Because the pits of dates are inedible, the only difference between pitted and unpitted dates is the amount of work you need to do when adding dates to your meals. The dried, whole fruits make handy, nutritious snacks. Chop pitted dates, or pit and chop whole dates, for use in desserts instead of raisins or as flavor accent in Middle Eastern dishes.
Fiber
Each cup of chopped, dried dates represents almost half of your day's daily fiber needs. With 11.8 g of fiber, 1 cup of chopped dates provides about 47 percent of the daily recommended value, or DV, for dietary fiber. According to MayoClinic.com, dietary fiber not only keeps your digestive system running smoothly but also helps lower cholesterol and stabilizes blood sugar.
Vitamins and Minerals
Dates are high in several nutrients, especially B vitamins and the minerals magnesium, potassium, copper and manganese. For B vitamins, each cup of pitted dates provides 7 percent of the DV of folate, 4.5 percent DV of thiamin, 5.7 DV of riboflavin, 9 percent DV of niacin, 8.6 DV of vitamin B-5 and 12 percent DV of vitamin B-6. The portion also contains more than 8 percent of your DV of iron. Other minerals provided by dates include 5 percent of your calcium needs, 15 percent DV of magnesium, 9 percent DV of phosphorous, 27 percent DV of potassium, 15 percent DV of copper, 19 percent DV of manganese, 6 percent DV of selenium and 5 percent DV of vitamin K.
Antioxidant Protection
A 2005 report in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" found that dates contain a high amount of phenol antioxidants. Dried dates contained the highest amount of polyphenols of the dried fruits studied. These micronutrients can provide antioxidant protection against cancer and heart disease. While fresh fruits score higher for antioxidant vitamins like C and E, dates, figs and plums offer superior concentrations of polyphenols, the report found. The report recommended that people add more dried fruits to their diet, as well as fresh fruits, for a balance of nutrients.
Considerations
The process of drying fruits concentrates the sugar content of the fruits, making them consequently higher in calories and carbohydrates. Each 1-cup serving of dates carries a load of 415 calories and 110 carbohydrates. For people attempting to lose weight or avoid sweets, the serving may be literally too rich for their blood. If you fall into one of these calories, consider either eating a smaller portion or choosing fruit with higher water content and less concentrated sugars, such as fresh watermelon or berries.
References
- USDA Nutrient Database: Dates, Deglet Noor (1 Cup, Chopped)
- RecipeTips.com: Dates
- FDA: Calculate the Percent Daily Value for the Appropriate Nutrients
- "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; Dried Fruits -- Excellent in Vitro and in Vivo Antioxidants; J.A. Vinson, et al.; February 2005
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Polyphenols ; F. C. Manach, et al.; May 2004
- Mayo Clinic.com: Dietary fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet; November 2009
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