Dates -Blessings and Bread of Desert
Dates – Fruit -Palm Dates -Blessings and Bread of Desert
Dates Fruit – Date –Palm –Tree of Life
The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera). date palm is a monocotyledon plan and it is recognize to be the oldest among the cultivated tree edible fruits. It is a prominent tree of desert . Every part of the dates tree is useful. . It is considered as a tree of life and sometimes as “Bread of Desert” and staple food of Arabs
Date palm is believed to be indigenous to countries around the Persian gulf. The dates were already commercially grown and appreciated by people in Mesopotamia (Southern Iraq) as far back as three thousand BC. It has been under cultivation in Egypt since the prehistoric days
In Western hemisphere, the date palm was introduced in the late 18th or early 19th century by the Spanish missionaries. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAR, Algeria, and Pakistan are the principal date growing countries. Dates are also produced in considerably large quantities in Morocco. Oman, Tunisia, Sudan, Muscat Libya Aden, USA and Bahrain. In India the date is not grown commercially any where except in parts of Kutch district of Gujarat State . Now different varieties of dates available – Popular varieties are ‘Saidy ,Amir Hajj, Medjool etc…. In this medjool variety is also known as king of dates , diamond of dates,
Date – A Humble Fruit – Used as medicine Date fruit is a rich source of nutrients, sugar and pharmaceutical secondary metabolites, and provide 3150 calories per kilogram, and contain a high percentage of carbohydrates. Numerous studies have been conducted to study the benefits of the date palm, either from its fruit or seed, and it has been found that the date palm possesses several highly beneficial properties such as antiviral, antifungal, antioxidant, antihyperlidimic activity and hepatoprotective activity
The date palm not only provided a concentrated energy food, which could be easily stored and carried along on long journeys across the deserts, it also created a more amenable habitat for the people to live in by providing shade and protection from the desert winds
Health Benefits of Date Palm to the brain
It provides a physical benefit that is crucial to the brain, called the neuro protective or cerebro protective effect. In general, this neuro protective effect protects the brain from the destructive activity of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) that could come from the cell metabolism itself or from exogenous sources This neuro protective effect is basically an extension from the previously known antioxidant effect of palm date as it operates based on similar concept.
Date palm is an excellent antioxidant agent and this is due to the high concentrations of phenolic compounds, anthocyanins and flavonoids as well as the presence of selenoproteins . This basic antioxidant effect is studied in the brain of the rats in order to evaluate its benefit to the brain
The date palm is highly nutritious and is known to contain mostly sugars. The flesh of fully ripe date (tamar) consists of 75-80 per cent sugars (Glucose and fructose). The fresh dates (Khalal) with a 20% moisture contain 60-65% sugars, 2.5% fibre, 2.0% protein, 2.0% fat and 2.0% minerals like iron, calcium, potassium and moderate quantity of chlorine, copper, magnesium and sulphur. In this way it furnish 3178 calories of heat per kg. It also contains small amount of vitamin A, B1 and B2. The fruit is also a good source of nicotinic acid.
Dates Fruit – A Recommended Fruit As a Natural Medicine
Dates also contain carbohydrates that include 3 grams of dietary fiber and 29 grams of naturally occurring sugars such as fructose, glucose, and sucrose. In
other words, one serving of date contains 31 grams of carbohydrates that supplies the body with large amounts of energy. Dates in addition to being a good source of dietary fiber are sodium free, fat free, and cholesterol free. Each of these factors is important for reducing the risk of developing heart disease and cancer.
The fiber found in dates comes in two forms, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber has been shown to help control diabetes by decreasing high blood sugar as well as lowering high cholesterol, specifically low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Insoluble fiber increases the body’s ability and rate at which food is processed through the digestive system.
- Dates restorative drink – 7 or 8 Dates mix with milk ,very nourishing and restorative drink for children
- Treatment of diarrhea and dysentery in children – Dates and honey paste should be taken in 3 times in a day
- Its rich sources of iron helps to maintain HB count in blood cells
- Its rich content of calcium, manganese, copper, and magnesium helps in bone and teeth, and required by the body for muscle contraction, blood clotting
- In Culinary Uses : This versatile fruit can be added to cakes,puddings.Add sweetness to meat,sea foods and also vegetables Try to purchase fresh dates and keep in refrigerator in airtight container