Dates are very sugar-dense; excess may cause GI upset. Remove pits before serving — pit fragments can remain in chopped products and are a choking hazard. Keep portions tiny and use plain pit-free flesh only.
Dates are sweet fruits from date palm trees, sold fresh, semi-dry, fully dried, pitted, and as date paste or syrup. Common types include Medjool and Deglet Noor.
Used in snack bars, smoothies, stuffed appetizers, and desserts. Often combined with nuts, chocolate, coconut, or syrups in energy bars.
Energy bars use date paste as a sweet binder alongside cacao, syrups, and nut butters. Date syrup and paste are concentrated forms. Sticky date pieces are easy to over-portion.
