We have made a couple of recipes involving the use of dates. I have had some questions about why? The simple answer is that they provide a great source of sweetness in dishes and sauces that require it but a reliable non-processed source is needed, like in our current diet. The long and the short of it, when you render dates in a liquid, that liquid basically becomes a syrup. And you retain most the health benefits listed below. Keep in mind that most of the fiber and phytochemicals are destroyed under heat and pressure involved with cooking. So, say a date sauce on sweet potatoes, while healthy, is not nearly as healthy as eating 3 raw pitted dates are. But it’s a hell of a lot better than processed pancake syrup. A lot of the below information was lifted directly from http://foodfacts.mercola.com/dates.html with a little revision.
Health Benefits of Dates
Dates contain a number of minerals, vitamins, and health-benefiting phytochemicals. First and foremost, they’re easily digested, allowing your body to make full use of their goodness. Dietary fiber in dates helps to move waste smoothly through your colon and helps prevent LDL (bad) cholesterol absorption by binding with substances containing cancer-causing chemicals. The iron content, a component of hemoglobin in red blood cells, determines the balance of oxygen in the blood. Potassium, an electrolyte, helps control your heart rate and blood pressure. B-vitamins contained in dates, such as the carotenes lutein and zeaxanthin, absorb into the retina to maintain optimal light-filtering functions and protect against macular degeneration. They contain vitamins A and K. Vitamin A protects the eyes, maintains healthy skin and mucus membranes, and even protects the lungs and mouth from developing cancer. Tannins, which are flavonoids as well as polyphenolic antioxidants, fight infection and inflammation and help prevent excessive bleeding (anti-hemorrhagic). Vitamin K is a blood coagulant that also helps metabolize your bones. Copper, magnesium, manganese, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), niacin, pantothenic acid, and riboflavin are also present in dates and provide their own unique preventive and healing functions.
Together, these cofactors help your body metabolize carbohydrates, protein, and fats. Eating dates in moderation can contribute to many health benefits, such as protecting against damage to cells from free radicals, helping preventing a stroke, coronary heart disease and the development of colon, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers.
Studies Done on Dates
One study reported the most prominent health benefits of dates: there are at least 15 minerals in dates, including selenium, an element believed to help prevent cancer and important in immune function, protein, containing 23 types of amino acids, some of which are not present in the most popular fruits, such as oranges, apples, and bananas. Unsaturated fatty acids include palmitoleic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids. The study concluded that dates could be considered a nearly ideal food, with a wide range of essential nutrients and potential health benefits1.
Summary
Iron for your blood, fiber for roughage, vitamin A for your eyes, potassium for your heart, B-vitamins, tannins – these are just a few of the many nutrients in dates, making them one of the healthiest foods in the world. But make sure you eat them in moderation, as fruits can contain high levels of fructose that can harm your health.
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Phoenix%20dactylifera%20cancer The fruit of the date palm: its possible use as the best food for the future? Nov. 2012
The Healthy Us 
I so far haven’t been thrilled with dates as a sweetener for my marinara. Would it be better to render them in liquid for that I wonder? I know maybe not healthier but tastier? I do love snacking on the whole dates
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Couple of things. First, there’s a chance you haven’t cooked them long enough. Try putting them in with the onions. Second, rendering them with liquid is no less healthy than not. You can make “date paste” and use that. I will post a date paste recipe on Monday.
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