All evidence points to the fact that you should avoid sugary foods to improve health. Studies show that when calories are empty of vitamins and minerals our body uses to convert it into fuel, eating refined sugar reduces energy. Think of your body like a credit card. Refined sugar uses your resources and creates deficits instead of using your resources for health building!
The good news is that nature provides us with incredible nutrition in very sweet packaging. One of the best of these sources is dates because it is a portable and easy snack that is legendary paired with nuts. Dates provide you with the nutrients you need.
Here are five reasons to eat more dates:
1. Dates are a potent antioxidant source. All types of dates, fresh or dry, contain different types of antioxidants. Fresh dates contain anthocyanidine and carotenoids, while dried dates are exactly like green tea containing polyphenols. Experiments in food chemistry show that dates have the highest antioxidant content compared to many foods.
2. Dates can be useful for blood sugar balance. Diabetes researchers have shown that dates have little glycemic effect. This means eating dates alone or with a meal will help people with type 2 diabetes control blood sugar and lipid levels. Six to eight dates can be edgy in one session without dramatic changes in blood sugar.
3. Dates can help lower blood pressure. A standard serving of five or six dates is about 80 mg of magnesium, an essential mineral that helps dilation blood vessels. Research shows that 370 mg of magnesium can lower blood pressure. However, taking an immense dose simultaneously often causes diarrhea. Dates are a delicious method for a gentle increase in magnesium intake.
4. Dates contain brain boosters. Each date contains more than two milligrams of choline, a type of vitamin B that is the neurotransmitter memory. Consuming more choline is associated with higher memory and better learning and it is brought on as a major nutrient for children and adults at risk for Alzheimer’s.
5. Dates help maintain bone mass. Research shows that by increasing potassium consumption, bone loss in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis can be reduced. A dried date provides approximately 140 mg of this valuable nutrient. Scientists believe high potassium intake protects bone mass by reducing the amount of calcium excreted through the kidney.