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Recipes with Dates (dried): Quinoa, Walnut & Date Warm Cereal
Sweeten your life with dates. Gooey dates not only tempt your mouth with luxurious sweetness, the delightful fruits also makes you more affectionate and kinder. Dates contain phyto-hormones that resemble oxytocin, the 'tend and befriend hormone'. Placing a well chewed date in the mouth of a newborn is a longstanding tradition among Muslim parents as an example of healing and mercy towards mankind.
Dates - A Remedy for Obesity?
Date sugars contain more complex carbohydrates than other fruits. These complex carbohydrates are heavier to digest, and because they release their energy more slowly into your body, curb your appetite longer than simple sugars. For this reason dates have been used to treat obesity; they satisfy the sweet craving and prevent binging on heavier, fattier foods like ice-cream. Too many dates, however, can make your stomach feel heavy and digestion sluggish. Since dates are high in sugar, they are contraindicated for diabetics.
Dates for Nursing Mothers
Dates have been traditionally used by Muslim pregnant mothers to facilitate childbirth. The story goes that when the Virgin Mary was giving birth, she heard a voice telling her, "Shake the trunk of the palm tree towards thee: it will drop fresh, ripe dates upon thee. Eat, then, and drink, and be comforted." (Qur'an 19:25-26). Oxytocin helps the uterus contract and tones reproductive organs after birth. Oxytocin also stimulates the let down reflex for breastfeeding mothers and alleviates depression during breast feeding.
They are a demulcent salve which pacifies infants, can relieve pain during teething, and reduces the heart rate. For this reason dates are also used to break the fast during Ramadan in Morocco. The sucrose (sugar) of the dates is responsible for its mild analgesic effect. Dates pureed into milk are a restorative male reproductive tonic.
Recipes with Dates (dried): Nature's Fudge (Almond Butter Stuffed Dates)
A Muscle Tonic
Dates are a tonic for the muscles and heart. Re-balancing electrolytes is essential to smooth muscle function. Muscle twitches or spasms are often a sign of electrolyte imbalance. Since dates are high in dietary potassium, they are helpful in re-balancing electrolytes and supporting good muscle function. Their Pitta pacifying effect on the liver helps maintain good vision and prevent night blindness and they are believed to counteract the effects of alcohol intoxication. Dates are high in tannins and useful for toning the digestive tract after diarrhea. A date and honey paste has been a traditional treatment of diarrhea and dysentery.
Vata people suffering from dryness should take care, however. Potassium rich foods tend be diuretic in nature. Dried fruits in general may exacerbate dehydration by absorbing fluids in the stomach. Vata people who tend towards dryness should sip water between bites and fully chew the date, reconstituting it in the mouth instead of the stomach.
About Dates (dried)
Dates have been a staple food and cultivated in the Middle East for thousands of years. Their cultivation has been documented in Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt and as far back as 6000BC in Arabia.
Buying & Preparation
The largest, sweetest and most sumptuous dates are the Medjool variety. Deglet dates are less expensive and useful for cooking with dates. Dates can be bought fresh or sun-dried and ripened. However, they are mostly bought and used as a dried fruit.
Cooking Dates (dried)
Dates may be eaten straight from the hand, although soaking beforehand makes them more easily digestible. Dates are delicious pureed with milk and cinnamon, or stuffed with almonds, walnuts, candied orange or lemon zest, marzipan or cream cheese. They are often cooked in savory meat dishes throughout the middle east, or into cookies and puddings. Ancient Egyptians made date wine from dates. Recent innovations include stuffing dates with mozzarella and wrapping them in bacon. Dates can also be used to make vinegar and date juice drinks.
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AYURVEDA'S GUIDE TO VITALITY & WHOLESOME NOURISHMENT
Your Ayurvedic diet is tailored to your individual body and your specific imbalances.
With an Ayurvedic diet you feel joy and satisfaction because what you are eating truly nourishes and balances you.
Disease results from diets and lifestyles that are incompatible with your nature.
By eating a personalized diet matched to your body, you experience optimal health.
See How it Works.
Health Virtues of Dates (dried)
Personalized medicine systems use biocharacteristics to classify the metabolic nature of food, hebs, lifestyle choices, indivdual constitutions, and disease.
METABOLIC NATURE / BIOCHARACTERISTICS
Metabolic Nature / Biocharacteristics
Ayurveda assesses metabolic imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics
(vital qualtiies).
Aggravating them weakens your body and causes imbalance.
By knowing which biocharacteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct metabolic imbalances before you get sick.
Every biocharacteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold).
You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite biocharacteristic.
Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food.
Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body.
Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food.
Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods.
Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion.
Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste.
One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes.
The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent.
Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below?
Ayurveda is a metabolic theory of medicine that explains individual health, tendencies, and disease patterns through the concept of doshas, which can be understood as your metabolic patterns and tendencies.
Each dosha reflects a distinct metabolic nature and describes strengths & weaknesses in bodily function, and how these affect energy levels, digestion, susceptibility to disease, and many other tendencies.
Your metabolic nature not only affects your physical characteristics, but also influences your mental thought patterns, confidence, and enthusiasm.
Ayurveda balances these metabolic strengths & weaknesses to support your body's vitality and prevent recurrent disease cycles. This support is a critical aid, especially in chronic or incurable disease conditions.
The 3 metabolic body types
(doshas),
are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha).
Through dosha, Ayurveda empowers people to identify metabolic imbalances early, break repetitive patterns of disease, and cultivate habits that support long-term vitality and well-being.
Ultimately, these metabolic patterns also provide a framework for understanding yourself, including body, mind, and spiritual tendencies.
Ayurveda & Greek Medicine were the dominant form of medicine along the Silk Road from England to China and South Asia.
They work by assessing your metabolic type, patterns, and nature.
Greek medicine recognizes 4 metabolic temperaments, Melancholic, Choleric, Sanguine, and Phlegmatic.
Has a hot and dry metabolic nature. Enthusiastic, vibrant and bright. In excess burns up fluids and ojas, irritable. Corresponds to high bilirubin in the blood that irritates and heats up the body and liver.
A hot and oily nature with a moderate metabolism and a well nourished body makes Sanguine individuals vigorous, vivacious, outgoing and generous, and prone to impulsivity and self indulgence. Bullish and intense when out of balance.
Cold and dry with a slow, variable or erratic metabolism. Colicky, tense. Withdrawn, pensive, anxious, and hesitant. Analytical, intelligent, detail oriented and creative. Prone to ojas depletion, dehydration, an overactive nervous system, and depression.
A Phlegmatic has a cold and wet metabolic nature. The coldness implies a slow metabolism, the moisture that you are well-nourished. Phlegmatics tend towards sluggishness and thickened fluids, including mucus.
Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Dates (dried)
Experiences are Personal
Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary.
The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.
A class of laxative that adds bulk and water to stools. The large size of the stool stimulates peristalsis so the stool can pass more easily through the colon. It is important to drink plenty of water when using high fiber laxatives, as they can be dehydr
A tonic herb restores function through strengthening tissue. This can happen through a combination of nourishing the tissue, and invigorating tissue metabolism. The tonic should not be withering, as in caffeine.
Restores the proper function of the body by cleansing the blood and balancing blood chemistry. In Ayurveda terms, they pacify Pitta in rakta. They were traditionally used to revitalize and detoxify after a long winter.
An herb that produces more blood cells in the body, or otherwise improves blood cell quality or hemoglobin content. Helpful for anemia and other types of deficiency.
Herbs that promote urine formation, thereby flushing the kidneys and urinary tract while eliminating any excess water retention. As diuretics reduce water retention, they are often used to reduce blood pressure.
An herb that strengthens the liver. It is helpful for people with a history of substance abuse, chronic liver issues from hepatitis and hemolytic anemias. Generally, liver tonics are oily, cool, sweet, mildly sour, or contain beta-carotene.
Herbs that increase sexual arousal through various actions including increased circulation, relaxation, stimulation, or tonics that strengthen glandular health.
An herb that promotes fertility. Generally used by women who wish to become pregnant. These herbs may also help with menstrual problems of deficiency, such as amenorrhea (lack of a period).
An herb that tonifies and strengthens the uterus. Helpful for menstrual difficulties and fertility. Often herbs that increase ojas, but also circulation to reproductive system.
The reports shared below are part of an educational assignment completed by students at
the Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda.
These represent subjective experiences intended to help students explore principles of Ayurveda through personal observation.
In each report below, students ate the selected food for 3 days and self-reported these effects.
See other food & herb reports at Joyful Belly.
TEMPERATURE/CIRCULATION
How did Dates (dried) affect your temperature?
30
24
18
12
6
0
0
6
27
5
1
Much colder
Slightly colder
Same
Slightly warmer
Much warmer
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your sweat quantity?
40
32
24
16
8
0
0
3
35
1
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your appetite/hunger?
30
24
18
12
6
0
5
23
5
5
1
Much less hungry
Slightly less hungry
Same
Slightly hungrier
Much hungrier
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your digestion speed?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
11
15
13
0
Much faster
Slightly faster
Same
Slightly slower
Much slower
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
TOXINS
How did Dates (dried) affect the amount of gas & bloating?
30
24
18
12
6
0
1
8
24
6
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your stool smell?
35
28
21
14
7
0
0
4
30
5
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
Tongue: How did Dates (dried) affect the thickness & size of your tongue coating?
26
21
16
11
6
1
2
2
21
12
2
Much smaller
Slightly less
Same
Slightly larger coating
Much larger
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect the color of your tongue coating?
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
5
1
13
19
Yellower
Browner
Grayer
Whiter
No Change
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your urine smell?
40
32
24
16
8
0
0
5
32
2
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect the amount of bubbles in your urine?
40
32
24
16
8
0
0
2
34
3
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Many more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your sweat smell?
40
32
24
16
8
0
0
5
32
2
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
HYDRATION
How did Dates (dried) affect your urine frequency/quantity?
40
32
24
16
8
0
0
2
33
4
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
NERVOUS-SYSTEM
How did Dates (dried) affect your energy levels?
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
4
15
19
0
Much less energy
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more energy
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your muscle tension?
30
24
18
12
6
0
1
11
24
3
0
Much less tension
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more tension
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your anxiety?
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
14
21
3
0
Much less anxiety
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more anxiety
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
DIGESTION
How did Dates (dried) affect your digestion speed?
20
16
12
8
4
0
0
11
15
13
0
Much faster
Slightly faster
Same
Slightly slower
Much slower
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect the amount of gas & bloating?
30
24
18
12
6
0
1
8
24
6
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your appetite/hunger?
30
24
18
12
6
0
5
23
5
5
1
Much less hungry
Slightly less hungry
Same
Slightly hungrier
Much hungrier
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
TONGUE
How did Dates (dried) affect the color of your tongue coating?
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
5
1
13
19
Yellower
Browner
Grayer
Whiter
No Change
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
Tongue: How did Dates (dried) affect the thickness & size of your tongue coating?
26
21
16
11
6
1
2
2
21
12
2
Much smaller
Slightly less
Same
Slightly larger coating
Much larger
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
STOOL
How did Dates (dried) affect your stool lightness?
30
24
18
12
6
0
1
6
23
9
0
Much lighter
Slightly lighter
Same
Slightly darker
Much darker
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your stool smell?
35
28
21
14
7
0
0
4
30
5
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your stool consistency?
20
16
12
8
4
0
3
16
11
9
0
Much softer
Slightly softer
Same
Slightly harder
Much harder
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your stool frequency/quantity?
20
16
12
8
4
0
2
6
16
14
1
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your stool color?
40
32
24
16
8
0
3
1
1
0
34
More yellow
More gray
More green
More orange
Same
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
URINE
How did Dates (dried) affect your urine frequency/quantity?
40
32
24
16
8
0
0
2
33
4
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect the amount of bubbles in your urine?
40
32
24
16
8
0
0
2
34
3
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Many more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your urine clarity?
34
28
22
16
10
4
5
29
5
More cloudy
Same
More clear
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your urine smell?
40
32
24
16
8
0
0
5
32
2
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your urine lightness?
35
28
21
14
7
0
0
3
29
7
0
Much lighter
Slightly lighter
Same
Slightly Darker
Much Darker
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
SWEAT
How did Dates (dried) affect your sweat quantity?
40
32
24
16
8
0
0
3
35
1
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your sweat smell?
40
32
24
16
8
0
0
5
32
2
0
Much less
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
SYSTEMIC
How did Dates (dried) affect your energy levels?
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
4
15
19
0
Much less energy
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more energy
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your muscle tension?
30
24
18
12
6
0
1
11
24
3
0
Much less tension
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more tension
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your anxiety?
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
14
21
3
0
Much less anxiety
Slightly less
Same
Slightly more anxiety
Much more
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
How did Dates (dried) affect your temperature?
30
24
18
12
6
0
0
6
27
5
1
Much colder
Slightly colder
Same
Slightly warmer
Much warmer
Total Responses: 39 REPORT ID:15 (2020-10-06 - 2021-01-08)
Note: These exercises are not part of an FDA-regulated study,
and were not designed or conducted under a clinical research protocol.
They are neither investigational in nature nor scientific findings.
They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
They are experiential assignments rooted in traditional Ayurvedic education, intended solely for instructional use.
No conclusions should be drawn regarding the therapeutic effects of any food, herb, or dietary substance based on these student reflections.
Dates (dried) may temper these symptoms.
The suitability of any food for a condition is highly dependent on the individual.
Please see your doctor before using this food to treat a medical condition.
We will use this information to better predict food that helps you.
CONTRAINDICATED FOR THESE SYMPTOMS
Dates (dried) may be harmful or contraindicated for these symptoms.
Note this is not a complete list of all possible contraindications.
Please see your doctor before using this food to treat a medical condition.
Eating Ayurvedically makes you feel nourished and energized. Food digests with ease when
right for your body type (dosha). Healthy digestion is seen as the cornerstone of well-being in
Ayurveda. Healthy digestion generally prevents illness. If you do get sick, a strong digestive fire
reduces the severity of illness and increases your resilience. It also improves your mood. Once
you begin eating Ayurvedically, you will feel refreshed, vital and strong.
John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a
healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda.
His approach to Ayurveda is clinical, yet exudes an ease which many find enjoyable and insightful.
John also directs the Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda,
offering professional clinical training in Ayurveda for over 15 years.
John's hobbies & specialties include advanced digestive disorders, medieval Catholic philosophy,
& botany. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University.
John, his wife Natalie and their 7 kids live in Asheville, NC
Want our top Ayurvedic recipes and health tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter!
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
The information and products on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any
disease.
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