Date Palm Trees
Date is an edible fruit which is produced by the date palm tree. It is native to the Middle East and North America.
I got to know about DATES in my country, Nigeria. It is sold by Hausa traders in the city of Aba and other cities in Nigeria. They hawk it together with tiger nuts(aki awusa) in a wheelbarrow. Basically the DATES we eat in Nigeria are usually the dried ones. It very sweet and has a tiny oval shape seed inside it.
However we don't see the trees that produce those DATES. We only buy and enjoy the fruits in Nigeria.
When I visited Doha, QATAR. I saw trees similar to palm trees. They were used for decoration in front of some buildings, used to beautiful leisure parks and also for road beautification.
Dates packaged for sale at the market
When I asked questions about this tree, I was told that it is the DATE tree. Interesting, I was like; So this is the tree that produces these dates we eat in Nigeria. Date Trees are rampant in Qatar, you can virtually see it on every street.
Passersby can plug the fruit from the date palm tree without qualms but if the owner has tied the bunch with a net, it means that the owner doesn't want people to pluck it. Maybe the owner wants to sell it or wants to use it for personal consumption or other purposes.
BENEFITS OF DATES
There are so many benefits one can derive from eating DATES. I will highlight some of them here.
•Digestive Health
Dates contain a high quantity of fibre. Fibre helps to prevent constipation and improve bowel movements. Some beneficial bacteria in the human gut feed on fibre too, thus digestion is improved.
•Antioxidant Property and Improve Brain Health
Antioxidants help to erase free radicals, which means antioxidants reduce ageing and prevent the death of body cells. Secondly, the presence of vitamin B6 in Dates helps in brain activity.
•Regulates blood sugar and aid heart health
Dates are very sweet, no doubt but it has low glycemic index. This is because the high fibre content of dates reduce the absorption of sugar by the body. Furthermore, the presence of potassium and magnesium in dates help to improve heart health.
•Improves Male Fertility and Reduce Inflammation
Studies have shown that consumption of dates helps to improve sperm quality, health and production.
The presence of certain antioxidants like flavonoids and phenolic acid are capable of reducing inflammation.
Other benefits of DATES Include supports a healthy bone, aids normal labor in women, serves as natural sweetener.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion dates are the fruit of the date palm tree. It has a tiny oval shape seed inside. It's taste is difficult to resist and it has been found to improve digestion, reduce constipation, increase brain and bone health, serve as antioxidant, improve sperm quality and production, reduced inflammation, moderate blood sugar and aid easy labor.
Thank you friends for reading. Do well to comment and interact.