Dates are packed with nutrients for heart health.

Dates are a sweet and soft fruit commonly grown in desert climates. They are typically sold dried and packaged, but also available as fresh fruit. Both fresh and dried dates are traditional foods that have a range of health benefits.

Dates are a good source of dietary fiber.

Dates are rich in dietary fiber, antioxidants and the essential minerals potassium and magnesium. A diet that regularly includes low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like dates may enhance your health and help decrease your chance of developing many chronic diseases. Available both fresh and dried, dates can be substituted for raisins in baked goods, combined with nuts and rolled oats in granola or used as a sweet counterpoint in chicken- or lamb-based stews. Deglet noor dates are the most commonly consumed variety in the United States, but other types like Medjool and Khala dates are equally nutritious.

Dietary Fiber

A 1/4-cup serving of dried or fresh dates contains 3 grams of dietary fiber. This amount supplies 14 percent of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's recommended daily allowance of fiber for adult men and women following a 2,000-calorie diet. According to Dr. John Briffa, the bulk of a date's fiber is the soluble fiber pectin. A high intake of foods rich in soluble fiber may help lessen your risk of diabetes and high blood cholesterol. A 2009 "Nutrition Reviews" study adds that a fiber-rich diet can also help prevent obesity, stroke, heart disease and hypertension.

Potassium

Eating approximately six medium-sized, pitted dates provides you with 6 percent of the potassium your body requires daily. As both a mineral and an electrolyte, potassium triggers enzymes crucial for energy metabolism and is needed for cardiac, smooth and skeletal muscles to contract properly. If you do not consume enough potassium regularly, you may be more likely to suffer from osteoporosis, stroke, kidney stones or high blood pressure. If your diet includes a large amount of sodium, you may need more potassium in order to keep the two minerals balanced. Incorporate high-potassium foods like dates into your meals and talk to your doctor about ways to lower your sodium intake.

Magnesium

Every 42.6-gram serving of pitted dates -- an amount equivalent to five or six dates -- provides 5.8 percent of the RDA of magnesium for adult women and 4.5 percent of the RDA of magnesium for men. The body uses magnesium for energy metabolism, to regulate vitamins and other minerals and to help maintain the strength of bones and teeth. Adequate magnesium intake is linked to a decreased risk of diabetes, depression, osteoporosis, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Pregnant women, athletes undergoing strenuous physical training and individuals recovering from long-term illness or surgical procedures may need more magnesium to avoid deficiency.

Nutrients

Both fresh and dried dates are rich in several essential minerals and vitamins that are important for normal body functions and overall health. The amounts of nutrients may vary only slightly depending on the type of date and whether it is fresh or dried. The USDA Nutrient Database notes that all dates are high in nutrients, particularly the minerals potassium, calcium and magnesium and the vitamins A, B-6 and K.

Energy

Dates are an energy-dense food packed with carbohydrates including sucrose, fructose and glucose. The European Food Information Council notes that these natural sugars make fresh and dried dates a good food for boosting energy quickly. According to the USDA Nutrient Database, 100 grams of dates -- about 4 or 5 medium-sized dates -- contain approximately 75 grams of carbohydrates and 1.81 grams of protein, which together provide 277 kilocalories.

Heart Health

In addition to the high fiber content that makes fresh dates beneficial for heart health, both fresh and dried dates are very low in fat and sodium. The USDA Nutrient Database notes that a 100-gram serving of fresh dates contains only 1 milligram of sodium and 0.04 grams of fat. This makes them a healthy addition to a low-sodium diet to help decrease high blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Antioxidants

A 2005 study published in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" examined the amount of antioxidant compounds in both the fresh and dried versions of 2 date varieties: Mazafati and Piarom. The researchers determined that all three types of fresh dates contained high concentrations of anthocyanins and carotenoids, two potent antioxidants. Dried dates contained a significant concentration of antioxidant polyphenol compounds. The researchers concluded that eating any variety or form of dates could add beneficial antioxidants to your diet. The American Dietetic Association reports that eating plenty of foods rich in antioxidants may help prevent diabetes, cancer, heart disease and neurological problems like Alzheimer's disease.