Owing to the exploding popularity of low carb and ketogenic diets, no one could blame you if you feel like the mere thought of dates sends your blood sugar through the stratosphere.  But dates have been consumed by healthy populations for thousands of years, long before the modern epidemics of type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and other conditions believed to result in part from excessive sugar consumption.  For those who follow more of a Paleo diet, and people who are lean, active, and insulin sensitive, dates need not be avoided like the plague.  They’re sweet little morsels and can also be used in savory dishes.

Might as well address the elephant in the room right here at the start: yes, dates are high in sugar.  One pitted medjool date provides about 18 grams of carbohydrate, with just 1.6 of those grams being fiber.  The majority of the sugar in dates is a combination of glucose and fructose (as opposed to sucrose), with glucose content narrowly edging out fructose.  They’re virtually fat free and provide small amounts of vitamin B6, potassium, magnesium, copper and manganese.  Some varieties of dates also contain appreciable amounts of selenium, and their color hints at the presence of carotenoids.

Dates are high in antioxidants, but the antioxidant content varies depending on processing methods.  One analysis found a significant reduction in carotenoids and antioxidants when dates were sun-dried, but this same process increased total phenolic content.

This nutrient content, small though it is, likely underlies the reputation date sugar has for being more wholesome than refined sugars.  Date sugar is just dried, pulverized dates, so there’s no refining or loss of these nutrients.  This means that date sugar may have a tiny advantage over refined sugars, with emphasis on “tiny.” Ultimately, date sugar is still almost 100% monosaccharides, over 50% of which is glucose, which may mean dates are best avoided by those who need to watch their blood sugar.

Interestingly, though, dates are considered low glycemic, and even though they’re “sugar-packed,” their low glycemic index “refutes the dogma that dates are similar to candies and [that] regular consumption would develop chronic diseases.”  Dates’ low glycemic impact may be due to the hefty presence of fructose, which doesn’t affect blood sugar the way glucose does.  But just because fructose doesn’t budge blood sugar acutely doesn’t mean everyone can eat dates in unlimited quantities with impunity.  Chronic ingestion of fructose over a long period of time is implicated in insulin resistance, primarily via contributing to the buildup of fat in the liver. 

The detrimental effects of long-term high fructose consumption aside, in healthy subjects, eating a substantial amount of dates had very little effect on metabolic markers.  If anything, some things actually improved.  In a study in which ten healthy subjects consumed 100 grams/day of Medjool or Hallawi dates for 4 weeks, there was no significant change to BMI, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, or fasting glucose.  Surprisingly, triglycerides actually decreased by 8% and 15% in the Medjool and Hallawi date groups, respectively, which is surprising considering the fructose load.  In subjects consuming Hallawi dates, measurements of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation were improved, showing again that despite their high sugar content, dates may be relatively benign in terms of cellular health.

But let’s remember that this was a small study, and subjects were healthy.  Individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, or another condition where blood sugar and/or insulin must be well-regulated may want to use a home glucometer to see how dates affect them.  Just because a food has a certain glycemic index “on paper” doesn’t mean it will affect everyone the same way.  People have widely varying responses to the same foods.  One person’s whole grain, high-fiber cracker is another’s white bread with grape jelly.  Some people may do just fine with dates, while others might best avoid them or consume them only in limited quantities as an occasional treat. 

Dates are great for snacking, especially during active activities that may benefit from a little sugar boost, such as hiking.  There’s a world of Paleo-friendly date recipes, many of which are for energy bars or sweet treats, such as these coconut almond date balls and these chocolate orange truffles.  And no Paleo kitchen is complete without bacon, so consider these bacon date bites—a bit of salty, fatty pork is a killer pairing with the sweetness of dates!  But it’s not all about the sweet: for savory fare, check out an apple-date-pistachio stuffed lamb roast, sure to wow anyone at your table.  For a vegetarian and vegan-friendly side dish, this za’atar roasted cauliflower with dates, pine nuts and thyme meshes flavors that work together perfectly.