Should you wash dates before eating?

(Photo: pixabay.com)

Dates are a healthy product that contains a lot of vitamins and microelements that remain in the composition even after long-term transportation and storage. However, if prepared and washed incorrectly, all the benefits may evaporate. And many people, in principle, do not wash dates if they buy them in their original packaging.

We will tell you how to properly prepare this product for serving.

Do I need to rinse dried dates?

Dried fruits go through a very long journey before reaching our table, during which few people monitor the purity of the fruits. In addition, we should not forget how the dates themselves are prepared: they are removed from the trees and dried. And in order to extend the shelf life of the product, after all the manipulations, the dates are additionally treated with edible wax, sugar syrup and sulfur dioxide.

That is why it is important to wash fruits thoroughly, otherwise healthy dates can become dangerous to our health.

What are we buying?

Upon crossing the border, in accordance with sanitary regulations, the cargo is again treated with strong chemicals against biological threats. Then the goods are sent to food depots, where the first stage of pre-sale preparation is carried out.

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Fruits are exposed to the following types of influence:

fumigation with sulfur dioxide;
soaking in a concentrated glucose solution;
immersion in sugar syrup;
rubbing with vegetable oil or other fat;
wax vapor treatment.

The applied substances give the product an attractive shine, but do not improve its quality.
Dirt and infection remain under the new coating. Stored dates become sticky, which contributes to the accumulation of dust, germs and spores during further transportation and sorting. The fruits are sold packaged in bags or by weight. It should be borne in mind that even very beautiful packaging does not guarantee the purity of the product. The only exceptions are products that have an inscription on the packaging stating that the fruits have been sanitized and cleaned.

If dried dates bought in bulk are not washed before use, this can lead to poisoning and disruption of the digestive system. In addition, the sweet substance applied to the skin of fruits disrupts metabolism and contributes to obesity.

Rules for processing dates before serving

The peculiarity of some dried fruits is that they absorb water and, as a result, lose their taste and appearance. It is for this reason that dates cannot be treated with boiling water: because of this, the skin cracks and the pulp “cooks”. As a result, dates lose their taste and benefits.

Rules for processing dried fruits:

Carefully sort the fruits, removing overdried, spoiled, damaged ones. And this is important to do even when purchasing dried fruits in original packaging.
Take a colander and a bowl of cold, clean water.
Rinse the dates as quickly as possible, in small volumes. Wash shiny dried fruits especially carefully, as this indicates waxing.

You can also soak the dates for a couple of minutes (Photo: therealhealthything.com)
Place the washed dried fruits in a colander and rinse again in cold water.
Take a paper towel, spread the dates in one layer, cover with a paper napkin on top and leave for at least 12 hours.

Before serving, it is advisable to immediately remove seeds from the fruit. At the same time, you will check and sort those fruits that are infested with pests.

Washed and dried dates can be stored in hermetically sealed containers (preferably glass), placing them in a cool, dark place.

Transportation and processing of dates

So, there are no date palms nearby, so their fruits are supplied from abroad. Most often from Algeria, South Africa, Tunisia, Egypt and Israel. If you've tried drying fruits and berries at home, you know that the process takes a lot of time and you can't dry a lot at one time. But on an industrial scale, the highest temperatures and more are used for this.

Dried dates lose their marketability, and manufacturers decide to bring it back by soaking the dried fruit in a solution of glucose and sugar syrup , which causes even more dirt and germs to stick to the dates. Then the product is treated with sulfur dioxide, fat and edible wax.

This way the product “survives” long-term transportation intact and intact. Now answer the question yourself: do you need to wash dates before eating? Yes, especially if the product is not packaged but sold by weight.

Can children eat dates?

Dates, like any dried fruits, should be introduced into the child’s diet gradually:

You can give your child dates to try from the age of 1 year. It’s best to start your acquaintance with puree (mash fresh, clean fruit with a fork) or compote (pour the crushed pulp with warm water and let it brew for about an hour).
As soon as the child has at least 8-10 teeth, you can give the baby a soft fruit to chew.
Starting from 2 years old, you can add pieces of dates to porridge or baked goods.

Important! When introducing your child to dried fruits for the first time, take the following precautions:
Do not serve fruits with seeds.
Feed your child only fresh, well-washed fruits.
When feeding a small child, give preference to soft fruits with a matte surface.
For the first time, do not give more than 1-2 teaspoons of date pulp, since an allergic or other individual reaction of the body may occur to any new product.
Don't let your child overeat dried fruits. This can cause colic and loose stools.
After eating dates, you need to brush your child’s teeth, since the viscous sweet pulp, remaining on the tooth enamel for a long time, can provoke the development of caries.

So, dates are a universal useful product that alleviates the course of many diseases - strengthens the heart and blood vessels, improves immunity, strengthens teeth and bones, normalizes blood pressure, and eliminates constipation. The main rule is moderation when consuming dates. If eaten in small portions, dried fruits will only benefit the body.

Who shouldn't eat dates?

Almost 70% of them consist of sugars, so dates are not recommended for victims of diabetes, overweight and obese people. This is not the best choice for those who suffer from peptic ulcers and gastritis with high acidity. Dates contain coarse fibers that irritate the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestines.

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How to eat dates to get the most benefits from them

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Taurus

The days will fly by quickly this week. Try to keep up and not put it off until tomorrow. There are things that will be impossible later. And you will get something faster than expected. There can be secrets in love.

Twins

Overall, everything is not bad, and we can even call this week a success. There are pleasant changes in your career, a new level and progress in your relationships. But you risk making a mistake for which you will have to answer.

Cancer

A period of success, joy from one’s own labors. At the end of the week, obstacles to achieving some goals may arise. But you probably set the bar high for yourself.

a lion

Controversial period. You won't lose anything, but you won't gain much either. It's too early to expect an answer. But this period is very good for correcting some shortcomings. You may also have to correct someone else's mistake that will affect your career.

Virgo

These days you will have to change some rules and procedures in your personal life, as well as at work. They will not make concessions to you and will not agree to a compromise. However, circumstances will work out in your favor. All that remains is to wait a little.

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horoscope

Can dates make you fat?

Of course

, they are sweet and very high in calories. It all depends on how much you eat. If in moderation, then no. Well, of course, it’s not worth it in batches.

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In what form are they sold?

Very rarely do dates arrive at the warehouse in packaging. Most often, deliveries are carried out in large quantities, and packaging into boxes is carried out on site. Dirt is not the only problem with dried fruits that go on sale. As a result of heat treatment and soaking in syrup, practically no beneficial properties remain. In addition, dates become overly sweet and there can be no talk of any low calorie content.

How to choose the right dates

Of course, it is important to wash dried fruits before eating, but you also need to choose them correctly for eating:

It is recommended to buy fruits with seeds, as they are subject to less heat treatment.
Ripe dates have a dark brown tint, uniform color, and no defects.
A high-quality product will be dry, since there is no moisture in dates. But if you see dried fruits sticking together, it means that the soaking in syrup was too long.
The fruits should not be hard or too soft, but must be whole. It is better to choose dates with a matte surface. If they shine, it means they have been treated with wax or fat.
If the product has been dried naturally, it will definitely be dry and slightly translucent.
A little stickiness is allowed as this is a release of natural sugar. If excessive stickiness is observed, this indicates that the product has begun to deteriorate and has been additionally treated with syrup.
If the fruit is wrinkled, then its shelf life was very long or it was not dried well enough.
The presence of white crystals indicates violated storage and transportation conditions.

Important! As you can see, the appearance of a product can say a lot about storage, preparation, and transportation.

To store clean fruits, use a paper bag, from which you take out the required amount before eating. Despite the attractiveness of dried fruits in the store, washing them is not only possible, but also necessary. It is enough to spend a little time and effort, and you will be sure that you have consumed a tasty, healthy and safe dried fruit.

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Content:

About the origin of fruits

What are we buying?

How to properly wash dates?

Dates can successfully replace chocolate - they are so sweet and tasty. In addition, according to nutritionists, they are incredibly useful. But all the advantages of these fruits can be negated if they are consumed incorrectly. A fact that may surprise some: it is imperative to wash dates before eating, even if they are dried and look like ready-made “sweets.”

About the origin of fruits

Dates grow only in hot climates. The main suppliers of the goods are African countries where there are entire date palm plantations.

When fresh, the fruits have no nutritional value and are not stored for long, as they quickly deteriorate. Dried dates develop their unique flavor after all the moisture has been drained from them.

The technology for drying products consists of placing them in a well-ventilated chamber, where a constant temperature is maintained within 30–35 degrees. Thanks to this approach, moisture is released from the pulp gradually, the skin dries out evenly, and cracks do not form on it.

However, in order to speed up the drying process and reduce costs, many producers subject dates to accelerated heat treatment at high temperatures. This leads to a deterioration not only in the composition, but also in the appearance of the fruit.

Before being sent for export, the product is prepared for transportation. It is subjected to potentially hazardous types of processing:

fumigation;

spraying with pesticides;

sprinkling with antiseptic powders.

Fruits are transported in bales and containers that do not protect from dust, exhaust gases and pathogens. As a result, exotic fruits enter our country not only dirty, but also potentially hazardous to health.

What are we buying?

Fruits are exposed to the following types of influence:

fumigation with sulfur dioxide;

soaking in a concentrated glucose solution;

immersion in sugar syrup;

rubbing with vegetable oil or other fat;

wax vapor treatment.

The fruits are sold packaged in bags or by weight. It should be borne in mind that even very beautiful packaging does not guarantee the purity of the product. The only exceptions are products that have an inscription on the packaging stating that the fruits have been sanitized and cleaned.

How to properly wash dates?

Dates are widely used in cooking. They are eaten instead of sweets, used in jams and compotes, and used as a filling for confectionery products. But if heat treatment destroys the infection, then raw foods pose a serious health hazard.

The difficulty of washing fruits is that they absorb water very quickly. When they swell, their appearance and taste change for the worse. Therefore, packaged fruits cannot be soaked for a long time. It is also not recommended to pour boiling water or steam over them - this will cause the shell of the fruit to crack and the pulp to cook, making it unsuitable for further use.

When cleaning dates from preservatives, you should adhere to the following rules:

Substances applied to fruits may be water resistant. They can only be removed with a soap solution. Soaking for 3-5 minutes is enough for the preservatives to soften and dissolve.

During the soaking process, you can rub the fruits with a sponge or toothbrush - this will remove hard plaque from them. Excessive force should be avoided to avoid damaging the peel.

After soaking, the dates should be placed in a sieve and rinsed under a strong stream of cold water.

After washing, the fruits must be dried immediately. They are laid out on waffle towels or napkins and covered with the same material. When the napkins become wet, they need to be changed. It is allowed to blow cold air onto wet dates.

Even after mechanical drying, the fruits should be allowed to air for 10–12 hours.

Dates should be stored in a paper bag, taken out immediately before eating.

Despite the visual appeal of dates on the counter or in packaging, they are not only possible, but also necessary to wash. By spending a little time and effort, you can be sure that you are consuming a tasty, healthy, and most importantly, safe product.

For whom are dates contraindicated?

You should not eat dates, especially in large quantities, if you have the following diseases:

obesity;
diabetes mellitus type 2;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in the acute stage (especially colitis, diarrhea, flatulence);
kidney diseases;
the presence of an inflammatory process in the oral cavity (caries, periodontitis).

Dates should be consumed with caution:

Nursing mothers. Products with a high fiber content can cause colic in infants, and sweet dried fruits can provoke allergies.
Pregnant women, especially in the 1st trimester. Flatulence due to the consumption of dried fruits can provoke increased tone. However, moderate consumption of dates is very beneficial due to their high folic acid content.

Why wash and soak dried fruits?

After purchasing, many people have a well-founded question: do they need to wash dried fruits, and if so, how to wash them correctly?

To answer this question, let's first understand how dried fruits are produced and processed.

To turn fresh fruits into dried fruits, they must be subjected to a drying process. As a result, dull, wrinkled, dark and not very pleasant-looking fruits and berries are obtained. Therefore, after drying, they are further processed.

Processing is carried out to improve the appearance of the product. However, this is not the most important thing. The main purpose of processing is to prevent rotting and increase the shelf life of dried fruits.

For the production and processing of dried fruits: prunes, dried apples, raisins, dried apricots, etc. Various preservatives are used. For example, they can take sodium benzoate (E 211) or potassium sorbate (E 202). They kill yeast and molds.

Benefits of dates

Dates have a rich composition. They contain vitamins K, A, folic acid, as well as large amounts of potassium (696 mg per 100 g of product), calcium (64 mg), phosphorus (62 mg) and magnesium (54 mg).

Do you like dates?

Not really

This composition determines the benefits of the fruit:

Have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Ensure uninterrupted functioning of the heart muscles. Cleanses blood vessels from cholesterol plaques. Remove excess fluid from the body, relieve swelling. Helps prevent heart attack and stroke.
Have a beneficial effect on intestinal function. Softens stools and promotes gentle bowel cleansing. They are a natural cure for constipation. Helps prevent intestinal cancer.
Helps strengthen teeth and bones.
Normalize the functions of the nervous system. Reduce muscle spasms and cramps. Reduce the manifestations of chronic fatigue, eliminate insomnia.

Dates successfully replace sugar and sugar-containing foods in the diet of those who are losing weight. However, despite the fact that eating dried fruits is healthier than eating industrial sweets, it is necessary to observe the measure due to the high calorie content of dates.

Reference. Eating 5-7 dried fruits daily by women for 2 weeks before menstruation can relieve menstrual pain.

How to wash dried fruits

Let's take a closer look at the question: how to properly wash dried fruits before eating?

In order to be absolutely sure that even a small dose of poison will not enter your body along with a healthy product, purchased dried fruits must not only be washed in water, but soaked. You will now learn how to soak dried fruits correctly.

Classic method of soaking fruits

You probably want to know how to remove sulfur dioxide from dried fruits?

To do this, soak the dried fruits in warm water for about 30 minutes. During this time, the sulfur dioxide with which they are treated will dissolve and transfer to the water. We drain the contaminated water and rinse the fruits well under running water.

It is worth highlighting three common methods of preparing dried fruits for consumption.

Method No. 1

Pour dried fruits with water at room temperature and soak for 30 minutes.
Then rinse the fruits well with clean water.

Method No. 2

Pour cold water over the dried fruits for 10-15 minutes, stirring them periodically during the soaking period.
Drain the water and rinse under running cold water.
After this, rinse thoroughly with boiling water again.

Method No. 3 - for natural dried fruits

This method is suitable for fruits that are dried naturally.

In appearance, they will be less presentable and beautiful, since during the natural drying process they lose their texture and color. However, such dried fruits do not contain chemicals or harmful preservatives. Before use, it will be enough to rinse them well with warm water.

How to wash dried apricots

Are you wondering: do you need to wash dried apricots? Regardless of whether the fruits have been treated with sulfur dioxide or not, dried apricots need to be washed.

It is important!

If you purchased natural dried apricots and know that they have not been processed in any way, then it will be enough to rinse them thoroughly under running water, thus removing any adhering dirt and dust. To be more sure, you can pour hot water over the fruits and then give them to children.

In most cases, dried apricots are treated with sulfur dioxide - outwardly they look clean, beautiful and very bright. However, to remove excess chemicals, more effort must be spent to properly wash the fruits.

First, soak the dried apricots for half an hour in water at room temperature. After this time, rinse it well under running water. Now everything is ready, and you can safely eat dried apricots.

Quite often, customers ask questions that concern them: “how to wash prunes and dried apricots” or “how to properly wash raisins and dried apricots” - it’s worth knowing that the washing methods for raisins and prunes are exactly the same as we used for dried apricots.

How to soak dried apricots correctly

Dried apricots need to be soaked in water at room temperature. The soaking time for the fruit is 30-40 minutes, or maybe longer - it depends on the softness of the dried apricots you prefer to eat. The longer it sits in water, the softer it will become.

How to properly wash raisins

Do you need to wash raisins? Of course, it needs to be washed, like any other dried fruit!

Note!

Any doctor will tell you that not every person’s body can digest and accept unwashed and solid foods.

Properly washing raisins is not difficult. Soak the berries in warm water for 30 minutes, and after this time, drain the water and rinse with cold water.

How to wash dried prunes

The universal advice is this: be sure to wash all dried fruits, or even better, soak them in water before eating! To make prunes softer, you need to soak them for 30 minutes in hot water (but not in boiling water).

How to remove glycerin from prunes?

soak the prunes for 60 minutes in water ~20ºС;
then rinse well under running water.

How to wash figs

Do figs need to be washed? And Uzbek, Tajik, Uzbek and Turkish figs must be washed. Figs produced in Turkey need to be soaked and washed more thoroughly and longer than dried Tajik ones, because they are processed.

Worth knowing!

If you want to make the figs soft, soak them in hot water and keep them until they get the softness you want, and then consume.

How to wash dates

Many people love dates for their excellent taste and benefits for the body. If you purchased these dried fruits at the market, you probably asked yourself the question of how to wash dates before eating and is it necessary to do so? The answer to this is unequivocal - dates need to be washed!

we sort through the dates: exclude spoiled, too dry and damaged fruits;
To rinse dates, you need to use a colander and a bowl of water at room temperature;
fruits should be washed quickly and in small portions;
Shiny dried fruits need to be washed especially carefully;
Place the washed dates in a bowl into a colander and rinse well again under running cold water;
To dry, use a paper or regular towel.

Note!

Never wash or soak dates in boiling water! If you do this, the delicate skin of the fruit will crack and the pulp will “boil”, after which they will become completely unpalatable.