Your experience with DATES?

[MoonStalkeR]

I prefer raw dates over dried ones. The best time to eat them is when they become overripe/dark(skin should be removed), fresher and less sugar-dense than dried dates.

[goodsamaritan]

I just bought expensive dates in an indian grocery and the sellers there say it comes from Saudi Arabia.  Expensive.  Great tasting.  Sweet in the end, so I can't eat too much.  2 pieces is enough.

[bharminder]

After reading Iguana's post about all the things that can be done to dates, I did a little research and sent some questions out to the main company that I see selling dates in all the stories. They are california mejdool dates. This is what he said:


Dear Bobby:

Our medjool dates are fumigated with PROFUME agricultural approved food
fumigant.

In addition, dependent upon the time of the year, the dates may have been
stored in freezer storage, but this measure is not to kill insects but to
preserve the dates freshness.

Our dates are never coated with glucose or any other substance.

Thank you for your kind inquiry.



I also contacted the Organic dried Figs that I find and they said they deep freeze their products for 14 days a time TWICE in order to kill pests. I assume they can't use other fumigants like the non organic fruits may have.

[Iguana]

Thanks Bobby, that confirms and completes the info I previously had. I knew Californian organic dates are deep frozen, but I didn’t know they do it twice. That’s no so good, but I guess not too bad neither since dry dates contain almost no water. Only Orkos guarantee that their Californian dates have not been deep frozen.

AFAIK, steaming and glucose coating is applied on some North African deglet noor dates. It can be easily spotted because they are shining. 

[proteus]

two days ago i blended ( in a food processor ):

dates
agave nectar
brazil nuts
raw eggs
whey protein

into a super delicious sweet cream.  it tasted like ice cream on steroids.  super rich taste and super rich texture - just awesome.

i basically was going off of Ani Phyo's habit of blending ( in a food processor ) dates with brazil nuts, but of course i am not a vegan so i put a couple raw eggs and a truck load of whey protein in as well - then it wasn't sweet enough so i added a bit of agave nectar and it was perfect.

yeah whey protein is not paleo, but it is relatively raw and makes things ultra creamy.  

eggs, whey protein and brazil nuts together create the texture for the creme.  you add dates and agave for sweetness and flavor.

since i got the food processor on monday i already gained like 5 pounds of weight, and this despite working out every day.  oh well, i knew this was gonna happen.

[proteus]

Sounds like a good source for high amounts of raw carbs.

garbage carbs. 

but ... they taste good.

[goodsamaritan]

I eventually got sick of dates and I feel I don't want to touch them for a very long time.

[Iguana]

Excerpts from Date - A Wonder Fruit of Arabia

Dates are the fruits of the date palm tree which is a food of high nutritional value. They are used abundantly in the month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. The sweetness of the date takes the edge off hunger and this is another reason why fasts are opened with dates. This prevents a person from overeating after he has opened his fast.

Dates contain calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, magnesium, volatile oils, Vitamin-B6, folic acid, Potassium, Iron and Magnesium, proteins, sugars, vitamins and are rich in natural fibers which contribute to a healthy body and mind.

Dates provides natural sugar in the form of glucose and fructose which is ready for immediate absorption and, is infinitely far superior to cane-sugar.

Eating dates has great benefits which can be illustrated as follows:

Prevents Cancer: Dates are very nutritious and contain natural fibres. Modern medicine has shown that they are effective in preventing abdominal cancer. In general Bedouin Arabs, who eat them on a regular basis, show an extremely low incidence rate of cancer.

Weak heart: Dates are an excellent remedy for weak heart. Dates soaked overnight should be taken twice a week which strengthens the heart.
Bedouin Arabs who regularly consume dates have shown an extremely low rate of heart disease.

Treatment for Obesity: The wide variety of nutritious elements in dates makes it hunger-resistive! So treatment by eating few dates when feeling hungry helps reduce hunger and be filled. These dates will provide the body with the necessary sugar and stimulate the intestine which reduce hunger greatly, and eventually, reduce food consumption.

Eases child-birth: Eating dates eases the pain of childbirth. Scientifically they are known to contain hormones which strengthen the uterus, help produce milk for nursing mothers and also prevent blood loss after childbirth. (The ripe fruit contains a substance that urges uterine spasms and increases contractions especially in the time of delivery. This substance resembles 'oxytocin' that is secreted by pituitary gland, which encourages contractions of the uterus. Dates contain some stimulants which strengthen the muscles of the uterus in the last months of pregnancy. This helps the dilation of the uterus at the time of delivery and reduces post-natal bleeding).

Ideal for breast-feeding mothers: Dieticians consider dates the best food for breast-feeding mothers. This is because dates contain elements that assist in alleviating depression and enrich the breast milk with the nutrients needed to make the child healthy and resistant to disease.

Bones: Calcium is important for strong bones so this is an additional benefit that dates provide. As dates are rich in calcium, they contribute to healthy bones. For this reason it is recommended that children and older adults, especially women, eat plenty of dates to strengthen their bones.

Modern science has also proved the effectiveness of dates, in preventing diseases of the respiratory system.

Intestinal Disturbances: Eating dates in the morning on an empty stomach kills intestinal worms and other parasites, for dates have an antidotal potency which restrains their growth. According to Metchnikoff, a great Russian scientist, liberal use of dates keeps in check the growth of pathological organisms and helps to establish a colony of friendly bacteria in the intestines.

Improves Eye sight: Dates are also important in maintaining good vision and are effective in guarding against night-blindness.

Cures constipation: Dates are also highly beneficial in the treatment of constipation as the roughage provided by it stimulates sluggish bowels.

Remedy for Liver and Inflammations: Dates remedy Lever and purge it from toxins, Breaking the fast with dates, is one of the most magnificent of natural remedies for the maintenance and purging the liver from accumulated toxins.

Children's Disease: Dates tied to a wrist of the baby and allowed to be sucked during teething period hardens the gums and also prevents other complaints like restlessness and diarrhea.

[balancing-act]

I don't stop eating fresh medjool dates.... I try to be moderate about it. A few a day or every couple days.

[Dorothy]

Serious American raw vegans get their dates from The Date People. They are raw, unheated and untreated.

Here's a video of someone from the date people climbing one of their trees. The music is a little out of place here - but you can see how naturally they do things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIVDGcW6V2E&feature=player_embedded#!

Here's their statement of how they raise their dates:

http://datepeople.net/why-these-dates-are-different

Dates are one of my "sacred" foods.

[jessica]

dorothy check out these dates, i had the pleasure to sell about 9 varieties of them at market

http://flyingdiscranch.com/

[PaleoPhil]

The music is a little out of place here - but you can see how naturally they do things.

Eh? Why is it out of place?

[Dorothy]

dorothy check out these dates, i had the pleasure to sell about 9 varieties of them at market

http://flyingdiscranch.com/

Their permaculture farming practices sound amazing! Where on the site do they address the heat and spraying issues?

[Dorothy]

Eh? Why is it out of place?

It's about being vegetarian Phil! At the very beginning "jump on the vegan wagon". 

[jessica]

you should just call em, they are biodynamic, i doubt they spray or heat anything, i was goign to be able to go help pick but had to stay back at the farm, didnt even think to ask because honestly my friends who sell them in AZ(sleepingfrogfarms.com!)are by far the most conscious farmers i know and dont use any chemicals....only microorganisms, some clove and mum extracts and mineral....no crazy bacterial (BT!) chems or anything...
we sold the dates still on the stem for the holidays, so pretty:) and as i recall one of the farmers used em for raw chocolates soo..yeah guessing they are raw

[Dorothy]

Still on the stems must be really awesome. I would LOVE to get one of those!
Next time I order dates I will indeed call them. Thanks very much for the point in their direction Jessica.

[PaleoPhil]

Quote from: PaleoPhil on Yesterday at 10:47:23 pm
Eh? Why is it out of place?

It's about being vegetarian Phil! At the very beginning "jump on the vegan wagon".

I got that the song is vegan, I'm just not getting how that is out of place for a vegan video. Do you mean the song lyrics would need to specify raw vegan to be appropriate? Not that it matters much, just curious.

[Dorothy]

I got that the song is vegan, I'm just not getting how that is out of place for a vegan video. Do you mean the song lyrics would need to specify raw vegan to be appropriate? Not that it matters much, just curious.

Nah - I just meant that this is a pretty carnivorous forum and a song in praise of veganism isn't exactly what one would expect in these parts. I like the song myself (happy song - good beat) - but more so the video with that guy carrying around that outrageously long ladder by himself straight up in the air! I also liked the apparatus he used. When I was visiting Barbados there was this local young man that wanted to sell me a coconut. We followed him to his neighbors house where he shimmied up a very tall palm with nothing but a pocket knife and I got the freshest coconut I ever had. I love to see that kind of useful, natural athleticism and balance.

[Wolf]

oh man, when I first tried dates a couple ramadans ago, I was so addicted to them, they were absolutely delicious.. I could have ate them all day long.  I have no idea if they were steamed or frozen or glucose coated, I just know I got organic ones, and they might have been local too, but then I do live in california.. but then one day I started ripping the dates open to pull out the seeds before eating them and found that quite a few of them had a whole bunch of eggs stuck to the inside wall of them always with a dead worm.. and it made me feel so sick to my stomach to think of how many worms and worm eggs I must have eaten, I just couldn't eat them anymore, and I haven't ate any since.  I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to warm up to the idea of eating any sort of insects.

[PaleoPhil]

When I was visiting Barbados there was this local young man that wanted to sell me a coconut. We followed him to his neighbors house where he shimmied up a very tall palm with nothing but a pocket knife and I got the freshest coconut I ever had. I love to see that kind of useful, natural athleticism and balance.

This comment reminds me of tree-climbing by Movnat Paleo dieters I've since seen in videos.

and found that quite a few of them had a whole bunch of eggs stuck to the inside wall of them always with a dead worm

Yummy and nutritious! When chimps get a worm in a fruit, I'll bet they consider it a bonus prize.

[goodsamaritan]

oh man, when I first tried dates a couple ramadans ago, I was so addicted to them, they were absolutely delicious.. I could have ate them all day long.  I have no idea if they were steamed or frozen or glucose coated, I just know I got organic ones, and they might have been local too, but then I do live in california.. but then one day I started ripping the dates open to pull out the seeds before eating them and found that quite a few of them had a whole bunch of eggs stuck to the inside wall of them always with a dead worm.. and it made me feel so sick to my stomach to think of how many worms and worm eggs I must have eaten, I just couldn't eat them anymore, and I haven't ate any since.  I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to warm up to the idea of eating any sort of insects.

I happily eat fruit with worms.  Gives me the warm fuzzy comfort feeling that these were not drowned in pesticides.

[van]

or frozen or heat treated....

[cherimoya_kid]

or frozen or heat treated....

exactly. It's extra protein and fat, very fresh.

[Wolf]

I know I should have figured it as a good thing that meant pesticides had not been overused on the fruit, which I did consider even as I was being grossed out by it, however that doesn't rule out freezing or heat treating seeing how in every single one of them the worms were always completely dead. 
And even though eating raw meat has never grossed me out in my life, it still grosses me out to even think of eating any sort of bugs!