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Dates and Pomegranates part of the Mediterranean diet.

ByElena Paravantes, MS, RD

This week I am in Tel Aviv as an invited speaker at the Israeli Nutrition Week and American Overseas Dietetic Association Regional Conference. The focus is Mediterranean Diet in the Life Cycle.

There has been a lot of talk, presentations, discussions about the Mediterranean diet. The take home message being: The Mediterranean Diet is the only diet that has so much research supporting it.

One of the presentations discussed the benefits of dates and pomegranates two of the Seven Species. The Seven Species are seven agricultural products (wheat, barley, grapes, olives, dates, figs and pomegranates) that are in listed in the Hebrew Bible as special products of  Israel, but they are part of the Mediterranean diet too.

I can think of some pretty tasty recipes with dates and pomegranates and I’ll post them soon, along with their nutritional and health benefits.

Photo credit: Dates and Pomegranates by Ellaine Dickinson

Elena Paravantes, MS, RDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist by the U.S. Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). She is an expert on the Mediterranean Diet. She has been active as a clinician, consultant, author and lecturer for 20 years, both in the U.S. and Greece. An expert on the Greek Mediterranean Diet, her interviews and articles have been published in many publications including CNN, U.S. News and World Report, Prevention, NPR, and Shape. Elena has collaborated with a number of organizations including Loyola University, Yale University, University of Missouri, Louisiana State University, and the American College of Greece. Elena earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics and her Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She holds has a Master’s Degree of Science in Health Management.

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2 Comments

  2. Happy day! I bought a container of organic dates at Costco the other day just because I love dates. Common sense dictates moderation, but I sure am glad to hear that they are nutritious! Interesting article.

    Reply