I’ve been eating dates for years. I love them and especially since becoming vegan - they are apart of my daily diet. A natural sweetener, dates are widely used to replace sugar in cooking and in raw vegan dishes, they act as a wonderful sweetener and binder. Although always a strong advocate, I never the knew how astoundingly nutrient dense this fruit is until now. If you didn’t eat dates before, you had better start!
Cholesterol free and loaded natural fibre, dates are like a digestive miracle pill. They aid in the relief of many intestinal disorders, help to build up healthy gut flora and can easily relieve constipation. Because they are very easily digestible, their absorption rate is under 30 minutes (as opposed to minimum 45 minutes for a banana) and therefore you feel the benefits of dates quite quickly. Also, as they are nutrient power poppers your body will let you know when you are full a lot sooner than many other foods which decreases your chance of over eating.
Rich in iron, they can aid in problems with anemia; as well as being high in calcium and potassium. Potassium helps to maintain a healthy nervous system and naturally lower your blood pressure as well as alleviate diarrhea. But didn’t I just say it helps with constipation? Yes indeed but as I also wrote it helps with almost all digestive ails. So basically, you eat the date and your body will figure out what you need to take from it and make it work! How good is that?
If you are worried about the sugar content and what effect it may have on your teeth, don’t. Dates are also teeming with fluorine which actually slows down the process of tooth decay, so they are great for the kids too. Not only good for the teeth, but the eyes as well. According to www.organicfacts.net, the American Cancer Society claims that the consumption of 1 date per day will ‘help you maintain your healthy eyes for your lifetime’.
Mums-to-be as well as breast feeding mothers should stock up on these sticky globs of wholesomeness. Eating in abundance towards the end of your pregnancy helps to strengthen the uterine walls which enables a smoother delivery. (Don’t quote me on that one but heaven knows I’ll be trying it when my time comes!) Their super digestibility comes into play again when mothers eat them during breastfeeding as all the nutrients can be readily absorbed and transferred directly to their baby.
And last, but certainly not least; one of the number one reason we should be eating dates is because for hundreds of years they have been used a super tonic for enhancing sexual endurance. By soaking them overnight in goat’s milk then grinding with honey and a dash of cardamon powder, you can deftly make yourself a sweet little love potion without the scary side affects of that little blue pill. (Gives a new meaning to D is for Date!) This tonic has also been known to aid with sterility due to functional disorders.
As mentioned earlier, dates are great in desserts and you will find numerous recipes with a simple google search. Check out my website www.youonyget1.com for a bunch of great recipes and I will leave you now wit one of my favourites.
PINEAPPLE-POPPERS!
1 fresh medjool date
1 chunk of fresh sweet pineapple (about a 1 inch square)
raw cacao powder
Take one fresh medjool date and wash it well. Split it in half and remove the seed. Place the pineapple in the middle and sandwich with the date. Dip into cacao powder (as much or as little as you like) and POP straight into your mouth! Instant pineapple lump but wayyyyyyy better! Your only problem will be stopping at just one! xx
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