I dates they are the very pleasant fruits of the plant known scientifically as Phoenix dactylifera, a palm native to Mesopotamia and which has become typical of Mediterranean North Africa and the Middle East.
There are many variety of dates, all known since ancient times and exploited for their different characteristics, in fact, in addition to the different taste and the different sweetness, they are distinguished from each other by hardness and are grouped into three types: soft fruits (which need to be middled), semi-soft fruits (edible even only after a partial halving) and hard ones (which can be eaten fresh before amalgamation).
Dates under glucose are often on sale in the country, artificially added afterwards to increase the sweetness of poor quality dates. Elsewhere, in Arab and North African countries, dates are also found processed in other ways: stuffed with almonds or other nuts, under tahini (sesame sauce), with honey, with candied orange or lemon, compressed into a tube paste. or macerated, fermented and transformed into alcoholic beverages.
Dates and energy intake
But why dates are so loved and consumed all over the world, especially by those who need fresh energy? The mezzanine date it is made up of about 80% of its mass from sugars various, including fructose, sucrose and glucose, and only the remaining 20% ​​completes the composition of the fruit with proteins, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Regarding the latter two, we must say that in the date we find interesting quantities of vitamins B5 and B6, and that as far as minerals are concerned, as well as good quantities of potassium, manganese and magnesium, we find them rarer elements such as zinc, copper, boron, cobalt and il selenium. Therefore, we can say that in addition to serving as excellent supplements, dates are a great food for building up energy.
Many dieticians and sports experts in fact suggest replacing any energy snack bars that are used before physical activity with a right dose of dates, because? It is not too difficult to guess: you know that feeling of sudden down that you feel after consuming all the sugary energy given by the various energy bars, energy drinks, chocolate or sugar bags for athletes?
Forget them too if you are going to turn to dates for a load of energy. In fact the dietary fiber of which dates are rich is very useful to avoid these downs, keeping long-term material in the stomach that continues to release sugars (hence energy) in a gradually decreasing manner.
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How many dates can you eat?
But since dates turn out to be such an energetic food, how many can be eaten daily? There is no definite answer to this question because of the actual amount of dates per day depends on age and level of physical activity which is done habitually.
Children up to the age of 18, therefore growing adolescents, should not consume more than 2 cups of dates per dayor to avoid potential problems of hyperglycemia and weight gain.
In fact, dates are an ideal snack for those who are underweight and want to remedy this condition: perfect with walnuts and almonds, in bread instead of raisins.
Are there any contraindications?
In addition to the question of maintaining moderate but constant consumption of dates for avoid excess calories, other contraindications may come from any fructose intolerances, of which dates are extremely rich, e dental problems, as all these sugars in the form of very sticky pulp settle between the teeth, nourishing the bacterial colonies.
Finally, it is advisable to keep the consumption of dates under control for those who already have high glycemic index problems.
Read also
> Dried fruit in diets for weight and blood sugar control
> Fresh dates and dried dates, what are the differences?
> 3 recipes with dates
