The best way to eat dates. Just make this simple change with your dates and drastically increase their nutrition and deliciousness.
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Ya know, I never used to like dates.
Crazy right?
I started eating them during one of my pregnancies, near the end. Because I had read it can help prepare your uterus for birth.
Forcing myself to eat 6 dates a day.
I have to say though, that was my fastest birth by far! So there may be something to that!
Then more recently I saw someone do this on Instagram and I just had to try it myself. And what do ya know? I actually like dates now!
It is the smallest change, seemingly insignificant.
But it makes a big difference.
The best way to eat dates
Y’all ready for this?
Drumroll please.
Open up each date and take the pit out
Use a butter knife and put a big smear of butter inside the date
Push the date closed again
Tada!
How amazingly simple that was!
I get medjool dates HERE, and grassfed butter HERE!
Why are dates healthy?
Dates contain some important vitamins and minerals, as well as a good amount of fiber.
A 3.5-ounce serving of Medjool dates provides the following nutrients:
Calories: 277
Carbs: 75 grams
Fiber: 7 grams
Protein: 2 grams
Potassium: 15% DV
Magnesium: 13% DV
Copper: 40% DV
Manganese: 13% DV
Iron: 5% DV
Vitamin B6: 15% DV
Dates are also high in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect your cells from free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can cause harmful reactions in your body and lead to disease. Compared to similar types of fruit, such as figs and dried plums, dates have the highest antioxidant content.
Amazing right?
Here are the three most potent antioxidants in dates:
Flavonoids: Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants that may help reduce inflammation and have been studied for their potential to reduce the risk of diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and certain types of cancer.
Carotenoids: Carotenoids are proven to promote heart health and may also reduce the risk of eye-related disorders, such as macular degeneration.
Phenolic acid: Known for their anti-inflammatory properties, phenolic acids may help lower the risk of cancer and heart disease.
Improving labor times
Remember why I said I started eating dates to begin with?
Because I had heard they can make your labor shorter and contractions more efficient!
What makes dates beneficial in pregnancy is actually compounds that bind to oxytocin receptors and appear to mimic the effects of oxytocin in the body. Oxytocin is a hormone that causes labor contractions during birth.
Plus, dates contain tannins, which are compounds that have been shown to help cause contractions. They are also a good source of natural sugar and calories, which are necessary to maintain energy levels during labor.
So eating 6 dates a day the few weeks before labor, and having these butter-stuffed dates on hand for a mid-labor snack is a good idea!!
Why is butter healthy?
Butter contains lecithin, a substance that assists in the proper assimilation and metabolism of cholesterol and other fat constituents.
Butter also contains a number of anti-oxidants that protect against the kind of free radical damage that weakens the arteries. Vitamin A and vitamin E found in butter both play a strong anti-oxidant role. Butter is a very rich source of selenium, a vital anti-oxidant–containing more per gram than herring or wheat germ.
Saturated fats in butter have strong anti-cancer properties. Butter is rich in short and medium chain fatty acid chains that have strong anti-tumor effects.6 Butter also contains conjugated linoleic acid which gives excellent protection against cancer.7
Vitamin A and the anti-oxidants in butter–vitamin E, selenium and cholesterol–protect against cancer as well as heart disease.
Butter is a good source of iodine, in highly absorbable form. Butter consumption prevents goiter in mountainous areas where seafood is not available. In addition, vitamin A in butter is essential for proper functioning of the thyroid gland.11
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