Should I worry about eating too many dates?

[mmKay]

I've found my new favorite snack: organic dates. They taste amazing and give me no bloating or brainfog ( maybe little sugar crash after having like 250grams ) 

Thing is, ive heard from multiple sources that eating raw honey causes sibo, and i was wondering if this may be the case with dates as well. 

Can I get away with eating 250grams a day? They are kinda expensive but adding them to my already clean diet ( organic beef, eggs, cheese, vegetables, fruits and glass bottle water) they make me happy and feel good. 

Thanks

[Snuitje]

1 hour ago, mmKay said:

Can I get away with eating 250grams a day?

The amount of sugar you get into your body with that amount is insane. You can get away it, for while, but you blood sugar level will rise like no tomorrow. Sugar is sugar for your body, it comes either from candy or fruit. I recommend 2 dates per day, which is what? 20g? perhaps less?

Combine dates (monosaccharides) with complex carbs (polysaccharides). If you are an active person (train like 6 times a week doing fitness, cycling, running etc.) you can get more monosaccharides (fruits, dates etc.).

Edited June 1, 2021 by Snuitje

[bracknelson123]

It is perfect to have 100 g of dates or a handful of dates every day to get all the necessary nutrients. Dates have a very high sugar content related to the rest of their nutritional value. People who are trying to control their blood sugar, such as those with diabetes, should be careful of their total sugar intake when eating dates.

[Michael569]

@mmKay 250 grams seems like quite a lot. Why not get some wider variety of other fruits rather than a microfocus? Dates are great, I like them as well but could not eat so many in a day :D. I usually take 3-4 when I go for a hike or a bike ride.

Dates are not harmful, not even for diabetics, the large population data is quite clear on that. Sugar in fruit, not even in dried fruit does not behave the same way as white sugar, not even close. Where the later is highly inflammatory and disturbing to the metabolism, fruits are actually extremely beneficial.

But I wouldn't at too many late at night keep you awake. Just try to add in some other fruits to the mix, you'll enjoy those meals more and it is better for your gut bacteria to introduce large variety of fruits 

[Snuitje]

2 hours ago, Michael569 said:

Dates are not harmful, not even for diabetics, the large population data is quite clear on that. Sugar in fruit, not even in dried fruit does not behave the same way as white sugar, not even close. Where the later is highly inflammatory and disturbing to the metabolism, fruits are actually extremely beneficial.

You're saying that the body makes a distinction between glucose and fructose? I've learned that mono and disaccharides should only be consumed at the 'right amount,' because the body can't make a distinction between the sugars (even poly, but a poly chain takes longer to break down so that is why it's preferred).

[Max_V]

@Michael569 Lol, I'd sometimes eat 500 grams a day, is that bad  ?

[Michael569]

52 minutes ago, Snuitje said:

You're saying that the body makes a distinction between glucose and fructose? I've learned that mono and disaccharides should only be consumed at the 'right amount,' because the body can't make a distinction between the sugars (even poly, but a poly chain takes longer to break down so that is why it's preferred).

More important than the individual monosaccharides, is "what else is in there?". A lot of anti-fruiters focus on studies that look at isolated fructose for example in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. But you gotta remember that to eat the amount of fructose you get in a tablespoon of some concentrated syrup you'd have to eat half a kilo of dates. Yes, if you eat fructose in form of fructose corn syrup you'll end up fat and sick. But the fructose and glucose in fruit come wrapped with fibre and many types of complex polysaccharides that can be only broken apart by the microbiome. There are also plant polyphenols that impact how this stuff is digested and metabolised, none of which you get in isolated fructose. All this reduces how much fructose you absorb and how fast. 

If you look at the large epidemiological data, fruits are associated with weight loss, improved blood pressure, improved cholesterol and reduced incidence of fatty liver where isolated fructose and sugar (extract of sugar cane) does the opposite. People who eat more fruit live longer, they have better mental health, better BMI, less cancer and less diabetes and obesity.

We can talk about in-vitro science, speculations and all sorts of funky pathways as much as we want (just because something happens in a petri dish does not means it happens in the body) but put into practical data, the evidence is absolutely overwhelming in that the fruits ar good for humans pretty much in any quantities. You can't really overeat that stuff because it fills the stomach quickly and all that fibre would make you poop 5 times a day 

@Max_V not bad per se but there are other more tasty fruits in my opinion, the more diversity you can get in a single day the better for your gut. Also, how the hell do you cram two boxes of dates in a day is beyond me