Last month I introduced you guys to LIVA Organic Date sugar, a really unique and nutritious alternative to your average kitchen sweetener.

LIVA is a Canadian-led company, and one that I’m proud to be working with as we strive to help consumers understand the different options they have at their disposal when it comes to sweetening their favourite foods, beverages and baked goods.

If you read my first article for LIVA, you will know that their date sugar is made exclusively from whole dehydrated raw organic dates.

As a dietitian, I do find that dates are one of those foods that really fly under the radar in terms of public understanding about their unique nutritional benefits.

With that in mind, today’s article will explore a little bit more about dates.

The Unique Health Benefits Of Dates

As a dietitian I love exploring the uniqueness of different types of foods, especially because I think it can be one of the underappreciated aspects in the world of nutrition.

Scientifically referred to as Phoenix dactylifera, dates are a sweet fruit which have been staples of Middle Eastern cuisine for thousands of years.

North Africa is one of the places in the world where a large amount of dates are grown and LIVA date sugar is actually produced using dates from North African countries Algeria and Tunisia.

Dates contain 10 minerals, including potassium and magnesium which not all Canadians get enough of from their diets and are extremely important in helping to manage blood pressure levels.

This is definitely one of the unique aspects of a product like date sugar, that it can play a role in boosting your intake of essential dietary minerals and directly contribute to heart health.

Fibre:  Dates are a high fibre food which means they support good gut health, bowel regularity and good cardiovascular health as a result.

As I discussed in my first article for LIVA, the fibre content of date sugar is another one of the really meaningful factors that set it apart from other sweeteners.

Antioxidants:   Dates are high in a number of very healthful antioxidant compounds from the carotenoid and phenolic family of compounds.

These may sound like fancy or overly scientific words, but compounds like these have massive roles to play in supporting good human health and protecting our cells from damage and disease through their anti-inflammatory capabilities.

Final Thoughts

LIVA Date Sugar is a unique sweetener product made exclusively from dehydrated dates.

It allows you to unlock some of the nutritional value of dates themselves while also providing a really nutrient dense sweetener alternative for use in your favourite beverages and baked goods.

I highly recommend you head over to LIVA’s Recipe section where you can find a wide array of smoothies, breakfast bowls and other fun creations that have been specifically created for use with LIVA date sugar.

And if you want to use LIVA for your own family recipes, start by trying it out at 1:1 ratio in place of other sweeteners.

Until next time,

Andy De Santis RD MPH