Dates are fruits that are characterised by a distinct flavourful and sweet taste. They can be found growing on date palm trees. They can usually be found in their dried and packaged states. Dates are rich in dietary fibre. They are known to also contain various minerals and vitamins, polyphenols, carotenoids, and phytosterols. Studies have demonstrated that dates are beneficial to health due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Dates are highly nutritious and have high contents of natural sugars. This is why they are used as great natural sweeteners. But dates should be eaten moderately by those looking to minimise their sugar intake. A 72g serving of the Medjool dates with a 200-calorie count comes with a daily recommended 4.8 grams of fibre, 48 grams of sugar, and 11% of potassium.
Enjoying dates as a part of your meal
Dates can be used to sweeten or savour your dishes. Also, they are versatile and can be prepared in several ways. Recipe with dates helps us use the fruits in creative ways. The following date recipes are quick ideas that can be tried in the kitchen:
Energy balls with dates
Date energy balls are nutritious and convenient. As recipe with dates, they are snacks that are packed with energy that is full of spices, dried fruits, and nuts, and contain other additional elements such as coconut, seeds, and chocolate. The nutrition per serving for energy balls is:
• Total calories – 102
• Protein – 3.5g
• Sugar – 9.8g
• Fiber – 1.6g
• Carbohydrates – 14g
• Sodium – 59mg
• Saturated fat – 0.8g
• Total fat – 4.6g
Natural sweetener
Dates can be processed in several ways to work as a natural sweetening agent to be added to meals. One of these is the date caramel sauce – which is a plant-based variant of caramel sauce that can be added as a topping for desserts. Additionally, date paste is also useful to be added to baked foods. As a natural sweetener, the nutrition per serving of date caramel sauce is:
• Total calories – 173
• Protein – 0.9g
• Sugar – 37g
• Fiber – 3.1g
• Carbohydrates – 42g
• Sodium – 2.9mg
• Saturated fat – 1.4g
• Total fat – 2.1g
Stuffed appetizer
Dates are perfect when used for stuffing. When pitted, they expose a natural pocket that can be filled up with savoury or sweet fillings. If you want a savoury option, you can try adding cream cheese or goat cheese plus chopped nuts or you could simply stuff them up by using almond butter to get a sweeter treat. As a stuffed appetizer, the nutrition per serving for dates is:
• Total calories – 165
• Protein – 3.8g
• Sugar – 17g
• Fiber – 3.3g
• Carbohydrates – 21g
• Sodium – 1.4mg
• Saturated fat – 0.7g
• Total fat – 8.9g
Smoothies
Inserting dates into smoothies helps to thicken the texture and produces a natural earthy sweet flavour. This flavour combines perfectly with milk, nut butter, oranges, bananas, as well as nutmeg and cinnamon. You can become creative and create a unique combo of flavours that includes all your favourite tastes. The nutrition per serving for smoothies is:
• Total calories – 437
• Protein – 19g
• Sugar – 55g
• Fiber – 8.8g
• Carbohydrates – 77g
• Sodium – 104mg
• Saturated fat – 1.9g
• Total fat – 9.9g
Roasted vegetables
You chop up dates to be added to vegetables. When added to roasted vegetables, it increases the sweetness and enhances its texture to be a lot chewier. Dates will work excellently well when added to carrots, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and many more. To even out the taste, you can try adding feta or creamy goat cheese, herbs, and chopped nuts to the dish. The nutrition per serving of roasted vegetables is:
• Total calories – 157
• Protein – 3.8g
• Sugar – 10g
• Fiber – 4.9g
• Carbohydrates – 18g
• Sodium – 216mg
• Saturated fat – 1g
• Total fat – 9.3g
Sweetbreads and muffins
You can add dates to sweetbreads and muffins. This helps to increase the chewiness and sweetness of the baked goods while also deepening the flavour. The snacks are especially flavourful with cinnamon, molasses, carrots, ginger, apples, and various other food elements with similar taste profiles. The nutrition per serving for sweet bread and muffins is:
• Total calories – 167
• Protein – 3.5g
• Sugar – 13g
• Fiber – 2g
• Carbohydrates – 27g
• Sodium – 246mg
• Saturated fat – 2.9g
• Total fat – 5.2g
Common benefits of dates to health
Dates are healthy and nutritious fruits that can be consumed as a part of several recipes. There are many recipe with dates that are healthy options. Dates are beneficial to human health in the following ways:
• They are very rich in potassium.
• They have a high fibre content.
• They are a source of different vitamin B minerals.
• They have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
• They are excellent sources of iron, vitamin A, copper, and folate.
• Can be helpful against intestinal disorders and constipation.
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