ASuddenly, it feels like everyone’s obsessed with dates: the brown, wrinkled fruits of tropical palm trees that look like large raisins. They’re the subject of countless enthusiastic social media posts proclaiming that the sweet fruits improve digestion and blood sugar, give you more energy, and benefit various organs. They’re also a natural way to sweeten baked goods, smoothies, and desserts.
But do dates really offer such great benefits? We spoke to registered dietitians about what dates can and can’t do for your health, and how you can incorporate them into your diet.
Dates are rich in fiber
Four dates usually make up one serving: a tasty snack that’s under 300 calories. “You get a lot of nutrition in a small package,” says registered dietitian nutritionist Melissa Mroz-Planells, RD, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Most of the calories come from carbohydrates, including about 7 grams of fiber. Adults typically need about 22 to 34 grams of fiber each day, but some estimates suggest only 10% of Americans get it. Those 7 grams can make a difference, and getting plenty of fiber can help lower cholesterol, keep you fuller longer, and protect against constipation, Mroz-Planells says.
They provide quick energy
Your body uses sugar, a type of carbohydrate, for energy, and dates provide plenty of sugar. A serving of four dates has about 66 grams of sugar.
Eating foods high in sugar without other nutrients can lead to energy spikes and crashes—the infamous sugar high. But while dates may contain a lot of sugar, their high fiber helps prevent blood-sugar spikes, says registered dietitian nutritionist Gregory Lafortune. “Many other products that contain sugar, like a bottle of soda, don’t contain any fiber at all,” he says.
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However, if you have insulin resistance, meaning your body can’t regulate your blood sugar as it should (this is common in prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes, and polycystic ovary syndrome), you may need to be more careful and monitor your blood sugar when you eat dates, Lafortune says.
Dates provide some protein
Amino acids are often referred to as the building blocks of protein, which your body uses to build muscle and repair tissue. Considering that dates are so sweet, it may be surprising to learn that one serving contains about 2 grams of protein.
This won’t quite help you meet your daily protein needs (about 100 grams if you’re on a 2,000-calorie daily diet), but dates still have an advantage over something similarly sweet that doesn’t contain any protein, Mroz-Planells says.
Influencers love to hype the fact that dates contain all nine of the so-called essential amino acids that your body can’t produce on its own. And while that’s technically true, these social media posts usually fail to mention that you’re getting one. Really “Dates may contain a wide variety of these amino acids, but they don’t contain a huge amount of protein,” Lafortune says.
They pack electrolytes
Lafortune says one serving of dates provides about 15% of your daily potassium and magnesium needs, two important minerals that act as electrolytes. (In fact, just four dates contain more potassium than a banana.) Electrolytes help maintain the proper balance of fluids and salts in the body, preventing dehydration and keeping heart rate and blood pressure steady. Your kidneys help regulate this balance, but there’s no evidence that eating dates helps with kidney problems or the so-called “adrenal fatigue” that some social media posts claim. In fact, if you have kidney problems, you may actually little potassium.
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Dates are rich in copper
You’ll also get about 40% of your daily recommended copper in one serving of dates. This is helpful because copper plays a role in red blood cell production, says Lafortune; when you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells, you can feel tired or easily short of breath. Copper also helps your body make collagen, he adds, which is a key component of connective tissue and bone. He says it helps with skin elasticity, but it’s unlikely to change the appearance of your skin in two weeks, as some influencers claim.
How to eat dates
If these benefits sound compelling and you’re ready to give dates a try, you can eat them right out of the package. You can find fresh and dried dates at most grocery stores; the dried variety can even be pitted and diced.
But you can get a little more creative: Dates are versatile, lending themselves to sweet and savory preparations, Lafortune says. (Just be sure to remove the pits first.) Here are some of her and Mroz-Planells’ favorite ways to enjoy them:
- Blend these into smoothies
- Chop them up and roll them in nuts, oats and nut butter to make energy balls.
- Slice them up, fill them with peanut butter, and top with a few dark chocolate chips for a peanut butter cup look that’s high in nutrients and low in added sugar.
- Chop them up and add them to salads, oatmeal or yogurt.
- Puree them and use the blended dates as a one-to-one sugar substitute in baked goods.
Social media crazes come and go, but if you like dates, they’re a trend worth joining. “It’s great that healthy foods like dates are in the spotlight, but have “Eat dates,” Lafortune says. “You can include them in a balanced diet, but you shouldn’t rely on dates to be a magic cure-all for every ailment.”