The Health Benefits of Dates and How to Enjoy Them, According to Dietitians

[ad_1] <img width="800" height="534" src="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/the-health-benefits-of-dates-1024x683.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="The Health Benefits of Dates | MyFitnessPal" srcset="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/the-health-benefits-of-dates-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/the-health-benefits-of-dates-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/the-health-benefits-of-dates-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/the-health-benefits-of-dates.jpg 1350w" /> Candy, chewy, and surprisingly nutritious—dates are way more than a pure sweet. These little dried fruits are rapidly turning into well-liked as each a snack and an ingredient. They’re filled with fiber, important minerals, and antioxidants (1, 2). Plus, they make an awesome pure sweetener.

Are all the advantages of dates too good to be true? Let’s check out what makes dates particular, what to remember when consuming them, and how one can incorporate them into your food plan.

Well being Advantages of Dates

Though they’re small, dates are stuffed with useful vitamins—offering fiber, important minerals, and antioxidants to your physique (1, 2). These vitamins (1):

Assist digestive well being

Assist battle irritation

Might help long-term well being

Dates are a very good supply of dietary fiber, says MyFitnessPal registered dietitian Lauren Cuda. 4 pitted Medjool dates include roughly 7 g of fiber (3). Fiber is a sort of carbohydrate that the physique can’t absolutely digest. Due to that, fiber retains issues transferring in your physique—it performs a vital function in regulating bowel actions, stopping constipation, and selling intestine well being (4, 5). Fiber additionally helps to decelerate the absorption of sugar in your physique, which can assist help blood sugar ranges (4, 6).

Dates additionally include many important minerals resembling potassium, magnesium, copper, and selenium (3). 4 pitted Medjool dates include roughly 15% of the day by day really helpful consumption of those vitamins. Moreover, dates include small quantities of B nutritional vitamins (2), which assist your physique’s cells develop, develop, and performance (7).

Dates are wealthy in pure antioxidants, which might help cut back oxidative stress in your physique (1). This might help long-term well being and contribute to a lowered danger of power situations over time (1).

<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/essential-guide-daily-dietary-fiber-1024x683.jpg" alt="Essential Guide to Daily Dietary Fiber Requirements | MyFitnessPal" class="wp-image-57148 size-full" srcset="https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/essential-guide-daily-dietary-fiber-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/essential-guide-daily-dietary-fiber-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/essential-guide-daily-dietary-fiber-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/essential-guide-daily-dietary-fiber.jpg 1504w" /> You may additionally like

An Important Information to Each day Fiber Necessities

Potential Drawbacks of Consuming Dates

Although dates are nutritious, it’s vital to take their calorie and carbohydrate content material into consideration. One serving of dates, or 4 particular person dates, accommodates 277 energy and 75 g of carbohydrates (3). One date has 66 energy and 18 g of carbohydrates (3).

“Dates are nutrient dense, so consuming massive quantities can contribute to extra calorie consumption,” says Cuda. “Nonetheless, when eaten moderately, they might provide well being advantages (8).”

Dates are additionally excessive in pure sugars, with one date containing 16 g of sugar (3). Cuda says that whereas this sugar is of course occurring and paired with fiber, it may well nonetheless add up rapidly. “Portion management is vital when together with dates in your food plan,” she says.

What Makes Dates Particular from Different Dried Fruits?

Though dates are excessive in sugar content material, the entire sugar in dates is of course occurring. Many different dried fruits—like mango, pineapple, banana, cranberries, and extra—are sometimes sweetened throughout processing. On the flip aspect, dates are naturally dried and “almost at all times offered with out added sugar,” says Cuda.

In regards to the Skilled

Lauren Cuda, RD is a Meals Knowledge Curator at MyFitnessPal. She earned her bachelor’s diploma in Dietetics from Missouri State College and her grasp’s diploma in Diet Diagnostics from Cox School. With over 10 years of expertise, she makes a speciality of pediatric diet, malnutrition, and diet help.

Date Varieties and Their Makes use of

There are a selection of date varieties, and every has traits that make it a more sensible choice for sure makes use of (9). Every selection has a barely completely different texture, sweetness stage, and taste profile—these have an effect on how they’re finest used. Listed here are 4 of the commonest date varieties you’ll seemingly see on the grocery store:

Medjool dates are sometimes the most well-liked number of date. They’re massive, delicate, sticky, and really candy—good for snacking on their very own or stuffing with different goodies.

Deglet Noor dates are firmer and never as candy. They've a agency, partially dry flesh that makes them more durable for consuming alone. Deglet Noor dates are well-liked for cooking and baking.

Barhi dates are delicate and syrupy with a butterscotch-like taste. They’re typically used to sweeten syrups and sauces, or consumed with fruits or cheese. That is the date selection your charcuterie board goals of!

Ajwa dates are small and fewer candy than your typical medjool date. In Saudi Arabia, they carry non secular that means. Ajwa dates are often consumed as a espresso or tea sweetener, or as a snack.

5 Methods to Take pleasure in Consuming Dates

It’s a no brainer that the best approach to eat dates is to snack on them individually. However are you in search of different, extra artistic methods to munch on dates? Strive these choices that Cuda recommends:

#1: Smoothie Sweetener

As an alternative of honey or maple syrup, strive including one or two dates to your blender to sweeten a smoothie. The dates will each add not solely sweetness however advanced taste to your concoction—good for a breakfast pairing or on-the-go drink.

#2: Stuffed Snack

Strive stuffing dates with peanut, almond, cashew, or another nut butter of your selection. This can add a brand new taste to the combination and reduce the sweetness of the dates. Plus, nut butters are wealthy in protein, wholesome fat, and fiber (10).

#3: Vitality Bites

Chop up dates and add them to selfmade power bites or bars so as to add extra sweetness and texture. Strive one among these dietitian-approved recipes.

#4: Sugar Substitute

Right here’s one other approach to sweeten recipes with dates: mix some pitted dates in a blender or meals processor to create a thick, clean date paste. You may then use this paste as a sugar substitute. Date paste will even improve the complexity of your dish’s taste.

#5: Breakfast Topping

Chop and stir in small date bits into unsweetened oatmeal or yogurt for pure sweetness. Since dates are excessive in carbohydrates, they supply the mandatory power to kickstart your day.

Ceaselessly Requested Questions (FAQs)

What number of dates a day is taken into account a wholesome portion? Based on Cuda, a wholesome portion of dates is personalised to the person—relying in your well being targets, life-style, exercise, and power wants. 1-4 dates is probably going a very good quantity for most individuals. “These with diabetes or on carbohydrate-restricted diets ought to seek the advice of their healthcare supplier or dietitian for personalised steerage,” Cuda says.

What’s the most well-liked sort of date for snacking? Medjool dates are delicate and candy, making them a neater selection to snack on individually.

Ought to I eat dates as a pre-workout power booster? Dates are excessive in carbohydrates. These can offer you power earlier than a exercise. Consuming carbohydrates earlier than train might help preserve blood glucose ranges, protect glycogen shops, and delay fatigue throughout train (11). Dates additionally include potassium, which may help muscle operate (12). Total, dates make an awesome pre-workout snack.

Do dates have an excessive amount of sugar? Dates do have a major quantity of sugar, however all of this sugar is naturally-occurring. If you're frightened about added sugars in your food plan, dates could also be a very good choice as a result of they sometimes include no added sugar.

The Backside Line

Dates are an awesome supply of fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. They're excessive in carbohydrates and pure sugars—making them a very good breakfast topping, pre-workout snack, or noon pick-me-up. Regardless of their advantages, it’s vital to eat dates moderately as extra of something (together with pure sugars) will be dangerous.