Dates such as Deglet Noor and Medjool are mostly carbohydrate. USDA FoodData Central lists 75 g of carbohydrate in every 100 g of Deglet Noor dates, and the same 75 g for Medjool. Most of the rest is water, and very little is fat or protein. If you want something small, sweet and carbohydrate-heavy to eat before training, a few dates make an ideal Pre-Workout bite. They come ready to eat.
You can eat two or three on the walk to the gym without any preparation at all.
What is in 100 g of dates
USDA FoodData Central keeps separate entries for Deglet Noor and Medjool dates and the numbers below come from those two records.
- Deglet Noor: 282 kcal, 75 g carbohydrate, 63.4 g total sugars, 8 g dietary fibre, 2.45 g protein, 0.39 g fat, 656 mg potassium and 20.5 g water. The sugars are split fairly evenly between sucrose (23.8 g), glucose (19.9 g) and fructose (19.6 g).
- Medjool: 277 kcal, 75 g carbohydrate, 66.5 g total sugars, 6.7 g fibre, 1.81 g protein, 0.15 g fat, 696 mg potassium and 21.3 g water. Almost all of the sugar is glucose (33.7 g) and fructose (32 g), with only 0.53 g of sucrose.
So the carbohydrate totals match exactly while the mix of sugars behind them is quite different.
Picking a date for your gym bag
Medjool dates are large and very soft, with a rich caramel taste. The variety originated in Morocco.
Deglet Noor comes from Tunisia and Algeria. It is golden, slightly translucent and semi-dry. Being drier than Medjool, it is the tidier choice if your dates spend the afternoon in a backpack.
Mazafati from Bam in Kerman province of Iran sits at the other end of the scale.
It is dark, very soft and high in moisture, and it needs refrigeration. Keep it in the fridge at home rather than in a locker. Because Mazafati is cold-stored and sold year-round, the soft rotab stage is easy to find in any month. Rotab is the soft, fresh-ripe stage of a date; tamar is the fully ripe, drier stage. Semi-dry, chewy Mariami from Iran travels more like Deglet Noor.
Dates as a pre-workout snack
How many to eat and how long before a session depends on you and your training and the rest of your food that day.
A coach or dietitian can help you set that. For a snack, dates are simply an easy way to carry carbohydrate. As an ideal pre-workout bite, they also pair well with a handful of nuts or a glass of milk.
You can compare the varieties side by side on the Green Diamond products page.
This article is general food information, not medical or dietary advice. If you have a health condition, ask a doctor or dietitian before changing what you eat around exercise.