THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT DATES

You may be wondering what exactly that brown small oval-shaped fruit being pushed in a wheelbarrow or sold close to the road is.
       This small fruit are called DATES, popularly known in the northern part of Nigeria  as  'dabino'.
They are grown on date palm tree whose botanical name is Phonex dacylifera. It’s exact place of origin is uncertain because of its long cultivation.

Assumptions are that it originated from Fertile Crescent region straddling between Eygpt and Mesopotamia. Dates have about 12-15 species and in different colours that are cultivates across Northern Africa, the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and south Asia.
      Dates are chewy with a sweet flavor and they are high in some important nutrient. Some dates have a wrinkled skin that indicates they are dried and some smooth skin which shows that they are fresh.
   

 A lot of people are with the misconception that only Muslims eat them during the Ramadan period. Dates serve more purpose than just being used to break fasts. We would be sharing with you 4 benefits of dates you never knew about below:

1. Nutritious: Dates have an excellent nutrition profile. Dried dates have been found out to contain high calories than the fresh ones. They also contain important vitamins, minerals (Protein, Potassium, Magnesium , Copper, Manganese, Iron and vitamin B) and fiber.

2. High in Disease-Fighting Antioxidants: Dates contain several types of antioxidant that help to prevent the development of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes.

3. Natural Sweetener: Dates are a source of fructose. Fructose are a natural sugar found in fruits. They can be used as substitute for white sugar in recipes due to the nutrients and fiber they provide.

4. Libido Enhancer: Experts has advised that people who have low libido to eat dates, as the consumption would help enhance their sexual performance and increase their libido.
     Dr. Aminu Kazeem a sexual  health therapist who works for Energy for Sex Clinic in Lagos explained that dates are natural aphrodisiac  that can help  to treat sexual disorders. It also contains high levels of estradiol and flavoniod which aid sperm motility and increase sperm count. He added that, it also increase the size of testes in men and size of breast in woman.

Dates can be found sold alongside with tiger nut and coconut around you.

Do you want to live an healthy life? Try dates and see the changes!!!