Dates are delicious but quite high in calories. Despite this, they are incredibly beneficial for your health. But are dates good for weight loss? Find out now!
Are you on a weight loss quest but unable to find the perfect foods to eat? What about dry fruits, specifically dates? Dates are delicious and one of the most nutritious food items you can add to your diet! But are dates good for weight loss? Make sure to stay till the end of the blog to know it all!
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Nutritional Profile of Dates
Dates are fruits that come from the date palm trees. What you eat is commonly the dried version of the date fruit. Chewy with a heavy amount of sweetness, the calories in dates are higher than the fresh fruit as they are dried. Dates add a significant amount of crucial vitamins, minerals, and fibre content to your diet.
There are hundreds of varieties of dates available, and the dates have a similar nutritional profile.
The nutritional value of 100 g of Medjool dates is as follows:
| Nutrient | Content |
| Water | 21.3 g |
| Calories | 277 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 75 g |
| Fibre | 6.7 g |
| Sugar | 66.5 g |
| Total fat | 0.15 g |
| Protein | 1.81 g |
| Potassium | 696 mg |
| Calcium | 64 mg |
| Magnesium | 54 mg |
| Sodium | 1 mg |
| Iron | 0.9 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.249 mg |
| Vitamin A | 7 µg |
| Vitamin K | 2.7 µg |
Source: USDA
Do dates help in weight loss? Let’s find out.
Benefits of Dates in Weight Loss
There is not enough scientific evidence to suggest that dates can be beneficial for weight loss.
The supposed benefits of dates for weight loss may be attributed to their high-fibre content. Consuming enough fibre is very important when you are on a weight loss diet. With about 7 g of fibre in each 100 g, dates can be a great snack to increase your fibre intake.
Fibre generally slows down the process of digestion and promotes the feeling of satiety and fullness. By keeping you full for a longer period of time, dates can prevent indulgence in random snacking or binge-eating. This can reduce your overall calorie intake and help with weight management. Studies also suggest that consuming fibre-rich foods can help reduce your belly fat and even prevent further fat gain.
Further, one study noted that date extracts inhibited pancreatic lipase, an enzyme whose inhibition can help prevent obesity.
Another study found that people can eat a small number of dates each day without any weight gain.
These studies suggest that dates may be helpful for people looking to lose weight, but more research needs to be conducted before the weight loss benefits of dates can be firmly established.
How Many Dates to Eat Per Day for Weight Loss?
Although dates are high in nutrition, they are also high in calories and sugar. If you are on a weight loss diet, it is important to watch your calorie intake. Consuming 100 g (4 to 5) dates per day should be okay if you are trying to lose weight.
How to Eat Dates for Weight Loss?
There are multiple ways to add dates to your weight loss diet. These include:
- Breakfast: Add 3 to 4 dates to your daily bowl of oatmeal, smoothie, or any other cereal.
- Snack: Have 3 to 4 dates with a cup of milk. You can also make energy balls with dates and other dry fruits, and snack on them when hungry.
- Lunch: Add 1 to 2 dates to your bowl of fruit or vegetable salad or soup.
- Sugar Alternate: Use dates in the form of puree as an alternative to sugar.
Quick Instructions to Make Dates Puree as a Replacement to Sugar
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What is the Best Time to Eat Dates for Weight Loss?
There is no one time to eat dates for losing weight. You can eat and enjoy this sweet delicacy any time of the day, especially when you feel hungry. You can have them before a workout session, with your main meals, as a mid-afternoon or evening snack or as a nighttime snack.
What are the Risks of Overconsumption of Dates?
While dates may be highly nutritious, eating too much of it, as with anything else, can be harmful. Some of the risks of overconsumption of dates can be:
- Due to the high-calorie content of dates, you may want to limit your daily consumption of dates to a count of not more than 4 to 5 to avoid any further weight gain.
- Dates have a high sugar content as well. Thus, those who are trying to manage their blood sugar levels, such as those with Diabetes, should avoid the excessive consumption of dates.
- Dates are high in potassium. Since potassium is processed by the kidneys, those with kidney disease should consult a doctor about consuming potassium-rich foods such as dates.
- Some people may be allergic to dates or to chemicals called sulphites that are found in dates. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include stomach pain and bloating, itchy and red eyes, and skin rashes. Contact a doctor immediately if you observe any such symptoms.
What are the Other Health Benefits of Dates?
Apart from weight loss, some of the other health benefits of dates include:
- The antioxidants present in dates such as phenolic acids, flavonoids and carotenoids may help reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of chronic health conditions such as Diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancers.
- Some studies suggest that dates, when consumed in the last months of pregnancy, may induce natural labour and ease the pain associated with it.
- Dates are packed with potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus, which are all known to promote better bone health. They may even prevent bone conditions such as osteoporosis.
- As dates are low on the glycaemic index, and high on fibre, they cause a slower rise in blood sugar levels, which makes them a great option for managing diabetes.
Don’t Have Time To Read?
- Dates are a high-fibre (7 g in each 100 g) dried fruit. Fibre-rich foods promote a feeling of fullness and prevent frequent snacking or binge-eating, thus helping with weight loss. However, there is not enough scientific evidence to suggest that dates help with weight loss.
- When on a weight loss diet, limit your consumption of dates to not more than 100 g (4 to 5) per day due to the high calorie and sugar content in dates.
- You can add dates to your breakfast bowls, eat them with a cup of milk, make energy balls with them, add them to your salads or use them in the form of a puree as an alternative to sugar.
- You can enjoy dates at any time of the day, such as before a workout session, at breakfast, as an afternoon or evening snack or as a nighttime snack.
- Overconsumption of dates can cause weight gain due to the high calorie content. Those with diabetes or kidney disease should limit their consumption of dates due to the high sugar and potassium content of dates.
- Dates can reduce the risk of chronic health conditions such as heart disease, help manage Diabetes, promote better bone health, and may help induce natural labour.
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Friendly Asked Questions
There do not seem to be any direct studies that suggest that dates can help reduce belly fat. However, dates are high in fibre, and recent research shows that a higher fibre intake may help reduce belly fat. Thus, dates may help with belly fat loss when combined with a balanced diet and exercise.
Yes, eating 2 dates per day can be good for you. Dates are rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which makes them highly beneficial for your overall health.
Yes, you can eat 4 to 5 dates at night for weight loss. Having dates either with dinner or as a nighttime snack can help prevent midnight hunger pangs and excessive snacking, which often lead to weight gain. Eating dates before bed can keep you full for longer and avoid binge-eating in the middle of the night. This is due to the high fibre content of dates.
Yes, date syrup may be good for weight loss if the syrup is made at home with only dates and water and no additional ingredients. In this case, it would have all the beneficial properties of dates. Commercially available date syrup may not be a great choice for weight loss as it may contain added sugars, which can be an obstacle if you are trying to lose weight. Also, remember to consume date syrup in moderation if you want to lose weight.
Yes, dates can be fattening if consumed in excess. Though highly beneficial for your health due to its fibre-rich content and vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, dates can also lead to fat gain if not consumed in moderation. This is because of their high calorie and sugar content.
No, dates do not appear to increase blood cholesterol levels. Instead, studies suggest that dates can help lower your LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein or “bad cholesterol”) levels and increase HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein or “good cholesterol”) levels due to the high fibre content present in them.
Yes, due to the high fibre content, dates may help in effective weight loss. Fibre slows down digestion and keeps you feeling full and satiated for a long time. This prevents you from overeating and curbs hunger pangs. Your overall calorie intake is lowered, which may help with weight loss.