Few fruits are as easy to like as dates. The benefits of consuming 3 dates everyday are easier to judge once you know what three dates actually contain.
What a habit of three dates a day puts on your plate depends on which date you pick. A Medjool and a Deglet Noor are very different sizes. The figures below come from the USDA FoodData Central database, scaled to three fruits.
Three Medjool dates
USDA lists one pitted Medjool date at 24 g, so three of them weigh about 72 g. That serving carries roughly 199 kcal, 4.8 g of dietary fibre, 501 mg of potassium, 39 mg of magnesium and 46 mg of calcium. It also carries about 48 g of sugars.
Medjool is the large, very soft date with a rich caramel taste. Three of them make a proper snack, closer to a small meal than a nibble.
Three Deglet Noor dates
The Deglet Noor is much smaller. USDA gives one pitted fruit as 7.1 g, so three come to about 21 g. That works out to around 60 kcal, 1.7 g of fibre, 140 mg of potassium and 13.5 g of sugars.
Deglet Noor comes from Tunisia and Algeria. It is golden, translucent and semi-dry, so it suits people who want the taste of dates in a lighter amount.
Where the benefit of three dates really lies
The useful thing about the “three a day” idea is that it is a fixed, small amount. You know what you are eating.
Fibre is the clearest case. The NHS says government guidelines put fibre intake at 30 g a day. Three Medjool dates supply about 4.8 g of that, a little under a sixth, which is a fair contribution from one snack. Consuming 3 dates everyday on its own will not get you to 30 g. The rest has to come from the other food you eat that day.
Energy is the other side. Dates are mostly carbohydrate, around 75 g per 100 g in both USDA entries, and most of that is sugar. Three Medjool dates are a dense snack, worth counting if you are watching calories.
Eating them sensibly
The NHS gives a portion of dried fruit as around 30 g. If you count dates the same way, three Deglet Noor dates (about 21 g) are roughly two-thirds of a portion, while three Medjool dates (about 72 g) come to more than two.
The NHS also points out that dried fruit is sticky and can be high in sugar, so it is better for your teeth to eat it as part of a meal, for example as dessert, rather than as a between-meal snack. If you treat dates as dried fruit, three after lunch is an easy way to follow that.
You can see both sizes, along with the rest of the range, in the Green Diamond shop. Once you know which size suits you, consuming 3 dates everyday is a small habit that is easy to keep.
This article is general food information and not medical advice. If you have a health condition, ask your doctor or dietitian how dates fit your diet.