Health Benefits of Eating Dates

        The health benefits of dates now there are a lot of misconceptions that arise when it comes to dates some people believe that it has a lot of sugar it's going to make them put on weight there's a whole category of diabetic people who think that dates are really bad for them because the moment you consumed them you cause a spike in the blood sugar levels but what's the truth when it comes to dates, because this is something this dry fruit has so much of nutrition in terms of vitamins trace minerals that basically does everything in the human body you see a human body's made up of trillions of cells and different organs all working together and the fuel is vitamins minerals for several functions that we have beyond our eyesight that our hair growth our skin whatever it is even metabolic activity there are people who work out eat well but they have such low metabolic rates that they still find it difficult to lose weight well when it comes to dates this is one of my favorite snacks or foods or whatever you may want to call it because it's packed with iron antioxidants and several vitamins. The beauty of dates is yes it is high-calorie but we need to change our mindset from high calorie is great for us to pre-workout so if you have one or two or three dates pre-workout it's going to give you so much of energy to get through your workout post-workout as well because post-workout our body wants to replenish glycogen and all of that stuff so having dates or fruit is fantastic for your body to replenish glycogen and within the next 10 to 15 minutes you can have your protein so using dates as a snack in between the day it's something that you can keep in your bags whenever you travel and you know if you're on the road and traffic all you need to do is take out a couple of dates two to three or four or whatever it is and eat them and it's going to give you sustained energy so that's why during the period of Ramadan it's always been practiced that dates are used to break your fast we all speak about Drive fasting and intermittent fasting the right way to break your fast would be fruits or would be dates because dates gives you so much of nutrition into that one little piece of food when your body is breaking a fast you have trillions of cells acting like a sponge screaming for nutrition waiting to absorb whatever it gets you put the wrong nutrition and it's going to absorb the wrong stuff but you put the right food in now when you break a fast you can't just go and eat a heavy meal because you're going to produce more asses have in digestion acidity and all of that stuff but something as small as one date which means you have two or three of them you're packing vitamins and minerals and energy right into those trillion cells in your human body which is why it's always used to break a phosphorous juice during the day as a great snacking option for people who have heart problems.

     Dates are absolutely fantastic because number one they're rich in potassium and rich in insoluble fiber this makes it a hot friendly food but now remember if you have a heart problem and you have high potassium levels then dates wouldn't be good for you because we need to understand even for diabetics yes diabetics can't have dates we're going to come to that but if you are a diabetic and you have a kidney problem then you got to make sure if you don't have dates because dates are rich in potassium and if you have a kidney problem and your potassium levels are already on the higher side it could cause a problem for you okay I'm a fan of dates when it comes to high blood pressure because again it's rich in potassium in soluble fiber making it a great food for reducing high blood pressure it is fantastic for reducing your high blood pressure now when it comes to diabetes of course diabetics can eat it I'm going to talk about type 2 with this type one you can make a decision only based on data when you see how frequently the sugar levels are fluctuating but when it comes to type 2 diabetes we need to understand that we've all been attached to glycemic index what is more important in the glycemic index is the glycemic load so for example yes a diabetic can have two slices of white bread and maybe it's not the right thing to do I'm giving you an example and maybe the glycemic load will still be fine but someone can have a whole bowl of fruits like a platter of fruits and the glycemic load could go higher than those two slices of bread so now which one is better which one is better the whole idea is to keep your glycemic load lower so yes a diabetic have one or two or three dates in a day spaced out coupled with almonds so that the fiber the protein and almonds and of course the insoluble in the fiber and dates will not allow the bloodshed sugar levels to spike up rapidly it's all about the combination of food now if you have two or three dates and yet you go out and have you have some junk food or processed food or something that I has sugar your glycemic load increases and then that doesn't make the date bad it makes your lifestyle bad so yes diabetics can have mangos they can have fruits when it's calculated the right way but you take it mindfully making sure that if there's a spike you balance it out by adding more fiber into your diet but a diabetic doesn't have to be deprived of mangoes and fruits and dates and all of these things that's not a solution that's the symptomatic approach for diabetes you got to look at the root cause which is mainly lifestyle changes so we don't make a food bad for diabetes the food isn't bad for diabetes if it's natural it becomes bad because the lifestyle of the patient isn't controlled now why I like dates in the diet of a diabetic isn't it because number one of the biggest issues that people with type 2 diabetes and type 1 diabetes have is nerve damage or diabetic neuropathy where you have these tingling sensations in your fingers and your palms under your feet and all of that stuff that's because the body and the body of the diabetic is deficient in vitamin D 1 which is called thiamine and dates are rich in thiamine which means dates will actually help you reduce distinguish sensations because it takes care of your neurological health your nerve damage it helps with the clotting of your blood it activates protein usage in the human body and yes it is great for your metabolism so that's why this gives you that energy it boosts your metabolism now of course you overdo it on dates and you have like a platter of fruits followed by dried fruit that's going to be too much of sugar hitting your body even if you don't have diabetes even if you're healthy so the idea is to eat everything in moderation and portion control do I have the perfect portion for all of you know your body will tell you what the perfect portion is for you when you start learning to eat mindfully so don't put too much of food and too much of fluid in your body at any given time you got to balance it out.

        Iron dates are rich in iron which is which makes it a great food for people who are anemic for women who are pregnant for people who are low on iron levels dates have the ability to boost the red blood cell production in your body which is important element for hemoglobin so it has everything to boost with your iron levels it's rich in potassium the B vitamins b1 b2 b6 b5 these are all fantastic environments for your whole neurological system and your metabolism and your hair and your skin vitamin A, vitamin K copper magnesium so many people are deficient in magnesium and magnesium controls almost 300 metabolic functions in the human body so sometimes by just upping your magnesium because you have a deficiency it takes care of everything and it's rich in manganese as well so you see this one little date will be packed with so much of nutrition which is why it is ideal to break a fast with a fruit or a date my choice would be a date because it's giving me so much more nutrition and instant energy instant energy than just approved but that's your choice and yes it's always a good idea especially if you have fluctuating sugar levels to mix a dry fruit like a date with a handful of nuts or three to four nuts to balance it out it's all about food synergy in the human body so don't be scared of dates I don't know a single person where dates made them fact what makes us fat and what makes us difficult what makes it difficult for us to lose weight is lifestyle not one food and less of course that's junk food it's processed food it's sugar and all of that stuff but there's no way that someone got fat because they ate dates that's our mindset we got to change it sometimes your body needs all these nutrients and small quantities to make sure we don't have a deficiency so it can take care of our metabolism the human body is designed to have the right metabolic rate so we don't have to depend just on exercise and high metabolic foods and stuff like that if it gets the right amount of vitamins and minerals it behaves the right way so enjoy your dates good quality dates of course you get a lot of dates which are also glazed with sugar to make it look wet and sticky and taste sweeter so you want to make sure that you get good quality dates and you enjoy them you can enjoy even as a nighttime snack instead of reaching out for junk you know it's great you have a sweet tooth try having a date it's going to most in most cases you won't feel like having a dessert after that and from dates they make date jaggery they make date sugar which is turning out to be great because it has a lower glycemic index than normal sugar and plus it has a great taste you wouldn't know the difference if you use date sugar in a coffee or tea from regular sugar so you want to try these things and make that lifestyle change have a great day everyone so eat smart move more sleep and breathe deep.