Eating Dates During Pregnancy

In this post we explore the benefits of eating dates during pregnancy, why they’re good for you and baby, and why you should start (if you haven’t already) eating them now.

1. Dates are full of nutrients.

Dates are a true pregnancy superfood! They are packed with nutrients your body and your baby need during pregnancy and labor.

Fructose — Have you ever tried dates? Not only are they delicious, but they’re super sweet. But, the natural sugars found in this fruit are actually good for you. They break down quickly and give you a jolt of energy without having you crash an hour later.

Pregnancy can literally be draining and the healthy fructose found in dates will give you the energy you need without any unwanted ingredients or junka junka (as I like to tell my kids).

You can back a bunch of these in your hospital bag so you can have them on hand to snack while you’re in labor. They will help empower your body for your baby’s birth!

Vitamin K — This essential vitamin plays a key role in blood clotting for your baby and it helps to keep bones strong.

Fiber — Helps keep your bowels running smoothly and reduces constipation. If you’re concerned about pooping during labor, make sure you get in enough fiber so that you aren’t backed up!

Folate — Dates contain this natural B vitamin which is important for replicating DNA, producing new cells, and supporting nerve and immune functions (crucial for your unborn baby!). It can also help prevent birth defects and anemia.

Iron — This study shows that many women go through pregnancy being iron deficient! Ensuring proper iron intake is important as iron plays an important role in a number of physiological processes such as the production of extra red blood cells for both you and your baby.

Ensuring that you are consuming adequate amounts of iron will also benefit you during birth because you won’t feel exhausted and will be able to power through your birth.

So do your body a favor and support it during pregnancy and prepare it for labor by eating dates! They may be small, but they are chock-full of vitamins.

2. Dates are known to shorten labor and help you dilate faster.

Listen, childbirth is not easy. Especially if you go natural like I did. Thankfully, with both of my pregnancies, I never labored very long.

Though very much doable, the entire process is quite exhausting. Giving birth is hard work!

But luckily for you, shorter labor may only be a couple of dates away. According to the results of this study, eating dates in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy was effective in decreasing the length of labor processes and reduced the need of oxytocin for labor acceleration.

3. Eating dates during pregnancy can lower your risk of medical interventions during childbirth.

Dates are linked to a higher rate of spontaneous labor (no artificial labor induction). According to this study, the rate of spontaneous labor was much higher among the pregnant women who ate six dates per day in the last four weeks of pregnancy compared to the women who ate none.

Aren’t dates amazing?!

Eating dates throughout your pregnancy is a great way to show your body some love and to prepare it for labor.

However, everything in moderation! Although they’re healthy, they’re still very sweet. I recommend eating them with a healthy fat like walnuts to aid in digestion. This is how they are typically eaten in the Middle East and it makes sense, because the added fats help your body with blood sugar regulation.

Eating dates (about 6 a day) in your last trimester is a great way to prep your body for labor.

If you’re new to eating dates during pregnancy and want to know different ways to get some in your diet, check out this super easy and delicious pregnancy smoothie!

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