Homemade Date Paste- All Natural sweetener

Have you heard about the date paste? I’m sure most of you already have, so this recipe won’t be anything new. If you haven’t, you are in for treat. Date puree, date butter are the different names for this natural wholesome date paste.

I have been trying to eliminate processed sugar from my diet. I am saying “trying” because I still eat white sugar in chocolate bars, ketchup and desserts. However, I have kept my dessert consumption to once per week even less and opt to sweeten it with fruit if I can. Date paste, apparently has become my favorite sweetener of choice. I experimented various recipes during the past year and have been lucky to get decent results, which I will publish in near future.

Medjool Date Paste

Date paste is the most delicious and easy way to sweeten the food in a natural way without the guilt of eating empty calories.  This recipe is simple and quick to make at home. No added glucose, no preservatives, no water, just sweet blended dates. Once you have basic date paste, you may add flavors as per your liking or leave it plain. Date paste will store nicely in the refrigerator for up to 4 -6 months and in the freezer for a year or may be more.

Date paste is great spread it on toast, stirred into porridge, in marinades, granola and chutneys. As a snack, a baked cracker topped with a little date paste and fresh fruit or nuts is a delicious thing. Use your own creative thinking in substituting date paste for other sweeteners, in dishes that would benefit from its flavor, and consistency.

Deglet Noor Date Paste

Let’s talk about dates and their health Benefits:

Dates are soft and semi dry bite-size brown fruits, packed with health benefits and for the most part are available year round.  Dates are natural whole foods and are able to satisfy a sweet tooth in a healthy manner. They actually offer decent nutritional value compared to other sweeteners.

While there are over a hundred different kinds of dates, the two most popular in the west are the Medjool and Deglet Noor.

Medjool – Often described as the king of all dates, medjool dates are the largest among all types of dates.  They have a rich, almost caramel like taste and a soft, delicate flavor. As they are plumper, they can be stuffed with cheese, walnut pieces, almonds, or other nuts to create a healthy and nutritious snack.They can be purchased organic from your grocery store.

Deglet Noor  –  The name Deglet Noor in Arabic means ‘queen of dates’. They are firm textured in appearance with a color range from light red to amber. They are less sweet, more chewy than a Medjool date and not as rich. These are a good choice for granola, trail mix and other recipes because unlike medjool, they’re dry enough to keep from clumping, and can be kept well for many days, even without refrigeration.

You can find Deglet Noor dates whole or pitted in the Grocery Stores (I buy Made in Nature Organic Deglet Noor from Costco).

Nutritional content and Health Benefits:

Dates are known to have numerous health benefits. They are a rich source of energy, consisting of up to 80% carbohydrates, with starch and reducing sugars such as glucose and fructose. Even with this high sugar content, they are a low glycemic index food. They also contain essential and non-essential amino acids and are thus a good source of protein. They have a small amount of dietary fibre both soluble and insoluble and could therefore be of benefit to people who suffer from mild constipation. Dates are a rich source of trace minerals and salts, being especially abundant in potassium. Eating potassium rich foods keep both your fluid balance and nerves functional and healthy. They also contain selenium, calcium, boron and magnesium, and all of these are required when it comes to keeping our bones healthy, and preventing conditions such as osteoporosis.

The health benefits of dates are really impressive. Unfortunately, they are also high in sugar and calories. So, try not to overindulge. A tbsp or two of date paste in a day is perfectly fine. Though, I am not a dietician or nutritionist, the information in my post is my opinion. I read, research and use common sense to make my food choices. The mantra for me is to eat ‘less processed’ and more whole some, natural foods.

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