There are few Russians who have never tasted dates. For us, it is, first of all, a delicacy, but in hot countries they are called "bread of the desert." Dates are an amazing fruit that some peoples attribute to the ability to promote health and give longevity. In China, for example, you can find centenarians whose diet is based on dates. One way or another, this is an extremely healthy product, and nutritionists advise using this fruit instead of sweets. In addition, dates have long been famous for their healing properties. They were used to fight tumors, tuberculosis, infectious and other diseases. It is believed that dried dates have a positive effect on the brain, helping to increase its performance by 20 percent or more.
Why are dates useful?
Dates are one of the oldest fruits cultivated by humans. Even today they are an important part of the diet of some peoples due to their unique nutritional properties and excellent taste. The ancestors of the Semites used wild dates 5000-7000 years ago. Israeli scientists managed to germinate a seed of dates, which they found during excavations of an object that was 2,000 years old. This type of date palms had unusual healing properties, but disappeared more than half a thousand years ago.
Date fruits contain enough iron, protein, phosphorus, magnesium, mineral salts, amino acids, vitamins, etc. Scientists believe that a dozen dates a day will provide a person's daily need for magnesium, sulfur, copper, as well as half for iron, a quarter for calcium. Some nutritionists claim that a glass of milk and one date can provide the necessary minimum of human nutritional requirements. The twenty-three amino acids found in dates are not found in many other fruits. Dried date fruits contain up to 65 percent sugar - a record for any other fruit. Moreover, we are talking mainly about glucose and fructose, the consumption of which does not have negative consequences for the human body (which cannot be said about sucrose).
By its nutritional, medicinal and other properties, dates can be equated with cereals. They are useful for pregnant women, adults, children. Dates are added to many dishes - buns, fruit salads, cookies, cakes and pies. Dates are used to make honey, alcohol, and sugar. Flour is produced from the heart of the palm tree. Fresh dates keep well in the refrigerator. For the body, date sugar is much healthier than beet or cane sugar. If dried dates are temporarily put in warmed milk, their taste will improve, and with a filling of nuts, almonds, butter or thick cream, the content of protein and proteins necessary for the human body will increase.
Arabs make a paste from dates that does not spoil for a whole year. Date fruits are also used for making muesli, jelly, compotes and various confectionery products, which are an excellent dessert. They make flour, a special type of honey. If you force the dates to ferment, you can get a pleasant drink. It should be added that dates do not contain cholesterol at all. These fruits are extremely useful for digestion, cleanse the body. Due to the fact that dried and dried dates have a sticky surface, pollutants and bacteria easily get on them, therefore it is not recommended to keep them outdoors for a long time, but should be washed immediately before use.
As already mentioned, dates have been known since ancient times for their unique healing properties. They say that these fruits give strength and longevity, make them hardy, increase sexual potency. In addition, they strengthen the kidneys, heart and liver, promote the formation of beneficial bacteria, maintain the balance of acids in the body and nourish the blood, and enhance the ability of the human body to resist infections, including viral ones. In addition, dates are recommended for hypertension and anemia, for the chest and lungs, help to remove phlegm and soothe coughs, have a positive effect on brain activity. Dietary fiber in dates reduces the likelihood of cancer.
Since these fruits contain a lot of potassium, doctors advise using them for heart and vascular diseases. If a person has heart failure, dates have a beneficial effect on the activity of the heart, tone and strengthen, give strength after a long illness of the body. They also help with Bell's palsy, physical fatigue and excessive fatigue, and diabetes mellitus. If you boil dates with rice, you get an excellent remedy for dystrophy. These fruits are especially useful for women during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. Dates facilitate childbirth, have a beneficial effect on the production of milk by the female body. They are recommended to replace sweets, especially for those who follow a diet, taking care of maintaining a normal weight.
Most of the date palms grow in the Arab countries. The leader in the cultivation and sale of these fruits is Saudi Arabia. Other major producers and sellers of dates include Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, UAE, Oman, Sudan, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia. However, date palms were once introduced to other parts of the world, therefore, today they grow in American California, Mexico, South Africa, Australia and other places. There are so many varieties of dates that even experts can hardly understand them.