Superior Date

Including dates in your daily diet can yield a world of benefits,
health wise and taste wise.
For thousands of years, dates have been known asa staple food of the
Persian Gulf. The word "date" has originated fromGreek 'daktulos',
meaning 'finger'. These brown oblong fruits are an important source of
food and energy in the desert areas. Dates are crunchy, juicy and have
a small shell life. In the month of Ramzan they are extensively used
by the Muslims to open their fast as they are a rich source ofinstant
energy and vitality.
Dates and their rich nutrients
Dates are rich in dietary fibre and low in sodium, cholesterol and
fat. They are flushed with minerals and vitamins such as sulphur, iron
, calcium, phosphorus, manganese, vitamin B-6, copper and folic acids.
They provide glucose and fructose – natural sugars that are far better
than cane sugar.
Dates are also a good source of potassium, packing a punch even
stronger than that of bananas. Such a healthy combination is rare to
most of the fruits. Intake of two to four dates a day is sufficient to
meet the body requirements of fibres, minerals and vitamins.
Dates are referred as the 'crown of sweets' and an ideal food for a
balanced diet.
Health benefits of dates
The health benefits of dates are indeed vast. Incorporating dates into
your daily diet can have many benefits :
*. Treat obesity: Dates satiate hunger and are therefore very
effective in suppressing over-eating. They provides natural sugars to
the body and lower the consumption of food.
*. Help prevent cancer : Dates are rich in natural fibre and are known
to prevent abdominal cancer .
*. Protect the heart : Beinglow in cholesterol and fat, dates are very
effective in lowering cardiac ailments. Intake of overnight soaked
dates is found to be good for strengthening the heart .
*. They help in child-birth : Dates are rich in hormones that toughen
the uterus, increase milk production in lactating mothers and also
reduce blood loss after delivery. Ripe dates have an 'oxytocin'- like
substancethat initiates contractions of the uterus at the time of
delivery.
*. Good for lactating mothers: Depression associated with
breast-feeding can be alleviatedby dates.
*. Healthy bones : Dates are known to be rich in calcium and
contribute to strong and healthy bones.
*. Dates reduce constipation : The natural dietary fibres in dates
make them very beneficial in curing constipation.
*. Good for liver disease: Dates are easily digestedand have low
cholesteroland fat content, making them useful in treating liver
diseases.
*. Treat anaemia : Dates are rich in iron contend and folic acid, so
they improve the haemoglobin content in the body.
Photographs via sxc.hu
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