There are a variety of nutrients and minerals that our body absolutely needs. Potassium is one of these vital substances that our body needs in order to function. Among other things, potassium ensures that the transmission of stimuli between muscles and nerves is successful and, together with sodium, regulates blood pressure.
Dates are known to be a versatile source of nutrients and their natural sweetness makes them a tasty snack. But do dates contain potassium? When eaten regularly, dates can actually supply the human body with a significant amount of potassium. With an average of 660 mg / 100 g, dates even contain significantly more potassium than bananas, for example.
Cover your potassium requirements naturally with dates
Here you can find out why potassium is so important, how you can meet your potassium requirements naturally with dates and what you should look out for in terms of potassium content when buying dates.
A balanced, potassium-rich diet is healthy for the body, as it cannot produce or store the mineral potassium itself. A natural potassium intake through the diet can therefore be particularly important to stay physically balanced.
There are some foods that can be suitable for a conscious and healthy diet with sufficient potassium. These mainly include fruit and vegetables, cereals and nuts. Dates are a convincing (dried) fruit with a high potassium content.
| Type of nutrient | Amount per 100g | Percentage of the average daily requirement |
Potassium |
659.0 mg | 16 % |
| calcium | 66.0 mg | 7 % |
| magnesium | 51.0 mg | 15 % |
| Iron | 1,933.0 µg | 15 % |
| Zinc | 346.0 µg | 4 % |
| Copper | 305.0 µg | 24 % |
| Vitamin B1 | 57.0 µg | 5 % |
| Vitamin B2 | 57.0 µg | 5 % |
| Vitamin B3 | 4104.0 µg | 25 % |
| Vitamin B5 | 651.0 µg | 11 % |
| Vitamin C | 2,441.0 µg | 2 % |
Compared to other nutrients, fresh dates and fruit do not perform as well as dried dates or fruit and vegetable juices, which contain a higher concentration of potassium, in terms of potassium.
Dried dates contain more potassium
There is more potassium in dates that are dried. The drier the date, the less water is contained in the fruit and the higher the proportion of nutrients such as potassium per 100g.
Dates that contain relatively little moisture therefore retain a high density of nutrients. Suitable varieties of dried dates in the Narafood Shop include
Different date varieties may differ slightly in terms of their nutritional composition, but the differences in the fruit are marginal. Therefore, when it comes to dates and their potassium content, it is much more important how fresh or dried the dates are when buying them. You can buy both fresh and dried dates from us - in premium quality. We will be happy to advise you on any questions you may have.
Why is potassium so important? What is the daily potassium requirement?
The daily potassium requirement of an adult is 4,000 mg. Potassium is an important mineral that is vital for keeping the body, mind and heart healthy. Potassium can reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes thanks to its blood pressure-lowering effect. Potassium is also responsible for cell growth and the transmission of muscle and nerve impulses.
As dates contain a lot of potassium, but also a lot of magnesium and little sodium, eating them can be beneficial for heart health.
How many dates should you eat for a balanced potassium content?
Our general recommendation here is: You can safely enjoy 3 to 5 dates a day to provide your body with a good supply of many important nutrients, including minerals such as iron, magnesium and calcium, as well as trace minerals and an essential vitamin or two. You can cover 10-12 percent of your daily potassium requirements with 3-5 medium-sized dates (approx. 15 g).
When considering how many dates you should eat per day, you also need to take into account the type of date, as there are very small and very large dates. While slightly smaller date varieties such as Mazafati, Rabbi or Deglet Nour only weigh around 10 g per date on average, larger, meatier varieties such as Medjool, Wanan or Khidri weigh twice as much at an average of 20 g per date.
To cover the daily potassium requirement of 4,000 mg, you would need to eat around 600 g of dates. For a medium-sized date, this corresponds to around 40 pieces. However, like all sugars, the natural sweetness of the fruit should only be consumed in moderation. Therefore, 40 dates are clearly too much due to the rather high amount of fructose they contain.
So you can't cover your daily potassium requirement with dates alone. However, as a healthy and quick snack that also tastes deliciously sweet, dates can contribute to a good supply of potassium. Versatility and combination with other healthy ingredients are particularly important.
Conclusion: A fresh, balanced diet is the be-all and end-all
If you eat a healthy and balanced diet, it is possible to cover your daily potassium requirements through your diet. Dates, with their high potassium content, can play a significant role in this. Dates can also provide the body with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and a little vitamin C and folic acid as well as minerals (iron, zinc) and fiber. If you always eat plenty of fresh and dried fruit and vegetables, potassium deficiency is unlikely to be a problem. Even if you want to reduce your consumption of artificial sugar, a handful of dates a day can help you to control your cravings for sweets.
Our appetizing date recipes will stimulate your taste buds and can serve as inspiration for a healthy and conscious diet - with dishes that are delicious and easy to prepare. Eat potassium naturally with dates now: Our selection of organic dried dates makes it possible.
