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This Week: Dates!

10/27/2025

Dates are the fruit of the date palm tree, which is grown in many tropical regions of the world. Dates have become quite popular in recent years. Almost all dates sold in Western countries are dried. You can tell whether or not dates are dried based on their appearance. Wrinkled skin indicates they are dried, whereas smooth skin indicates freshness.

Depending on the variety, fresh dates are fairly small in size and range in colour from bright red to bright yellow. Commonly consumed varieties include Medjool and Deglet Noor dates. Dates are chewy with a sweet flavour. They are also high in some important nutrients and have a variety of advantages and uses.

Dates have an excellent nutrition profile.
Since they’re dried, their calorie content is higher than most fresh fruit. The calorie content of dates is similar to that of other dried fruits, such as raisins and figs. Most of the calories in dates come from carbs. The rest are from a very small amount of protein. Despite their calories, dates contain some important vitamins and minerals in addition to a significant amount of fibre.

Getting enough fibre is important for your overall health. Fiber can benefit your digestive health by preventing constipation. It promotes regular bowel movements by contributing to the formation of stool. In one study, 21 people who consumed 7 dates per day for 21 days experienced improvements in stool frequency and had a significant increase in bowel movements compared to when they did not eat dates.

Furthermore, the fibre in dates may be beneficial for blood sugar control. Fiber slows digestion and may help prevent blood sugar levels from spiking too high after eating. For this reason, dates have a low glycaemic index (GI), which measures how quickly your blood sugar rises after eating a certain food.

Antioxidants protect your cells from free radicals, which are unstable molecules that may cause harmful reactions in your body and lead to disease. Compared to similar types of fruit, such as figs and dried plums, dates appear to have the highest antioxidant content.). Dates have been studied for their potential to promote and ease late-term labour in pregnant people. Eating these fruits throughout the last few weeks of pregnancy may promote cervical dilation and lower the need for induced labour. They may also be helpful in reducing labour time.

Dates are a source of fructose, which is a natural type of sugar found in fruit. For this reason, dates are very sweet and also have a subtle caramel-like taste. They make a great healthy substitute for white sugar in recipes due to the nutrients, fibre, and antioxidants that they provide. The best way to substitute dates for white sugar is to make date paste, as in this recipe. It is made by mixing dates with water in a blender. A rule of thumb is to replace sugar with date paste at a 1:1 ratio. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, you’ll replace it with 1 cup of date paste.It is important to note that although dates are high in fibre and nutrients, they are still fairly high in calories and best consumed in moderation.

Detriments:
Allergic reactions to dates aren't typical and are usually limited to itching and inflammation in and around the mouth. Mold or sulphites (added to dried fruits like dates as a preservative) are generally responsible for the symptoms of date allergies. Symptoms often resemble asthma symptoms, ranging from mild wheezing to a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction, which requires immediate medical attention. Many people with fruit allergies are also sensitive to latex or pollen. If you suspect you're allergic to dates, avoid eating them and talk to your doctor to determine the source of the problem.

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This Week: Figs!

10/20/2025

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Figs may be beneficial to health in a variety of ways, including improving skin and hair health. They also tend to have high nutritional value for many. A fig is a soft fruit with a thin skin that can be either green or purple. The flesh of a fig is typically red, and the entirety of the fruit is edible. Historically, figs have been used in traditional medical practices to help treat issues related to the endocrine, reproductive, and respiratory systems and the digestive tract.

Practitioners of Indian systems of medicine have long used figs to treat conditions including gastrointestinal, respiratory, inflammatory, metabolic and cardiovascular. Some researchers believe that figs have the following properties: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, fat-lowering and cell-protective.

These properties may be responsible for the therapeutic effects of figs. The sections below discuss these potential benefits in more detail, though many are based on animal studies with limited evidence from large human randomized controlled trials. Further research on humans is necessary.

Studies suggest that people may use traditional plants to help treat diabetes, although this is not part of standard treatment guidelines in Western medicine practice. One 2023 study on the effectiveness of medicinal plants found that figs help decrease blood sugar by 13.5% after two months of treatment. Figs are also a good source of abscisic acid (ABA), which can improve glucose homeostasis.

A 2022 study found that a diet supplemented with fig leaves may increase sexual function, sexual behaviour, and testosterone levels in rats with high blood pressure. However, further studies on humans are necessary.

Figs may aid skin health. They are rich in carotenoids, which are soluble pigments found in fruits and vegetables, such as carrots and tomatoes. They include:

lutein, which is also found in kale and spinach
zeaxanthin, which is also found in leafy greens and bell peppers
beta-carotene, which is also found in carrots and sweet potato

Carotenoids benefit skin health with UV protection and antioxidant properties.

Very few studies have looked at the connection between figs and hair health. However, figs are very high in iron, an essential mineral for helping maintain healthy hair.
Figs are high in dietary fibre, which is essential for maintaining digestive health. Overall benefits of dietary fibre include:

improving metabolic health
lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease
aiding colonic health
helping with gut motility

Detriments:
Before taking extracts or supplements for hair health, a person should speak with their doctor to ensure their safety.
Both fresh and dried figs contain a high level of vitamin K. People taking blood-thinning medications such as warfarin need to maintain consistent vitamin K levels in their diets, so they may wish to eat figs in moderation. Since figs have a high fibre content, eating too many figs (especially dried figs) can cause diarrhea.

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This Week: Turnips!

10/13/2025

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Turnips are a vegetable that people can consume raw or cooked. Turnips are a creamy white colour and a purple top. People often group this popular European staple food with root vegetables, such as potato and beetroot. However, the turnip is a cousin of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, arugula, and kale. Like other cruciferous vegetables, turnips provide plenty of nutrients and are low in calories. The leaves can also be eaten.

Turnips and their leaves are full of vitamins and minerals like calcium, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and Vitamin C. The leaves boast even more nutritional content than the vegetable does!

One medium turnip has 233 mg of potassium. Your body needs that mineral for just about everything, including helping your nerves send signals and keeping your muscles and heart in good working shape. When you don't get enough, you're at risk for high blood pressure, stroke, kidney stones, brittle bones, and high blood sugar.

Turnips have glucosinolates -- plant-based chemicals that may help prevent all kinds of cancer, from breast to prostate. Turnips are also rich in the antioxidant lutein. This keeps your eyes healthy and wards off problems like macular degeneration and cataracts.

Dairy isn't the only way to build strong bones and stay one step ahead of the bone-weakening disease osteoporosis. Turnips have a significant amount of calcium, which also helps your heart, muscles, and nerves.

Turnips and other cruciferous vegetables that are high in fibre help make people feel fuller for longer, and they are low in calories. Eating high fibre meals also helps keep blood sugar levels stable. The fibre content in turnips may also prevent constipation and promote regularity for a healthy digestive tract. Regular, adequate bowel movements are crucial for getting rid of toxins through the bile and stool.

Detriments: Some health problems and medications don't mix well with turnips. Talk to your doctor if:

You need a faecal occult blood test. Turnips, broccoli, and some other fruits and vegetables may give you a false positive or false negative on this test, which looks for hidden blood in your stool.

Your blood clots too quickly. If you have certain conditions, too many turnip greens -- which are high in vitamin K -- can cause your blood to clot faster than normal.

You have a kidney condition. Your kidneys remove extra potassium from your body. If they don't work well, you may have too much potassium in your system. This causes a rapid heartbeat and muscle issues like weakness, cramps, or stiffness.

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This Week: Beetroot!

10/6/2025

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Beetroot are a root vegetable that come in a few different colours; white, yellow, pink and purple but most commonly deep red. Packed with essential nutrients, beetroots are a great source of fibre, folate (vitamin B9), manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. Beetroots are delicious raw but more frequently cooked or pickled. Their leaves, known as beet greens, can also be eaten.

Beetroots have many different benefits, a few we will go into here:
Beetroots contain an antioxidant known as alpha-lipoic acid, which has been shown to help people with diabetes, by lowering glucose levels and increasing insulin sensitivity. The fibre in beetroot helps with smooth digestion and gut health.

Studies have found that beetroot juice supplements can improve the amount of oxygen that muscles absorb during exercise. A 2019 study even showed that high doses of beet juice improved the time trial results of experienced cyclists. A 2024 study showed improvements in aerobic exercise capacity and cardiovascular functions in a group of men.

The antioxidant betalain, which is responsible for the deep colouration of the vegetable, can disrupt the cancerous mutations of cells, although more studies are needed on this. It has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, helping to relieve the discomfort from arthritis and other joint related diseases.

Beetroots are full of compounds called nitrates, which help to improve blood flow by relaxing the blood vessels, which can potentially lower blood pressure as well. They may also aid in the protection against and survivability of heart attacks.

Folate is an essential B vitamin necessary for producing red and white blood cells in bone marrow, producing DNA and RNA, and transforming carbohydrates into energy. Having an adequate amount of folate is especially important during periods of rapid growth, such as pregnancy, infancy, and adolescence.

Detriments: Beetroot consumption can lead to red, purple or pink colouration of urine and stools. It may seem alarming but should not be cause for medical concern. Doctors refer to this as ‘beeturia’.
People prone to oxalate-type kidney stones should be careful not to consume too much of the beet tops. Also, those with gastrointestinal issues or Irritable Bowel Syndrome may experience stomach upset after consuming beetroot juice.

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This Week: Dates!

This Week: Figs!

This Week: Turnips!

This Week: Beetroot!

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