During the month of Ramadan, there is an abundance of dates everywhere we turn. There is good reason for this, as Muslims generally break their fast by eating dates. It is believed that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) message says to break the fast with dates.
During the period of Ramadan, when fasting lasts from sunrise to sunset, the body can develop mild health problems such as headaches, low blood sugar, and lethargy. To avoid such problems, one should carefully monitor their eating habits once fasting for the day has ended.
Dates contain sugar, fat, and proteins, as well as important vitamins. They are also rich in natural fibers and therefore the eating of them helps to fight many of the ailment with which we commonly suffer today. Modern medicine has shown that eating dates is effective in helping to prevent abdominal cancer. Dates also surpass other fruits in the sheer variety of their constituents. They are the most wholesome food among fruits because of their hot and moist substance.
Eating dates in the morning on an empty stomach kills intestinal worms and other parasites, for dates have an antidotal potency which inhibits their growth. Dates contain calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, magnesium, and volatile oils.
Another factor making dates the ideal food is their digestibility. Within half an hour of eating them, the tired body regains new vigor. The reason for this is that low blood sugar is the main cause of hunger, not an empty stomach as is often assumed. When the body absorbs the nutritional essence of a few dates the sensation of hunger is abated. Many who break the fast with dates afterwards find themselves unable to eat much. It would seem that taking dates after fasting helps one avoid overeating.
The carbohydrates found in dates make the fruit a slower digesting food, much better than fried or fatty foods which digest fast and leave one hungry for more! It has been shown that eating dates are beneficial for pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Dates contain certain stimulants which assist in the strengthening of the muscles of the womb which can lead to an easier delivery. The sugar content of dates is about 80% making it an ideal high energy food for nursing mothers. Dates contain seven vitamins and eleven minerals whose importance as a dietary supplement was appreciated by the desert people who, for thousands of years, ate dates with goat or camel milk as a complete sustenance.
Dates are also valuable as medicine for their tonic effect. Being easily digested, they are very useful for supplying energy and repairing waste.
Milk in which clean and fresh dates have been boiled is a very nourishing and restorative drink to children and adults alike, especially during convalescence. The nicotinic content in dates is an excellent remedy for intestinal disturbances.
Liberal use of dates keeps in check the growth of pathological organisms and helps to establish a colony of friendly bacteria in the intestines.