Dates: useful properties and contraindications. Useful properties of dried dates

Where the sun gives its heat year-round, where there is no cold and a dank wind, where no snow falls, the miracle trees-date palms grow. It is here, in a warm edge, the dates so beloved by everyone are ripening. Useful properties and contraindications of this delicacy we will consider in this article.

Homeland of sweet delicacy

Where do the dates, useful properties, composition, caloricity grow, and also contra-indications of which are relevant for everyone who loves them? The original homeland of the date palm is the Nile and Euphrates valleys, now it is a delicacy grown in Italy, Spain, Africa and other countries with a tropical and subtropical climate.

In North Africa and Arabia dates are not just a sweet dessert, but a product that completely replaces bread. It is not for nothing that in the East dates are called "bread of the desert". It is believed that even if over a long period of time to eat only dates and fresh water, the body will transfer such a "diet" without stress and harm, because in these fruits is just an incredible amount of nutrients a person needs. Useful properties of dried dates are repeatedly described in various medical treatises.

In our time to meet the wild date palm is almost impossible, as a rule, these trees are cultivated specifically for the cultivation of sweet fruits. And not for nothing - dates are in great demand among people from all over the world, so the export of these fruits is quite profitable. There is no such person who does not try these sweet gifts of nature - dates! Benefits and medicinal properties, contra-indications and harm - no matter what information about them has been learned by lovers of sweets, they continue to be eaten by both adults and children.

Trade in dates across the world is carried out by Iran, Israel, Yemen, Iraq, Bahrain, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Oman, Morocco and the United States. But the undisputed leader in the cultivation and export of dates is Saudi Arabia.

Stubborn palm

The date palm tree is a rather tall tree, which sometimes reaches 25 meters in height. These trees proudly rise above the smaller representatives of the flora, as if showing their superiority over them. The thick trunk of the date palm is absolutely naked, without branches, except for the leaves that swing on its top.

The huge, fern-like leaves of the date palm reach a length of about 6 meters, and on their cuttings, sharp spines are formed. These plantation workers sprout beforehand, so that they do not interfere further. If this is not done, the workers can get injured, while the wounds are very painful and heal for a long time. Remove thorns with a heavy and very sharp knife - this is a simple but time consuming process, because the trees on the date plantation - tens of thousands ...

Date pollinating

After all the dangerous spikes are removed, collection of inflorescences begins, from which pollen is extracted. Why is this done? It's simple! The palm tree is a dioecious mixed-plant, on which the female and male flowers are not located together (on the same tree), but separately (on different trees). Plantation workers collect pollen from male inflorescences, process and dry, and then mechanically transfer it to female inflorescences. By the way, the pollen of date palms is a powerful allergen, which the body can never get used to.

Maturing delicacy

After pollination of date inflorescences, the ripening period of the crop begins. It is quite long - it takes almost 200 days to wait for the fruits. In order to get the maximum yield from each tree, the inflorescence must be thinned, removing the weak ones and leaving the strong ones.

By the way, the fruits of the date palm grow mainly at night - at this time of day the tree does not evaporate the water so necessary for the dates.

After a while, ripening fruits begin to gain weight, exceeding that which a tree can withstand. In order not to lose the precious delicacy, the clusters of dates are tied up.

Night gathering

At the end of August, harvest begins. Ripe fruit is not collected manually, but with the help of special equipment. At the same time, work is conducted at night - from 20:00 to 8:00. After collection dates are sorted by boxes, then packaged and sent for export. So, on our tables there are sweet dates, concealing not only a lot of useful substances, but also the painstaking work of many people.

In Russia, most often come the dried or dried dates, which are eaten with pleasure by adults and children. And they do it right, because the useful properties of dried dates are truly invaluable!

Dossier on dates

So, sweet "travelers from distant lands" - dates. Useful properties and contraindications of sweet fruits, we will detail in this article - this information is useful to all lovers of this exotic.

Let's start, perhaps, with good. These sweet fruits have a magical property: they relieve fatigue and stress, elevate mood, strengthen weak immunity, and also are a delicious preventive measure against cancer. And that's not all that dates in it! Useful properties and contraindications of these fruits have been studied for years - thanks to scientific research, with the help of this delicacy you can not only cure, but also prevent some diseases.

As part of the date there is a large amount of potassium, which has a positive effect on the heart muscle. In addition to potassium, in dates there is iron, which helps the body to fight anemia. Among other things, these exotic fruits have beneficial effects on the kidneys and liver, and also help to fight with bowel disorder.

Natural stimulant

What else do the dates contain? Useful properties and contraindications to their use have a very wide range, therefore, before eating them in large quantities, it is worth making sure that these fruits do not harm the body. For example, despite all the useful ingredients, dates contain a substance that affects uterine contraction, so future mothers should be eaten with great care. And at the same time, if the terms of the alleged delivery have already passed, and there are no contractions, then a handful of dates will help stimulate labor activity. Thus the mysterious dates - harm, medicinal properties, contra-indications and indications - all in one operate!

Nursing mothers dates are simply necessary - they stimulate lactation, enrich the composition of breast milk, so that the baby gets a more complete, vitaminized diet. In a word, knowing the useful properties of dates and contraindications, you can use this exotic delicacy as vitamins or medicine.

On guard of man's health

Than useful dates for men? This fragrant treat simply needs a strong sex! In dried dates contain a large number of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and dietary fiber. They perfectly satisfy hunger and restore strength. This is especially important for those who engage in heavy physical labor. And how useful dates for men? Among the useful qualities of the product can be called such as: cleansing and improving blood composition, as well as increasing potency and increasing the amount of sperm. Therefore, it is recommended to eat at least a couple of pieces of this delicacy daily - exotic fruits will support the man's strength in tone.

Exotics banned

Dates contain a lot of sugar - because they are very sweet! Therefore, people suffering from diabetes, especially insulin-dependent, it is better to give up eating these fruits, or to limit one or two things a day. Otherwise, dates can cause an increase in blood sugar, which is extremely undesirable for diabetics!

Who else can cause dates? Medical and research studies have shown that these fruits are undesirable to eat people prone to allergies, as well as those who suffer from bronchial asthma, the presence of kidney stones and problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Ten troubles - one answer!

So, we can sum up. Dessert of warm edges is useful for those who:

1. Anemia, a decrease in the level of hemoglobin in the blood.
2. Decline of strength, apathy, fatigue.
3. Fragility of teeth and brittle bones.
4. High blood pressure.
5. Weakened immunity, frequent colds.
6. Insomnia, nervous disorders, depression.
7. Decreased vision.
8. Puffiness of extremities.
9. Lack of labor for women.
10. Decreased quantity and quality of breast milk.

Sweet dreams

Useful properties of dates and contraindications to their use we have considered. It remains only to mention one fact that will please those sweethearts who can not quickly fall asleep. The fact that in the dates contain tryptophan - an amino acid, which when ingested into the body is transformed into hormones serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is the so-called "hormone of joy", it is responsible for our good mood and pleasant emotions. Melatonin is a "sleep hormone", it helps a person fall asleep. Therefore, if you want to sleep after a hard day of work, but you can not fall asleep, eat a couple of dates - and a sweet dream will not keep you waiting!

Vitamins and calories

Rarely, who of those who tried the dates (useful properties, harm, caloric content, benefits and vitamin composition of which we examined in this article), did not like these overseas fruits. After all, sweet dried dates - a kind of natural sweets, filled with sunshine of hot countries and natural vitamins. It remains only to detail the composition of this useful dessert.

So, in 100 grams of dates there are:

• 0.1 grams of saturated fatty acids;
• 1.5 grams of ash;
• 69.2 grams of mono- and disaccharides;
• 0.1 grams of unsaturated fatty acids;
• 20 grams of water;
• 0.3 grams of organic acids;
• 6 grams of dietary fiber;
• 1.9 milligrams of vitamin PP;
• 0.3 milligram of vitamin E;
• 1 milligram of B vitamins;
• 1.5 milligrams of iron;
• 56 milligrams of phosphorus;
• 370 milligrams of potassium;
• 32 milligrams of sodium;
• 69 milligrams of magnesium;
• 65 milligrams of calcium.

In addition, 100 grams of dates contain about 292 kilocalories.