Dates have many beneficial effects on the body, which is why there is a popular saying, "Eat three dates a day, and you will never look old." Traditional Chinese medicine believes that dates are sweet and warm in nature, and can tonify the middle jiao, replenish qi, nourish the blood, and calm the spirit. People who are weak after an illness, patients with anemia, and women who often have cold hands and feet in winter can all regulate their bodies with dates. However, dates are a food-medicine homologous product with their own unique medicinal properties. If one consumes them indiscriminately without considering their body constitution, it not only fails to have a health-preserving effect but can even be counterproductive. Especially the following four types of people should eat fewer or no dates:
Those with excess phlegm-dampness. Such people often exhibit a thick, greasy tongue coating, a sweet or sticky sensation in the mouth, poor appetite, and a feeling of fullness in the stomach. In severe cases, symptoms may include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and swelling of the eyelids and face. The moist and greasy nature of dates can easily exacerbate dampness, causing phlegm-dampness to accumulate in the body and become difficult to expel, thus worsening the aforementioned discomfort. People with this body constitution are more suited to eat foods that strengthen the spleen and promote dampness drainage, such as Job's tears, red beans, Chinese yam, and loofah.
Those who are prone to "heatiness." This type of person has a constitution that tends to be "hot" and often experiences symptoms of "heatiness" such as constipation, bad breath, and swelling or pain in the throat and gums. Dates are sweet and warm in nature, leaning towards a warming tonic. Consuming them in large amounts would be like adding fuel to the fire.
Patients in the early stages of a cold. In the early stages of a cold, the pathogenic factors of wind-cold or wind-heat are prevalent in the body. If dates are consumed at this time, their sticky nature can often cause these pathogenic factors to stagnate, leading to the consequence of "shutting the door to keep the thief," making it difficult for the body to expel the pathogens and hindering recovery.
Diabetics. Dates contain a high amount of sugar, which can increase blood sugar levels in diabetics and worsen their condition. Therefore, people with high blood sugar should not eat many dates. ▲
(Global Times - Life Times)