Fresh dates health benefits

 Fresh dates health benefits

Ramadan is the month especially when fresh dates are seen in abundance.Dates are a type of sweet fruit that grows on palm trees. Dates are a good source of energy. Around 100gm of fresh dates gives 133kcal.

Up to 80 percent of the date flesh is sugar that the body can easily access for energy. Fresh dates have sugar like fructose and dextrose that when eaten replenishes energy and revitalizes the body instantly; thus, for these qualities, dates are being used to breakfast during Ramadan months. 

Fresh dates are a particularly good source of calcium, which helps promote strong teeth and bones.

Dates are rich in dietary fiber. Most of the fiber is of the insoluble type, promoting smooth functioning of intestinal tract. It also prevents dietary LDL cholesterol absorption in the gut.

They contain many health benefiting flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants known as tannins. Tannins are known to have anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hemorrhagic (prevent easy bleeding tendencies) properties. 

Dates  are low in  fat, 100 g of dates, has only a fraction of a gram is fats.

Muslims generally break their fast by eating dates. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have said: “Break your fast by eating dates as it is purifying.”

So go ahead have a few dates everyday whether dried or fresh as u wish just enjoy the benefits............

Mrs Shilpa Mittal
Nutritionist and Diet Consultant
Founder Shilpsnutrilife - Diet and lifestylemakeover

Don't skip Suhoor (pre-dawn meal)

Don't skip Suhoor (pre-dawn meal)

 

Suhoor is regarded as a benefit of the blessings in that it allows the person fasting to avoid the crankiness or the weakness caused by the fast.

Eat suhoor(sehri) just prior to dawn. Yes, it's hard to get up at that hour, which is why it has many benefits and rewards. And this morning meal is generally recognized as the single most important meal of the day. as this is needed to get you through the day. Many people eat a late night meal and sleep through till the dawn prayers. This is not advisable.
 
Skipping Suhoor prolongs the fasting period as your body will need to rely on the previous meal to provide you with all the nutrients and energy until Iftar (dinner). Due to the longer hours of fasting, you are more likely to feel dehydrated and tired during the day. Furthermore, skipping Suhoor also encourages overeating during Iftar, which can cause unhealthy weight gain.

So all those doing Ramadan please eat suhoor.

Healthy fasting during Ramdan

Healthy fasting during Ramadan

Ramadan is a month of  blessings, of piety and of enlightenment. Ramadan holds a lot of importance for Muslims because this month gives them an added likelihood of being closer to their creator; Allah. Even if you are generally healthy, recognize that Ramadan will take a toll. Plan your schedule and meals ahead of time in order to make sure you get the nutrients, hydration, and rest that you need.

AVOID

Fried and fatty foods. They cause indigestion, heartburn and weight problems.

Foods containing too much sugar like sweets.

Over-eating especially at suhur.  

Anything hot, spicy, hot or salty. Too much salty food will make your body retain water and give you the feeling of being bloated, while spicy foods also induce thirst.

Drinks with high caffeine content (coffee, tea, chocolate, sodas and even decaffeinated teas and coffees) should be avoided. Caffeine leaches calcium from your system, which means you feel less full all the time.

EAT

Eat more of complex carbs

Due to the long hours of fasting, we should consume slow digesting fibre rich foods i.e Complex carbohydrates esp at suhur so that the food lasts longer making you less hungry (called complex carbohydrates), like grains and seeds like barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, whole meal flour, unpolished rice, etc 

Vegetables like green beans, peas, spinach, beetroot

Fruit with skin, dried fruit especially dried apricots, and prunes, dates, almonds, etc.

Bananas are a good source of potassium, magnesium and carbohydrates.

Drink sufficient water or fruit juices between Iftar and bedtime to avoid dehydration.

Eat suhoor(sehri) just prior to dawn. Yes, it's hard to get up at that hour, which is why it has many benefits and rewards. And this morning meal is generally recognized as the single most important meal of the day. as this is needed to get you through the day. Many people eat a late night meal and sleep through till the dawn prayers. This is not advisable.

Also do some light exercise, such as walking for 15-20 minutes especially in the evening hours.

Enjoy Happy Healthy Ramadan

Benefits of Dates Fruit (Khajoor)

Benefits of Dates Fruit (Khajoor) 

Dates are a type of sweet fruit that grows on palm trees. They have been cultivated since approximately 6000 B.C. They grow on the tree for six or seven months before they are ripe enough to eat. There are three main types of dates, which are classified based on the moisture of the flesh: dry, semi-dry and soft. The health benefits of dates are derived from the nutrients they provide.

 Fresh vs. Dried Dates

	Fresh Dates	Dried Dates
Shelf life	If kept in an airtight container, stay fresh for up to 8 months if kept refrigerated, or for up to year in the freezer	If refrigerated in an airtight container stay fresh for up to one year, and if in the freezer can last up to five years
Calories 100 gm	144 calories	317 calories
Macronutrients
Carbohydrate	33.8 g of carbohydrates	75.8 g of carbohydrate
Fibre	3.7g fibre	3.9g fibre
Protein	1.2 g of protein	2.5 g of protein
Fat	0.4g fat	0.4g fat
Micronutrients
Calcium	22 mg of calcium	120 mg of calcium
Iron	0.96 g of iron	7.3 mg of iron

Source:- Nutritive value of indian foods

 

Carbohydrates

Dates are a good source of energy. Up to 80 percent of the date flesh is sugar that the body can easily access for energy. Fresh dates have a somewhat lower percentage of sugar because they contain more moisture than dried dates, and the sugar in dried dates is more concentrated, but fresh dates are still a good source of carbohydrates. Fresh date is made of soft, easily digestible flesh with simple sugars like fructose and dextrose that when eaten replenishes energy and revitalizes the body instantly; thus, for these qualities, dates are being used to breakfast during Ramadan months. 

Minerals

Dates are a particularly good source of calcium, which helps promote strong teeth and bones. Dried Dates are an excellent source of iron, being a component of hemoglobin inside the red blood cells, determines the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood.

In addition, They are good in potassium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that help controlling heart rate and blood pressure; thus offers protection against stroke and coronary heart diseases.

 Fiber

The fruit is rich in dietary fiber. Most of the fiber is of the insoluble type, meaning that its major health-promoting effect is to add bulk to stool and help food move through the intestinal tract. The fiber content helps to protect the colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure time and as well as binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon. It prevents dietary LDL cholesterol absorption in the gut.

They contain many health benefitting flavonoid polyphenolic antioxidants known as tannins. Tannins are known to have anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hemorrhagic (prevent easy bleeding tendencies) properties.

Low Fat

Another health benefit of dates is that they are low fat. In 100 g of dates, only a fraction of a gram is saturated fats.

 

Muslims generally break their fast by eating dates. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have said: “Break your fast by eating dates as it is purifying.”

So go ahead have a few dates everyday whether dried or fresh as u wish just enjoy the benefits.............

HEALTHY POINTERS FOR DIWALI

HEALTHY POINTERS FOR DIWALI

Sweets and Festivals go hand in hand. And when it comes to Indian festivals, especially the grand Diwali, sweets are many, along with all kinds of rich dishes.

When you eat that Diwali sweet, do you find yourself thinking: “If I walk for 20 mins, I’ll undo the calories” – and that never happens does it? Because that would mean 20 mins more than your usual workout for each piece you eat.

Here are some tips on adopting healthy ways of eating this Diwali.

Moderation is the mantra to enjoy festive food. Eat fatty foods, sweets and other fried snacks in little amounts.

If you are making sweets yourself, use low fat ingredients- like low fat milk and other dairy products.

 Use natural sweeteners like honey, jiggery, dried figs and dates to make sweets and avoid using refined sugar or artificial sweeteners. They taste just as good.

One can make healthier sweets like kheer, puran poli (sweet rotis with a filling of tuvar dal and jaggery), fruit-salad, fruit pies, custard and shrikhand at home.

A simple date halwa

Take a tablespoon of ghee  add in half kg of dates. Then,  stir it continuously till the dates get softer. Once it reaches a thick paste-like consistency,  add a handful of grated almonds on top, spread it in a dish and cut it into pieces. A healthy, home-made date halwa is ready.”

Squeeze the syrup out of mithai before eating.

Eat sweets in the earlier half of the day rather than at night.

Opt for dark chocolates with higher cocoa content

Before eating snacks, remember to drink water to bring in the feeling of fullness.

 Instead of loading your plate to the brim with sweets, just take a few, may be one or two, items and eat them slowly and gradually.

Even if you indulge, balance it out. For instance, if you eat dessert, then compensate by not having sweetened fruit juice or aerated drinks with your meals.

Be careful of how much food you 'taste' while preparing festival goodies. Often, while cooking we tend to eat more than normal without realising.

Enjoy the company of the people around you, as much as you enjoy your meal. While eating, take small bites and relish your food. Most importantly, eat without guilt!!!!!

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY N HEALTHY DIWALI