Have you ever wondered what would happen if you started eating dates? Probably not. Most people don’t think about dates very much and particularly about the health benefits. But dates are pretty amazing and this little fruit can provide some excellent health benefits. If you start eating three dates a day, here is what you will start to see.
The Nutrient-Rich Date
The first thing you’ll notice is that dates have some great nutritional benefits. You don’t need to take all those vitamins when you are eating three dates a day. They contain copper, potassium, fiber, manganese, vitamin B-6 and magnesium.
Dates Improve Digestive Health
Dates are great foods for digestive health. If you have problems like IBS, constipation or many other digestive and GI problems, dates can help. Part of it is the fiber that they contain and they have been shown to reduce your risk of colon cancer and more. Dates are even recommended treatments for hemorrhoids.
Dates as Pain Relievers & More
Because dates have so much magnesium – which is an anti-inflammatory – they can work to relieve pain and help swelling. Studies have shown that the magnesium in dates can help reduce arterial inflammation and that lowers your risk for heart disease as well as a host of other inflammation caused conditions like Alzheimer’s, arthritis and more.
Dates for a Healthy Pregnancy
A study done at UST tested how well dates helped with labor and delivery. The researchers tested 69 women and came to the conclusion that if the women ate dates during the last four weeks of their delivery that the labor and delivery was more favorable. Dates also help with weight loss after a pregnancy.
Dates for High Blood Pressure & Stroke
The magnesium that is in dates is also helpful when it comes to lowering high blood pressure. So many people are on blood pressure medication in the United States, all the while this fruit might make those meds unnecessary. The potassium that is in dates is also helpful, because it helps the heart work more smoothly and reduces blood pressure as well.
In addition, there has actually been research to determine whether or not dates had any impact on stroke risk. In fact, there have been no less than seven studies that prove that magnesium decreases your stroke risk by about 10% for every one hundred milligrams of magnesium you ingest on a daily basis.
The research was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and clearly shows that dates can lower stroke risk.
Dates Make the Brain Work Better
There have also been studies done on the ingredients in dates and their relation to brain health and it has been shown that when you have enough vitamin B6 in your system, your brain actually works better. That means that you have more focus, more accurate memories and can access information faster. Dates help keep your mind sharp and ready to learn.