What you eat can directly affect your heart health. If you want to keep your heart in good shape, dates are a good choice. Hence, a heart-friendly diet should have enough vegetables and fruits. However, it is still important to eat dates in moderation. It is available as dried fruit, so it is high in calories. If you are trying to cut down some weight, you must watch out for the number of dates you can eat a day. Therefore, too many calories can make you gain weight, which is not good for the heart. Dates benefits the heart because it has the right amount of vitamin B6.
1. Nutrient Rich
Aside from B6, dates are rich in iron and other important nutrients. Eating the fruit can help you stay away from having anemia. Also, adding it to your diet at least once or twice a week is good for your heart. However, there eat too many of it in just one day. It will take much of your recommended calories per day.
2. Decrease Blood Pressure
Dates benefit these with a heart problem as it is low in sodium. Also, it has a high amount of potassium that can lower blood pressure. Eating four pieces of it will not give you any sodium and enough potassium. According to the American Heart Association, eating foods rich in potassium is good for heart health.
3. High in Fiber
The heart can benefit from a high fiber diet. Hence, eating four dates will give you enough amount of insoluble fiber. It is a type that can give bulk to the stool. Therefore it can cure constipation. However, it is advisable to drink enough water to help flush away cholesterol.
Moreover, it can stop you from overeating. It can make you feel fuller and avoid overeating. Being overweight is bad for the heart. The heart needs to work harder for people who are overweight. You will get dates nutrition and lose weight at the same time.
4. Antioxidant
Dates are dried, so it means that it is pack with the right amount of antioxidants. It is very important to protect the heart from free radicals. If you have a family history of heart problems, then eating dates is good for you. Therefore, it can lower your chances of having heart issues in the future. Another date’s nutrition is its anti-inflammatory properties. As a result, it can also lessen the chances of having heart diseases.
5. Watch out for Calories
It is true that dates fruit benefits the heart. However, one should watch out for their daily intake of the fruit. It is easy very easy to eat, so one can overeat without noticing it. Hence, to avoid eating too much, you can eat four pieces and put away the rest of it. Also, you may chop it and add it to your salad.
6. Clear up the Arteries
According to some studies dates fruit benefits in freeing arteries from harmful fats. Clogging of arteries is dangerous for the heart.
7. Help in Normal Blood Sugar
Although dates are high in calories, it can decrease sugar levels in the blood. A study in older adults who take dates for four weeks shows a negative effect on their weight and cholesterol level. Also, it does not increase the blood sugar level. Therefore, people with diabetes can eat dates safely. However, it is still important to eat not more than what you need.
Some people think that dried fruits are not as healthy as a fresh ones. Actually, dried fruits are as nutritious as fresh fruits. Dates have natural sugar, so it is sweet but will not negatively affect your blood sugar. Having diabetes can affect heart health. Therefore, it is important to control sugar as much as possible.
8. Flush Away Toxins
Drinking too much alcohol is not good for the heart. Hence, it is good to avoid drinking a lot in just one night. Also, alcohol has toxins that are bad for overall health. Dates fruit benefits people who love to drink a high amount of alcohol. The natural sugar in the fruit can help the fast metabolism of alcohol. The heart can benefit from it because alcohol will not stay longer in your bloodstream.
Dates are not a popular fruit like others, but it is more nutritious than other fruits. Therefore, it is better to include it in your diet, together with other healthy foods.