When You Eat Dates Every Day, This Is What Happens To Your Body

Now, we don't know about you, folks, but we're big fans of dates — and we're not talking about the ones you find on Tinder. These dried fruits have been a mainstay of diets worldwide for thousands of years, but only began reaching U.S. dinner tables at the turn of the 20th century (per National Geographic). Nowadays, though, dates are pretty much everywhere you look, and demand for the super-sweet, syrupy bites has skyrocketed: Americans consumed over 32,000 metric tons of dates in 2020, according to Statista.

And we can see why. Dates are not only absolutely freakin' delicious, but they're a versatile fruit that can be enjoyed both on their own as a snack, or in a range of other dishes — in smoothies, as a topping on salads, wrapped in bacon and served as an appetizer, or even as a sweet addition to your oatmeal (via The Kitchn). But given the naturally sweet flavor of dates, you might wonder whether something that tasty is good for you if you eat it daily. So, we decided to find out. Let's take a look at what happens to your body if you eat dates every day.

Making sure our food is nutritious as it can be is key to a good diet, and ensuring that we're getting enough antioxidant-rich foodstuffs is vital. Small molecules of goodness, antioxidants serve to nullify the effects of unstable free radicals on our bodies, which can cause harmful consequences and contribute to a range of chronic conditions (per Healthline). Antioxidants can be delivered to the body via compounds called polyphenols, which occur in plant-based foods and deliver a range of benefits, WebMD says.

And if you're searching for your next antioxidant fix, you need go no further than dates. In research published in The Journal of the American College of Nutrition, it was found that dates have the highest polyphenol concentration among dried fruits, with figs also having notably high antioxidant levels. However, it should be pointed out that when the dates (and the other dried fruits tested in the study) were processed, their polyphenol levels dropped significantly — so make sure you're getting a natural product when possible for a supreme antioxidant kick.

We all want our bones to remain healthy, and yet we rarely think about them unless there's a significant concern. But your diet's contribution to your bone health is paramount to help prevent bone-related conditions down the line, and dates should be taking front-and-center for their helpfulness for our bones.

Dates are a mineral powerhouse, absolutely packed full of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium, says registered nutritionist Nicola Shubrook via BBC Good Food. All of these minerals play a part in bolstering our bone health, with calcium, of course, being imperative to making (and keeping) our bones and teeth strong, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. On the vitamin side, dates are also a great source of vitamin K, which plays a part in bone health through both regulating bone metabolism and ensuring that our bodies absorb calcium properly and keep our calcium levels high, says research published in Nutrition.

Flowing, lustrous locks are the envy of everybody, and the sight of a perfect mane of hair has sent more than a few of us scurrying to the conditioner aisle. But hold your horses, folks: You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars a year on high-grade hair products when snacking on dates is all you need! (Okay, maybe not all you need, but they can help.)

"Being rich in iron, dates improve blood circulation to the scalp, which helps in faster hair growth," explains Skin Alive's director and consultant dermatologist Chiranjiv Chhabra to Vogue India. The iron helps to move blood around your body, Chhabra says, which keeps your hair growing at a healthy pace and reduces hair loss. Dates can also assist in keeping your mane looking dynamite by providing strength to your follicles and roots, which again prevents your hair from falling out and makes them stronger, stopping them from breaking. The best part is, that you don't need to eat a load of dates to get the benefit for your hair: Chhabra says that eating just a few per day may have a positive effect.

While dates may be both nutritious and delicious, for some folks, they're better avoided. The impressive nutritional profile of dates includes an ample amount of potassium — four dates can provide almost 700 mg of the mineral, according to Healthline. This heavy concentration largely comes from the fact that dates are dried, which intensifies the nutritional load.

This makes dates particularly unsuitable for folks who have kidney disease. Consuming too much potassium becomes an issue when you have kidney disease, as your organs are no longer able to process it in the same way, says DaVita. This then leads to a buildup in the body, and potentially further damage. Some of the warning signs of this buildup include a slow pulse, nausea, and feeling weak or fatigued. It's also worth knowing that dates are not the only dried fruit culprit in the high-potassium stakes: Similar dried fruits, like prunes and raisins, also deliver a potent hit of the mineral, and should be avoided for those on a low-potassium diet.

Okay, so we realize that this one sounds a little silly: After all, eating anything will boost your caloric intake. But how much energy you're consuming when you snack on dates every day is still worth considering, as dates do pack a fairly high caloric punch for their serving size. A portion of four dates, equating to roughly 100 grams, will come in at approximately 277 calories, according to Medical News Today. The vast majority of their calories come from plant sugar, with 100 grams of dates delivering around 75 grams of carbohydrates, as well as a good amount of fiber, a small amount of protein, and virtually zero fat.

Now, this isn't to say that dates are incompatible with a healthy lifestyle — they are super-nutritious, after all — or that they can't be incorporated into diets that individuals might be following to reduce calories. Indeed, research published in Nutrients found that eating three dates every day didn't lead to any notable weight gain amongst participants. However, as with any food, eating dates in higher amounts can take your daily caloric intake up, and Medical News Today recommends trying to keep your date serving size to just a couple each day.

It's pretty easy to see how eating dates could improve your mood: After all, who wouldn't feel happier after a few delectable bites? But as it turns out, dates don't just make you feel better because they taste good. They also have a few key components which may cause an overall lift in mood. The first is the tryptophan present in dates, as the BBC discusses. Consuming tryptophan helps our brains then create melatonin and serotonin, hormones that not only make us feel happier and more peaceful, but also serve to regulate our sleep-wake cycle, making sure that we get the zzzs we need (per MedlinePlus).

Additionally, dates are a premium vehicle for vitamin B6. Keeping on top of our B6 levels is important for a multitude of reasons, not least because having insufficient amounts in our bodies can contribute to increased incidences of depression, as research published in Nutrients discusses. A deficiency of B6 may also lead to increased irritability (so you can blame it on that instead of your hard day at work, next time, folks — that one's on us!), feeling less alert, and a higher chance of cognitive decline and developing dementia.

With all of the talk around the nutritional goodness and natural sweetness of dates, it's probably not surprising the fruits are frequently used in recipes instead of sugar in an attempt to make a healthier choice while reaping the benefits of their syrupy taste.

And at a glance, it does seem to make sense to sub dates in where sugar would normally go. Dates contain a higher amount of fiber and have a lower GI index than sugar, as Healthline states, making them a potentially healthier choice for folks trying to control their blood sugar. However, it's useful to point out that the type of sugar in dates is fructose, and while this sugar is naturally occurring, consuming too much of it can lead to a host of health concerns, notably metabolic syndrome (per Healthline). So, while it might be preferable to sub in dates for sugar where appropriate, it's also important to watch your sugar intake generally.