How About A Date With Dates This Monsoon?

New Delhi: Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar never fails to come up with recommendations of the right food and exercise in accordance with seasons. ‘Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables is her favourite mantra.

She recently shared about the nutritious value of dates (khajoor) on an Instagram post. Explaining why you should eat dates, she said, “The main reason why you should eat it is because it’s good looking, good tasting and is in season right now.”

Highlighting the benefits of eating dates, she said, “Dates helps fight most infections and allergies, and is used to treat sleep disorders. Dates is a natural sweetener and boosts energy as well as improves hemoglobin levels. As it is packed with fibre, dates prevents constipation as well as acidity. ”

According to Rujuta, the best time to eat dates is first thing in the morning or post-lunch if your hemoglobin levels are low. Kids can consume it during the mid-meal time.

Here are a few health benefits of dates:

Nutrient-rich: Dates do have some calories but they contain a lot of fibre and a small amount of protein. Additionally, they have minerals like potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, iron and vitamin B6.

Good for the skin: They have vitamin C and D, which help in keeping the elasticity of the skin. They are also known to have anti-ageing properties by keeping a check on melanin build-up in the body. The skin is thus benefitted.

Fibre: They have ample fibre and this will do a lot of good for clearing up the intestinal tract and help in bowel movement. Additionally, fibre can be good for blood sugar control because it slows down digestion.

High in antioxidants: Antioxidants can help in reducing harmful reactions in the body, which could end up getting diseases. It does this by protecting the body cells from free radicals. Dates mainly have antioxidants flavonoids (can reduce inflammation and reduce risk of diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease), carotenoids (helps in promoting heart health) and phenolic acid (can reduce inflammation and help in lowering chance of heart disease).

Blood pressure regulation: The potassium in dates helps in lowering blood pressure. Inadequate potassium in the body may also lead to kidney stones. Iron-rich: Dates are rich in iron. This is helpful since iron deficiency could lead to anemia.

Good for bone health: Dates contain phosphorous, potassium, calcium, copper, manganese and magnesium. These minerals could help in preventing osteoporosis. Improvement in brain health: Dates are known to protect against inflammation of the brain. Th…