Today’s Amazing Fact: Date fruit won’t raise blood sugar!

One of the reasons people avoid eating dates is the belief that it will raise their blood sugar levels, but studies have shown that belief to be erroneous. The May 28, 2011, issue of "Nutrition Journal" reports a study in which date consumption was tested on diabetics. 

The study shows that while dates contain high amounts of natural sugars, they are actually a low-glycemic index food and did not significantly raise blood sugar levels after they were eaten. However, If you are diabetic, speak to your doctor before adding dates to your diet so that you can monitor your blood sugar levels and determine how dates affect you personally.

Dates are the fruit of the date palm tree and are grown primarily in dry, arid regions, such as the Middle East and parts of California. Though dates are often used as an ingredient in sweets and other recipes, they offer several nutritional benefits when eaten fresh and pitted. You can eat them fresh or dried as snacks or in recipes such as cakes or stews. Dates are nutrient-dense and they count toward your daily recommended servings of fruit, but too many dates can cause side effects. We will detail the side effects of too much date fruit consumption in a follow up post. Eat them in moderation as part of a balanced overall diet.

“In many ways, dates may be considered as an almost ideal food, providing a wide range of essential nutrients and potential health benefits." That was the conclusion of a 2003 study by the Department of Health and Human Sciences at London Metropolitan University. Phoenix dactylifera L., or the date palm, provides a fruit that is as beneficial for your health as it is delicious for your palate.

One quarter cup of natural dry palm dates that have been pitted and chopped contain about 120 calories. They have virtually no fat, sodium or cholesterol content, meaning that the calories you consume from dates contain primarily beneficial nutrients, with very little in the way of harmful dietary components.

Protein and Carbohydrates

That quarter cup of pitted dates contains about 1 g of protein, which is roughly 2 percent of your recommended daily intake. Without sufficient amounts of protein, your body will have difficulty repairing your muscles after exercise. The dates also contain about 35 g of total carbohydrates, along with about 3 g of dietary fiber. That is about 15 percent of your daily recommended intake for fiber, which your body needs for healthy digestion.

Vitamins

The vitamins that are the most richly present in palm dates are the B complex vitamins. For example, the quarter cup of dates contains about 4 percent of your daily recommended intake of vitamin B6, as well as of thiamin, or B1. You will get about 6 percent of your recommended requirement of niacin, or vitamin B3. Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, is present in dates as well, with about 4 percent of your recommended daily intake.

Minerals

Dates contain significant levels of several important minerals as well. The one-quarter cup serving of pitted palm dates contains about 4 percent of your daily recommended intake of magnesium, which your body needs for a wide variety of purposes, including keeping your muscles functioning properly. The dates also contain 4 percent of your daily requirement of iron, which is used for purposes such as facilitating the use and processing of oxygen. There also is about 2 percent of your body's phosphorus requirement in the dates. Phosphorus helps your body develop strong bones. Dates can be seen to be health beneficial in the following ways:

Heart Health

All dates including the black variety contain high amounts of the mineral potassium and low amounts of sodium or salt. FamilyNutritionOnline.com notes that this property makes them beneficial for maintaining a healthy nerve system and improving heart and vascular or blood vessel health to decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Increase Fiber Intake

Dates are loaded with fiber. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, just one pitted date contains 1.6 g of fiber, or 6 percent of the recommended daily intake. Fiber is known for its ability to help lower cholesterol and fight and prevent obesity, heart disease and colorectal cancer. The November 2008 issue of "Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition" reports that the fiber in dates is primarily insoluble fiber, which binds to fat and cholesterol and carries it out of the body.

Lower Triglycerides

Though the fiber in dates has the ability to lower cholesterol levels, researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Israel report that dates have better results at lowering triglyceride levels, which is another type of fat in the blood. A study published in the Sept. 9, 2009, issue of the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry," shows that consuming dates may lower triglycerides by 8 to 15 percent. Reducing your triglyceride levels will lower your risk of hardening of the arteries, heart attack and stroke, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Increase Vitamin and Mineral Intake

Adding dates to your diet delivers vitamins and minerals that are necessary to maintain optimum health. The primary vitamins in dates are the B vitamin family, with vitamin B-6 topping the list. The B vitamins help with the metabolism of food and the formation of new blood cells. Other vitamins include K and A. Dates are an excellent source or minerals, with potassium in the No. 1 spot. Copper, manganese, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, iron and zinc complete the mineral profile. The body only needs small amounts of minerals, but if it is depleted of any one, it can be disastrous to your health. Snacking on dates can help you build up your body's mineral stores.

Facilitate Digestion

The date fruit is rich in both insoluble and soluble dietary fiber. The site FamilyNutritionOnline.com advises that these the insoluble fiber in black dates and other varieties helps to facilitate digestion by increasing the rate of food moving through the gastrointestinal tract. The soluble fiber helps to decrease high cholesterol levels, particularly unhealthy low density lipoprotein or LDL and control blood glucose levels in individuals with diabetes or high insulin levels.

Body Nutrients

Black dates and other types contain several minerals and vitamins that are essential for many body functions including metabolic reactions and red blood cell production. These include vitamins A, B-1, B-2, B-3 and B-5 as well as the minerals calcium, sulphur, iron, copper and magnesium as listed by the Dasman Institute.

Energy Boosting

The European Food Information Council advises that dates are high in complex carbohydrates and natural sugars such as glucose, sucrose and fructose. These properties make them power boosting foods for fast and long lasting energy.

References

• "Nutrition Journal"; Glycemic Indices of Five Varieties of Dates in Healthy and Diabetic Subjects; Alkaabi J.M., et al.; May 2011
• USDA National Nutrient Database: Keyword -- Dates
• "Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition"; Nutritional and Functional Properties of Dates: A Review; M.A. Al-Farsi, et al.; November 2008
• "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry"; Effects Of Date (Phoenix Dactylifera L., Medjool or Hallawi Variety) Consumption By Healthy Subjects On Serum Glucose And Lipid Levels And On Serum Oxidative Status: A Pilot Study; W. Rock, et al.; Sept. 9, 2009

• National Institutes of Health: TriglyceridesNational Institutes of Health; The Fruit of the Date Palm: Its Possible Use as the Best Food for the Future?; Al-Shahib W et al.; July 2003
• Nutrient Facts: Dates, Natural and Dry
• University of Maryland Medical Center: Phosphorus
• University of Maryland Medical Center: Iron

• University of Maryland Medical Center: Magnesium
• FamilyNutritionOnline.com: Health Benefits of Dates
• Dasman Institute: Health Benefits of Dates
• The European Food Information Council: Nutritional Benefits of Dry Fruit