluorine, which reduces the activity of bacteria, thereby preserving the health of the teeth.
Going on a long journey, you can take some dried dates with you. They are easy to eat and satisfy hunger, energize the body.
Dates: what is the health hazard?
Like any product, dates can be harmful to the body.
• They should not be consumed by people with diabetes, since a high content of carbohydrates in the fruit can increase blood glucose
• They should not be eaten by people who are overweight and prone to overweight
• They are contraindicated in diseases of the stomach and intestines, since the dietary fiber contained in dried fruits irritates the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines
• If a person is predisposed to caries, then he should not eat dates. Sugar contained in date palm fruits aggressively affects tooth enamel.
Daily the date norm is about 10 pieces. Exceeding the norm often leads to headaches, increased pressure, and liver and spleen function are also impaired.
It is best to eat them with breakfast or lunch, and like a snack. Before use, dates should be thoroughly washed with water, as they can be treated with sulfur dioxide or sulfur dioxide in the places of growth. These toxic substances, getting into the human body, can lead to the destruction of the esophagus or the formation of ulcers. The peel does not need to be removed, since it contains useful substances and coarse fibers.
For pregnant and lactating mothers: the benefits of dates
Women during pregnancy should use dates with caution. They contain oxytocin, which causes uterine muscle contractions. In the early stages of bearing a baby, it is better to refuse them, but before childbirth they can safely be eaten in reasonable quantities.
Useful properties of dates for pregnant women:
• Folic acid contained in dried fruits has a beneficial effect on fetal development.
• In the first trimester of pregnancy, dates help eliminate the symptoms of toxicosis.
• They maintain hemoglobin throughout pregnancy.
• Improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system, lower blood pressure.
• Microelements such as calcium and phosphate, which are present in dried fruits, make bones strong, and they also participate in the formation of the skeleton of future crumbs.
• They perfectly restore energy balance.
Dates can be harmful if a pregnant woman is prone to food allergies. Also, you should not use fish soup for lung diseases, since often when drying fruits, paraffin is used, which not everyone tolerates.
Nursing momIf there are no contraindications, they can be eaten without fear.
• Oxytocin contained in dates not only affects uterine contractions, but also contributes to the formation of milk in large quantities.
• What a mother eats, the more a baby eats. All the beneficial substances that are found in dried fruits, with breast milk, pass to the baby.
• Dates help cope with postpartum depression, which occurs in most cases in women.
• Calcium and magnesium, which are part of dried fruits, are actively involved in the formation of bone crumbs.
• You can fall asleep quickly if you eat a few dates before going to bed. They have a mild sedative effect, so a nursing mother can easily calm down without using any medications that are contraindicated during lactation.
• Dates are able to improve mood, as they have serotonin - the hormone of happiness. The good mood of the mother with milk is transmitted to the baby.
Dates for children: useful or harmful
Dr. Komarovsky advises giving children from 2 years old dry dates, apricots, prunes. Rinse them very well and add to the fruit salad, cut into small pieces. You can replace them with sweets that kids love so much. However, dates can be harmful if the baby eats them regularly. Since children still cannot chew food qualitatively, particles of fruit stick to their teeth, which may lead to early caries. If the baby has problems with the kidneys or stomach and intestines, then he does not need to give dates.
Dates benefit the children's body, because they contain many vitamins and minerals needed by a growing baby.
• Calcium in dates helps strengthen the baby’s bones.
• Dried fruits are considered an energy supplier due to the presence of fast carbohydrates.
• Potassium, which is rich in date palm fruits, affects heart function.
• A few pieces of dates will help to calm the baby, make him balanced.
• Fruits have a mild laxative effect, so they can be given to children to prevent constipation.
• A large number of vitamins in dates help strengthen the immune system, the body becomes more resistant to viral infections.
• Iron, which is part of dates, increases hemoglobin, this is important if the child has anemia.
Starting from 8 months, babies can be given stewed dates. It is very useful for bloating, prevents the formation of colic.
Recipe: Rinse 200 g of dried dates well, pour one liter of hot water, boil for about 7 minutes. Remove from heat, insist for about an hour. You do not need to add sugar to the compote, because the dates themselves are very sweet.
When buying dates in a store, you need to pay attention to their appearance. Fruits should not contain any traces of mold. Excessive shine of dates says that they were "ennobled" by chemical means. If the dates are sticky, they could be doused with sugar syrup to increase shelf life.
Dates in their raw form contain a lot of moisture, when dried, they lose it, this darkens and frowns. Fruits should be selected elastic, fleshy, dense, moderately shiny, not wrinkled. The color of dates is light brown, dark, black, it all depends on the plant variety, and there are about 300 of them in nature. They are sold with or without stones. You can store them in a cool place for about a year by packing in a plastic bag.
