Date paste is one of the healthiest food ingredients on earth. It can be used as a natural sweetener in various food recipes to substitute white sugar and bind ingredients together. It doesn’t just add sweetness or strength to foods. It provides vitamins, minerals, fiber, and carbohydrates to consumers.
This article explores some of the date paste benefits and uses for everyone enjoying this delicious food.
- What is Date Paste?
- Is date paste raw?
- How Long Does Date Paste Last?
- How Healthy And Natural Is Date Paste?
- What Are The Nutritional Benefits Of Date Paste?
- What Is Date Paste Used For?
- How Do You Use Date Paste In Recipes?
- Does Date Paste Raise Blood Sugar? (Diabetes And Gi Concerns)
- Is Date Paste Vegan Friendly?
What is Date Paste?
Date paste is one of the derivatives of date fruit, which is the sweet fruit of palm date tree. Other trending date ingredients include date syrup, date powder and chopped date. Do not confuse it with date syrup, which is also a natural date product but it has a liquid consistency.
Date paste benefits are owed to its features such as a sweetness, sticky and soft texture and color. Its soft texture will make baked goods softer. It adds structure, fiber and taste to foods. Specifically, date paste is an excellent binding agent in foods such as protein and snack bars, breads.
Date paste is a healthy substitute for white sugar. It provides sweetness as sugar plus nutrition, sensory and flavor characteristics. It can substitute other sweeteners in recipes. For example, if your recipe asks for honey or maple syrup, you can replace them with date paste. However, date paste is sweeter than its counterparts. The recommended ratio is 2⁄3 cup date paste for ½ cup honey or syrup.
Color diversity is another advantage of this date product, especially against sugar or honey. It can have a light to dark color depending on the raw dates we use. We strictly control the production process of this healthy ingredient so we have a product that is entirely free from any impurities. And it retains all of the date nutrients.
Is date paste raw?
Date paste is made by mashing raw pitted dates, but the product itself may not be considered raw. It receives mild heat for pasteurization. As it does not contain preservatives or other additives, heat treatment increases the shelf life of date paste. It ensures that the product stays good after packaging for the duration of storage and consumption.
Date paste benefits are somehow preserved by the mild heat treatment. It is also a determining factor in the desirability of date paste. Two manufacturing companies may not produce the same product from the same material when they use different pasteurization processes.
How Long Does Date Paste Last?
Date paste benefits start with making super quality products. As mentioned earlier, it is made to last for several years in good conditions. The product comes with a “best by” label instead of an expiration date. It is recommended to use it within two years after its production, but it can stay good for longer in favorable storage conditions. Ideally, date paste should be kept at low temperatures out of direct sunlight. These conditions prolong its shelf life to more than two years. It is important to watch the color and spell of date paste at any time.
How Healthy And Natural Is Date Paste?
Date paste is one of the healthiest products on the market. Of course it has to be sourced from reliable means. As mentioned earlier, date paste is made by a non-chemical process from raw dates. No additives or colorants are involved as dates are self-preservative due to their nutrients. And it is pasteurized.
Natural dates are very healthy foods owing to their rich nutritional contents. This is probably the primary reason people include them in their daily diets. Dates are so energetic as they contain high amounts of calories, and date paste retains most of that calorie content. For example, 100 grams of dates will produce date paste with 277 calories. However, since you don’t eat this much in one serving, it won’t affect your weight unless you overeat it.
Dates also have minerals and vitamins necessary for the body’s normal growth. It contains magnesium, potassium, iron, and vitamins of the B family. Most importantly, date paste contains fructose, a natural type of sugar found in fruits. For this reason, dates are very sweet and used to create a subtle caramel-like taste in foods such as date squares, date-based protein bars, and date cookies.
What Are The Nutritional Benefits Of Date Paste?
Date paste benefits the soul and the palate. Its uses are rooted in its wealth of nutrients. It contains minerals, such as phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. All benefit the bones. Therefore, eating date paste can decrease the risk of bone-related conditions like osteoporosis.
Studies show that dates have the highest antioxidant content compared to other dried fruits. One of the benefits of antioxidants is that they reduce the risk of several diseases, including diabetes, some types of cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. Antioxidants can also protect the cells from free radicals. Since dates have anti-inflammatory properties, eating date paste can improve brain health by reducing the risks of inflammatory diseases that may be harmful to brain function.
Since dates are high in fiber, you can be sure that you won’t have any problem digesting date ingredients. Fiber promotes regular bowel movement and helps the digestive system. Therefore, people who may have problems digesting different foods, especially fruits, will be happy with this product. Moreover, fiber can control blood sugar too. That’s why eating dates won’t spike up the blood sugar so quickly. However, it is still recommended to keep an eye on the amount you eat in your daily diet.
What Is Date Paste Used For?
Date paste uses are affected by its sweet taste. This quality is common among all uses of this natural sweetener. It adds a distinctive sweet caramel-like taste to everything from cakes, cookies, breads, salads to main dishes. Its inherent sweetness also makes it a healthy alternative to granulated sugar in savory date-based recipes. Here are a few other ways to enjoy this fruit-based sweetener.
- Spread: You can simply spread date paste on toast, crackers, or fruit for a quick and healthy snack. Some people like to consume it plain in the morning to store energy for the rest of the day.
- Energy Booster: Date paste is a high-calorie and carbohydrate food. It means it can produce more energy per unit than many other foods. For example, sports people can often get a boost of energy from date protein and energy bars.
- Sauces and Stews: It can be used as a base for sauces and dressings, such as in a salad dressing or a marinade for meat. People who like sweetness in their diet sometimes add date paste to different dishes, such as soups, stews, or sauces.
- Structure and Binding Agent: Date paste is probably a new trend in the bar and ball market. It is often used as a binder and strengthener in homemade or commercial energy, protein and snack bars. Protein-date bras are an excellent source of nutrients for everyone.
- Source of Nutrients and Antioxidants: Date paste provides antioxidants and necessary elements for extreme diets such as vegans and veggies, or people with diabetes.
- Source of Fiber: Dates rank among the 10–fiber-rich plant sources.
- Flavoring Agent: Date paste can be added to smoothies and drinks to provide natural sweetness. It can also be used with teas.
- Nut-based Butter Substitute: date paste replaces nut butter in specific recipes.
How Do You Use Date Paste In Recipes?
Dates products can be eaten straight out of the bag, appealing to people who like its pure taste and chewy texture. Or it can be used as a core ingredient for snacks and bars. But date paste uses can go beyond healthy snacks and protein bars. It can be used in no-cook recipes. It can also be cooked with other ingredients at higher temperatures than honey. For example, it may be used as a vegan-friendly pie or tart filling. It also pairs well with a variety of fresh fruits and may be incorporated as a sugar or honey alternative.
Date inherent features (natural sweetness, sticky texture, and long shelf life) affect its uses in recipes. It replaces granulated sugar, adds structure and regulates taste. It usually replaces sugar at a 1:1 ratio. Sometimes, you may find date paste a bit rigid for spreading or scooping. On those occasions, you can mix it with date syrup for a softer texture.
Date paste has an extended list of applications that includes snacks, cookies, chocolate cakes, bars, balls, WFPB Pizzas and hot chocolate. More healthy recipes with date paste are being developed all the time to replace older ones. For example, old fashioned date squares look and taste better with date paste than chopped dates.
Does Date Paste Raise Blood Sugar? (Diabetes And Gi Concerns)
Dates register a low rank on the Glycemic Index (GI). This means date paste is also a low GI food. It also means it is not only safe but also a wholesome choice for people suffering from diabetes. Date paste releases glucose much slowly in the body, so it is less likely to spike your blood sugar levels after consumption. In addition, it is a rich source of fiber, which helps the digestive system to function better. Fiber is processed very slowly in the digestive system, so it helps keep the person full for a longer period of time.
Is Date Paste Vegan Friendly?
One of the date paste benefits is its compatibility with extreme diets. Dates-derivatives are WFPB, meaning they are plant-based whole foods. It is 100% pure and natural mashed dates. For this reason, it fits the vegan diet. In this sense, it provides some of the nutrients that vegans may easily get from other sources. Vegans avoid animal products mostly because they oppose animal exploitation. No-part of date paste has animal origin unlike honey and some granulated sugars.
Conclusion
We discussed some of the date paste benefits and uses for food producers and vegan and non-vegan consumers. Date paste retains all the goodness of dates with the added benefits of convenience and versatility. You have an ingredient that tastes and smells exactly dates but has more functional benefits.
How do you integrate date paste with other ingredients?
Please tell us about your experience in the comment section below. We would like to read about your experiences.
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