Health and Beauty Benefits of Dates

Dates have long been used as sweeteners and a quick snack, or meal even, for centuries. They are cholesterol-free and very low in fat. Plus they’re energy boosters, making them a suitable snack for the health-conscious. Also, they’re rich in vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, A1 and C, proteins, dietary fiber, iron (11 percent), potassium (16 percent), calcium, manganese, copper, and magnesium. The soluble and insoluble fibers and amino acids present in dates can also help to improve the digestive system.

Dates is a fruit that can be consumed directly without addition of any other ingredient. It is also sweet and thus lazy girls like me can just pop one or two anytime we want.

Now let me list down the various health benefits of dates:

• Dates help a lot in preventing constipation.
• People with intestinal disorders have been advised to take dates.
• If you are very skinny and you want to put on weight, then take this healthy sweet fruit with milk.
• People with heart problems have also been advised to take dates on a regular basis.
• It helps to arrest diarrhoea.
• People suffering with abdominal cancer have also been advised to consume dates.
• Dates helps in good muscle development.
• Dates help in improving the digestive system.
• Dates also helps in reducing cholesterol.
• Dates is known to slow the process of tooth decay.

The benefits of dates goes on and on. It is a great substitute for sugar. I usually make milk shakes using dates and not sugar and thus I can serve the same to people of all age groups from kids to elderly people.  These dates are also available in the form of syrup and the same can be taken directly either like two spoons per day or we can even add that to our milk, juice, desserts and other dishes. It not only adds just taste to the food but also lot of health benefits.

To have healthy skin and hair is not an easy task in today’s busy life and for people like us, dates is our saviour.  Just take a couple of dates everyday and you can see a drastic transformation in your skin and hair. Let me list out the various ways you can take dates.

• Beat dates with milk and you can have it as a milk shake.
• You may add fruits of your choice to the above-mentioned shake and thus the dates just acts as an sweetening agent and it would not dominate the flavour of the milk shake.
• You can make dates paste and use instead of jam.
• Dates syrup is readily available in the market which can be used in place of  honey.
• Dates syrup can be topped up on fruit salads and ice creams to add more flavour.
• You can skip sugar if you are adding dates to a particular dish.
• Dates as such is a sweet fruit, which can be consumed directly.

'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

A family which has dates will not be hungry. 

Reference	: Sahih Muslim 2046 a