Health Benefits Of Dates

In a world where many people incorrectly believe that they should be avoiding fruit if they want to see fat loss, the date is one food that is particularly avoided as it does tend to be more energy dense than other fresh fruits such as berries, oranges, and apples.

That said, as long as you control your serving size, it’s one fruit that you should still be getting into your diet. Especially for active individuals, the date holds a lot of promise.

Let’s look at why this fruit is one that’s so beneficial for you to be including.

Did You Know?

While most fruit varieties that you consume contain a very high amount of water, with as much as 70% of their total weight coming from water weight, dates are the exception to this rule.

Dates are a very low water fruit since they survive in the very arid climate of the desert and contain just 30% total water content. This is in part what does make the more energy dense than other fruits, meaning it is very essential you watch both how much you consume and when you consume them.

Star Nutrients

One interesting nutritional fact about dates is that while most fruits are very high in vitamin C content, making it the primary nutrient that fruits contain, dates have no vitamin C whatsoever.

Instead, they stand out in other nutrients. The key nutrients that you will find in dates include vitamin K, riboflavin, vitamin B6, magnesium, selenium, iron, thiamin, niacin, folate, and phosphorus. In addition to that, you’ll also get a small dose of copper, pantothenic acid, as well as dietary fiber.

How They Help You Lose Weight

Dates are a fruit that is a well-known energy booster. As they do contain 25 grams of sugar per 5-6 date serving, they work great for those times when you need a fast energy boost without a lot of heavy bulk.

For instance, immediately post workout, these fruits can be great when your appetite is low as they won’t add much bulk weight to the stomach, but will still provide the energy you need for proper muscle glycogen replenishment.

This can then help to increase your total recovery ability between workout sessions, allowing you to get back into the gym and train again. Tending to your post workout recovery meal is very vital if you hope to achieve workout success, so dates can be a great way to go about doing this.

Finally, another nice thing about dates is that they have a good balance of minerals including iron and potassium, which are particularly important for active individuals to take in. The potassium will help to regulate your muscle contractions and keep your energized for your workouts and iron will help ensure the hard working muscle tissues get the oxygen they need.

So don’t overlook dates any longer. You definitely don’t want to eat a high volume of this fruit or you will take in too many calories, but 3-5 dates after a workout can be a great way to support good recovery.

How do you enjoy your dates? Please tell us in the comments below 🙂