Muscat: Breaking Ramadhan fasting daily with dates has many health benefits, be it for young or old.
Nutrition consultant Reem Al Zaabi said starting Iftar with dates instead of water is beneficial as the former quickly balances blood sugar and prepares the stomach to start Iftar It is known that the person who wants to break fasting is in dire need of two important factors; food to generate energy urgently and water to compensate for the deficiency. Apart from water, dates contain a high percentage of glucose, and sucrose.
Al Zaabi added that eating dates or dates at the beginning of Iftar provides the body with a large amount of sugar. "Symptoms of hypoglycemia disappear and the body becomes active, as the emptiness of the stomach helps these simple sugars to absorb very quickly." Two-thirds of the sugar content in dates is in a simple chemical form which helps blood sugar level balance in a short time.
Al Zaabi indicated that health-wise, it is recommended to start Iftar with three dates, then drink a glass of water, and then a little soup if available. After the prayer, Iftar can be completed, with salad as the main course.
She explained that eating dates on Iftar daily helps a lot in giving the body many benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease, as dates provide soluble fiber, which can lower bad cholesterol. It helps prevent the accumulation of fatty cholesterol deposits on the walls of the arteries (known as atherosclerosis) and helps reduce the risk of heart disease.
The dates markets in Oman's governorates were abuzz with many citizens and residents planning to stock up the finest types of various dates before Ramadhan.
According to several date sellers, a kilo of local Khalas ranged between RO1 and RO3, while fard and nghal were priced RO1 to 200 baisas.
Many shoppers confirmed that the most popular types of dates are khalas and fard. The demand for Nghal dates is high among the elderly due to its low sugar content.
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