I'll tell you why! I'm not going to be pedantic and discuss your love life, but I am definitely going to give some gyaan about why you should be eating more of the healthy stuff, rather than giving your mouth la petite mort by having empty carbohydrates. You're fooling nobody, sweetheart! Which brings us to the real dates that you need in your life! Khajoor!
Let's assume you know very little about the benefits of khajoor or dates and read on! They're sweet, you already know that. But did you know that it is a fantastic alternative to refined sugar? Dates have been around for a very long time and our Indian dishes have mostly used dates in making various kinds of desserts. Which makes me wonder why our grandparents/parents don't think of including dates while making the usual dishes! Imagine giving a nice twist to that spicy vegetable curry with the sweetness of some dates.
Dates are a staple food in the middle-east and in the early days, kabuliwalas (businessmen) from Kabul, Afghanistan, came to India to sell dry fruits and dates were one of the major items that sold the most. Even Rabindranath Tagore spun a beautiful tale on the relationship of Indians and Afghans through food (If you haven't read it already, go ahead and read ‘Kabuliwala’ by Rabindranath Tagore. It's a sweet story, without the calories!)
If you're in any of the Arabian countries, you'll experience a welcome ceremony with dates (with a side of Arabian coffee). And the dates that are available in the deserts are simply amazing. The sweetness of the dates are unparalled and it often feels like they are dipped in honey, when in actuality, it is simply the high moisture content of the date itself. Dates are not just delicious and extremely tasty, but they are also very high in nutrition content. Which is why we chose this particular dry fruit in the first place for our Cafoco Energy Bars!
In this blog, we will discuss why you should include dates in your daily routine and we will stick to the health benefits of khajoor. We'll keep the talking points of the other kind of "date" for another day! ;)
If you don't know this already, let's talk about it again. The sweetness you feel when you bite into a Cafoco Energy Bar, and the way your tongue sense the delight of a little sour and sweet taste of our nutrient dense energy bar, was created by, yes, you guessed it right, DATES! (If you haven't tasted it already, I've nothing to say, 'cause I'm face-palming that hard. Go, go, get it right here on www.cafoco.co.in)
Let’s come back to why we thought of dates while thinking of a natural sweetener in our Cafoco Energy Bites. Dates are very high in nutrient unlike refined sugar or any kind of sugar, for that matter. (A little secret for you, shhh… the brown sugar that companies give out saying 'ooohh, it's all natural, it's all healthy’, it's actually nothing but the same empty calories of refined sugar. You might as well have the better looking white sugar.) There are no negative effects to having dates on a regular basis and dates are some of the most versatile raw ingredient available naturally which can be used in numerous ways for everyday use. Dates contain no preservatives or chemicals or added sugar. Dates are a natural source of energy and since they are packed with natural sugars, it makes them an ideal ingredient in our Cafoco Energy Bars. Dates make our energy bars an ideal snack that gives an instant boost of energy. (And these bars are tasty af. Try them, you won’t regret!)
As we all know, carbohydrates provide us with the very necessary energy we need to perform day – day activities and dates have this superpower to give this kind of instant energy because they are high in carbohydrate, which immediately converts to energy. Just one Cafoco bar (which has raw natural dates as an ingredient) and you are good to go! The best part about Cafoco Energy Bars, you ask? – They contain no added sugar! They are completely sugar-free but all the sweetness is lent by the dates. This means you can enjoy these nutrition bars without the guilt of consuming any processed sugar. Dates also contain no cholesterol which means you can enjoy the sweetness while gaining the benefits of the nutrients and avoid any risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and other health issues that accompany processed sugar products like cakes, cookies or other processed foods. The low glycemic index of dates help dates be the best go-to sweetener for all persons who have medical issues like diabetes. This means that having a date as a natural and chemical free sweetener in your food will cause a slower rise in blood sugar levels as compared to refined sugars or other chemical sweeteners.
Did you know Cafoco Energy Bars are known to keep you hunger-free for 2 hours?
This is because of the high fibre content in this super ingredient that is used in the bars. This feature helps slow down the absorption rate of sugar in the bloodstream making it an ideal option for people trying to control their blood sugar levels or diabetics.
Dates are also a good source of plant protein making it a must-have ingredient in our meals (pop a few in a day!). Going on a morning walk or workout and want a snack handy in case you feel lightheaded later? Cafoco Nutrition Bars provide the best energy to everyone looking to keep up a healthy and active lifestyle. We don’t coat our energy bars in anything unnecessary. It has only the best concoction of plant protein, fibre and multi nutrients in it. Cafoco Energy bars made with dates are a great option for adventure enthusiasts, hikers or travellers who travel light and like to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Cafoco Energy Bars are a 20g bar packed with nutrients and affordable for all. Their tiny size makes it cute and portable. These energy bars are also vegan (which is just an add-on, really) ensuring all the vegans and vegetarians get enough protein in their regular diets.
Also, did you know plant protein is easier for your body to absorb than animal protein? Try our Vegan Energy Bars and say bye-bye to all those digestive issues.
Coming back to one of our star ingredients, did you know dates also have a variety of vitamins and minerals? Let me list them out for you:
- Potassium – which ensures your blood pressure is stable and your heart health is good (Uff, with all those stressful work hours, we bet you need dates more than ever. And we mean both kinds now ;D)
- Magnesium – to maintain those healthy bones and muscles (‘Cause we gotta carry our own baggage, peeps!)
- Vitamin B6 – improving your brain function. (Can’t go around forgetting stuff now, can we?)
And that’s about it! Our super-ingredient in our nutrition bars – Dates!
Now that we’ve mentioned so many good things about this cute little brown fruit, let us also tell you all the ways you can include dates in your diet.
- Put them in that otherwise bland oatmeal, cornflakes or sattu or any other bland cereal and feel the sweetness ravage you.
- Make a smoothie with literally any fruit and just add two-three dates and feel the taste of the smoothie go from 1 star to a definite 5 star.
- Put some in your unsweetened Greek yoghurt or any other dish that requires sweetening.
- Turn dates into a paste in a mixer (adding a few drops of water will do the trick) and use the paste like a spread or jam. Slather on a cracker or toast, mix it with some nuts!
- Add them to curries or stews (and see all the aunties gasp and finally nod to realisation ><)
- Just buy our Cafoco Energy Bars on www.cafoco.co.in/collections/all and eat them! :D
Reap those fantastic benefits of dates already and satisfy your sweet tooth without any guilt! (We’ll talk about the other dates soon :P)
Ditch your junk and try Cafoco, Energy for All!