Buying This Food
Look for: Soft, shiny brown dates in tightly sealed packages.
Storing This Food
Store opened packages of dates in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped to keep the fruit from
drying out. (The dates sold in American markets are partly dried; they retain sufficient mois-
ture to keep them soft and tasty.) Properly stored dates will stay fresh for several weeks.
Preparing This Food
To slice dates neatly, chill them in the refrigerator or freezer for an hour. The colder they are,
the easier it will be to slice them.
If you’re adding dates to a cake or bread batter, coat them first with flour to keep them
from dropping through the batter.
What Happens When You Cook This Food
The dates will absorb moisture from a cake or bread batter and soften.
How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food
Medical Uses and/or Benefits
Potassium benefits. Because potassium is excreted in urine, potassium-rich foods are often
recommended for people taking diuretics. In addition, a diet rich in potassium (from food)
is associated with a lower risk of stroke. A 1998 Harvard School of Public Health analysis
of data from the long-running Health Professionals Study shows 38 percent fewer strokes
among men who ate nine servings of high potassium foods a day vs. those who ate less than
four servings. Among men with high blood pressure, taking a daily 1,000 mg potassium
supplement—about the amount of potassium in ¾ cup pitted dates—reduced the incidence
of stroke 60 percent.
Adverse Effects Associated with This Food
Sulfite sensitivity. Dates contain polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that oxidizes phenols in
the fruit to brown compounds that turn its flesh dark in the presence of air. To keep dates
Dates