Let’s Make a Date…
Hi BDC Family,
My husband and daughter have a major sweet tooth, so I try to bake to add nutrients without sacrificing deliciousness. Y'all know how much I love using dates as a natural sweetener for all my baked goods. Dates are a great way to add fiber, minerals, and vitamins to your baked goods.
Dates are the oldest cultivated fruit globally, originating in the Middle East thousands of years ago. Dates are a staple food item in the Middle East, and they are typically eaten to break "fast" during the month of Ramadan (which just ended). They are a great source of carbohydrates, with naturally occurring sugar, easily digestible and quickly convert to energy.
Dates contain vitamins A, K, and B6, niacin, thiamin, calcium, selenium, iron, fluorine, potassium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and copper. They have antioxidants, protect against inflammation of the brain, are great for osteoporosis prevention, are high in potassium, and help boost the immune system. The antioxidants and antimutagenic properties help protect against types of cancers. They support those with hypertension and are used to prevent iron deficiency, headaches, and anorexia. In addition, the phytonutrient content in dates helps improve hormone regulation while decreasing inflammation.
Another fantastic benefit of eating dates regularly is supporting a healthy pregnancy and labor process. Studies show that women who consume dates regularly towards the end of their pregnancy have increased cervical ripening, smoother labors, and less postpartum blood loss.
Let's talk about molasses! It is also an alternative sweetener for baking. Although dates are lower on the glycemic index than molasses, molasses is a healthier option than table sugar. 1 Tablespoon of molasses includes about 41 mg of calcium, 48 mg of magnesium, and 292 mg of potassium.
A study in the Journal of Food Science in 2007 found that the antioxidants in molasses extracts help protect against DNA damage. Another study showed that there were phenolic compounds in molasses that had antibacterial effects, in particular when it came to tooth decay.
I use molasses in moderation and lean towards more dates in my recipes, but I will include one tablespoon to add just enough to give a slightly different taste but not overload the cookie with tons of sugar.
Love,
Mariam
References:
Ali, Amanat & Waly, Mostafa & Musthafa, Mohamed Essa & Devarajan, Sankar. (2012). Nutritional and Medicinal Value of Date Fruit. Dates: Production, Processing, Food, and Medicinal Values. 50. 361.
Dekker, Rebecca. (20017). Natural labor induction series: eating dates. Evidence Based Birth. Retrieved from https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-eating-dates-to-start-labor/
Kordi, M., Meybodi, F. A., Tara, F., Fakari, F. R., Nemati, M., & Shakeri, M. (2017). Effect of Dates in Late Pregnancy on the Duration of Labor in Nulliparous Women. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research, 22(5), 383–387. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijnmr.IJNMR_213_15
Deseo, M.A., A. Elkins, S. Rochfort, and B. Kitchen. 2020. Antioxidant activity and polyphenol composition of sugarcane molasses extract. Food Chemistry. 314(126180). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.126180
Guimarães, C.M., M.S. Gião, S.S. Martinez, A.I. Pintado, M.E. Pintado, L.S. Bento, F.X. Malcata. 2007. Antioxidant Activity of Sugar Molasses, Including Protective Effect Against DNA Oxidative Damage. Journal of Food Science. 72(1):C039–C043. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2006.00231.x
"Nutritional Value of Date Fruits and Potential Use in Nutritional Bars for Athletes" written by Sulaiman Aljaloud, Heather L. Colleran, Salam A. Ibrahim, published by Food and Nutrition Sciences, Vol.11 No.6, 2020
Price, Annie. (2019). Medjool dates: the healthiest natural sweetener? Dr. Axe. Retrieved from https://draxe.com/nutrition/medjool-dates/
Russo, Susan. (2007). Medjool: a date to remember. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15282847#:~:text=Medjool%3A%20A%20Date%20to%20Remember%20Considered%20the%20diamond%20of%20dates,favorite%20ways%20of%20enjoying%20them.
Subash, S., Essa, M. M., Braidy, N., Awlad-Thani, K., Vaishnav, R., Al-Adawi, S., Al-Asmi, A., & Guillemin, G. J. (2015). Diet rich in date palm fruits improves memory, learning and reduces beta amyloid in transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine, 6(2), 111–120. https://doi.org/10.4103/0975-9476.159073
Takara, K., K. Ushijima, K. Wada, H. Iwasaki, and M. Yamashita. 2007. Phenolic Compounds from Sugarcane Molasses Possessing Antibacterial Activity against Cariogenic Bacteria. Journal of Oleo Science. 56(11):611–614. https://doi.org/10.5650/jos.56.611
USDA. 2018. Molasses. FoodData Central. Retrieved from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168820/nutrients
