Are Dates good to eat for a Diabetic patient?

India
July 29, 2012 11:11am CST
I heard Dates are good for health as they contain iron. But what I want to know is that I am a diabetic patient and dates have sweetness. Can I eat dates daily? Of course I will not eat more but can I eat at least 3 or 4 everyday? Can you advice me please?
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3 responses
speakeasy
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
29 Jul 12
Being a diabetic is NOT about controlling sweets. It is about controlling non-fiber carbohydrates. Fiber is passed through your body without being converted and it helps keep you regular. EVERY non-fiber carbohydrate is converted by your body into glucose - if it is already in the form of sugar it just turnd to glucose faster. But, the carbs in fruits, pasta, bread, potatoes, beans, etc. are ALL converted to glucose by your body. Check the number of non-fiber cabohydrates in dates and subtract an equal number of carbs from someplace else in your diet.
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speakeasy
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
30 Jul 12
My husband is a diabetic and so was my father. My husband loves to eat "Cherios" for breakfast and he only adds milk - no sugar; but, his blood sugar soars just a couple of hours after eating them even though they are not sweet and he adds no sugar. So, I only buy him a small box on very rare occasions as a special treat and when his blood sugar has been doing good - maybe once or twice a year. Too many people think that sugar is bad for diabetics; but, the real problem is all of the carbohydrates they eat and it doesn't make any difference where the carbohydrates come from - sugar makes the blood glucose go up sooner after eating but other carbs make it go up just as much and it stays up longer as new carbs are being added throughout the day.
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buchi_bulla
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
2 Aug 12
That is really valuable information that you have provided Speakeasy friend. I will keep in mind to check the carbohydrates part of my intake hereafter. Thank you a lot for the useful details.
lkbooi
@lkbooi (16070)
• Malaysia
31 Jul 12
Hi Buchi, fresh dates are not available here. We can see dried dates almost every corner in the local market here. I learn that dates are full of healthy nutrients and are low in fat, calories and cholesterol as well, due to the rich fiber containing. Yeah, they are really sweet in taste. I dare not eat lots. I usually take one or two only after having my dinner Actually one is just nice for me lol.... Eating fate daily would happen for the month before or after the fasting month. if I buy more we can take it for few months. It's still about three weeks to go before the end of the fasting month. if you really worry about the sweetness, take one or two daily like what I'm doing. Have a nice day.
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buchi_bulla
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
2 Aug 12
Even I am contemplating on taking two or three dates daily. On going through the responses from you and others, I have decided to take only two per day. Here we get seedless and also with seeds dates. There is a brand called LION dates which supplies all sorts of dates. Many buy them mostly seedless in a box. I will buy that now. Thanks for the suggestion friend.
marguicha
@marguicha (215407)
• Chile
29 Jul 12
You can eat a reasonable amount of nuts of any kind as long as they are not coated. I have eaten awesome dates that are boiled in a sugar caramel. Those, of course, you should not eat. When I had to check about what my husband could eat (he was a diabetic) I went to the internet. I tried to get a good sourse, such as Medline. I hope this helps.
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buchi_bulla
@Buchi_bulla (8298)
• India
2 Aug 12
I want to eat just plain dates only and not sugar coated. Thanks for the information given. This gives me confidence to eat three dates everyday.