All of a sudden, it feels like everyone is obsessed with dates: the brown, shriveled fruits from tropical date palm trees that resemble large raisins. Dates are the subject of countless, gushing social-media posts proclaiming that the sweet fruits improve digestion and blood sugar, give you more energy, and benefit various organs. Plus, they’re a natural way to sweeten baked goods, smoothies, and desserts.
But do dates really pack such big perks? We spoke with registered dietitians about what dates can and can’t do for your health and how to incorporate them into your diet.
Dates are high in fiber
Four dates usually make up one serving: a tasty snack with fewer than 300 calories. “You get a lot of nutrition in a small package,” says registered dietitian nutritionist Melissa Mroz-Planells, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Most of the calories come from carbs, including about 7 grams of fiber. Adults typically need around 22 to 34 grams of fiber each day, but by some estimates, only 10% of Americans get that much. Those 7 grams can make a dent—and getting plenty of fiber helps lower cholesterol, fills you up for longer, and guards against constipation, Mroz-Planells says.
They provide quick energy
Your body uses sugar, a form of carbohydrate, for energy, and dates deliver plenty. In that four-date serving, there are about 66 grams of sugar.
Eating foods that are high in sugar without other nutrients leads to spikes and crashes in energy—the notorious sugar high. But even though dates contain a lot of sugar, their high fiber helps counteract blood sugar spikes, says registered dietitian nutritionist Gregory Lafortune. “A lot of other products that contain sugar, for example, like a bottle of soda, do not contain any fiber,” he says.
Dates deliver a little protein
Amino acids are often referred to as the building blocks of protein, which your body uses to build muscle and repair tissue. Considering dates are so sweet, it may be surprising to learn a serving contains about 2 grams of protein.
That won’t do much to help you meet your daily protein needs (which would be roughly 100 grams a day if you’re following a 2,000-calorie daily diet), but it’s still a perk that dates have over something similarly sweet that doesn’t have any protein, Mroz-Planells says.
Influencers like to hype up the fact that dates contain all nine of the so-called essential amino acids that your body can’t make on its own. And while that is technically true, those social-media posts don’t usually mention that you’re getting a really small amount of them. “Dates can very well contain a wide variety of those amino acids, but they do not contain a very hefty amount of protein,” Lafortune says.