Are Dates Really A Natural Weight Loss Food?

Dates have been prized since ancient times for their sweetness, their versatility in cooking and their health benefits. These tiny fruits also have several properties that could add a boost to your weight loss plan. The connection between dates and weight loss, however, depends on how you use them.

Few fruits are older than the date, which dates back to as early as 6000 B.C. They were first discovered growing in Egypt, Iran and Pakistan, around the Nile River and what is now known as the Persian Gulf region.

In these regions, the date palm is known as a symbol for life, and to this day, it is a custom in Saudi Arabia and surrounding countries to offer guests a cup of Arabian coffee with cardamom alongside a platter of dates, as part of a proper welcome.

Two factors in particular make dates—in moderation—a good addition to a weight loss regimen. The first is their dense, fiber-filled composition. Ten dates contain approximately six grams of fiber, which is important to healthy digestion, including elimination, and can keep you feeling fuller for longer. The dense and “heavy” structure of dates can also help you to feel satiated long after you eat them.

The second way that dates can help aid in losing weight is by replacing sugary, processed snacks for those that have a sweet tooth. While dates are full of natural sugars, and if eaten in excess can be detrimental to your goal, a handful of them when you are craving sugar can satisfy the craving, as they have a strong, sweet flavor.

Dates are an excellent source of energy, and also provide protein, about two grams per ten dates. These fruits are packed with nutrients, including B-vitamins and vitamin K, and the minerals calcium, magnesium and potassium. In fact, serving for serving, dates contain more potassium than bananas. Potassium is an essential mineral for the proper functioning of cells.

It must be noted that while adding a moderate amount of dates into your diet can indeed help with weight loss in a couple of important ways, as well as provide nutrition, no datessingle food on its own will magically lead to healthy weight loss.

Deciding to lose weight is deciding to change your entire lifestyle, by cutting out processed and “junk” foods, sticking to whole, natural foods, limiting carbohydrates and getting into a routine of moderate to intense exercise.

If you embrace all of these changes and are consistent in your efforts, you are sure to see the pounds start melting away in no time.

-The Alternative Daily

Sources:
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/nutr216/ref/symposium_jambi.html

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