Dates vs Raisins: nutrition per 100 g

Drying removes most of the water from fruit, so dates and raisins pack a lot of energy into a small handful. Per 100 g, dry pale-brown dates have 320 kcal and black raisins 306 kcal; dates rank 1st of 43 fruits for energy and carbohydrate. Sugar is very high in both, 66.6 g and 61.5 g per 100 g. Raisins hold a little more water, 19.7 g against 11.1 g. Protein is low in both, about 2.5 g. These are foods for small portions, not bowlfuls.

Dates have 8.9 g of fibre per 100 g, about 2.3 times the 3.9 g in raisins, ranking 2nd of 43 fruits. That fibre slows the release of their sugar a little and helps regular digestion, which is one reason a few dates are a traditional way to start a meal or break a fast. Raisins, being smaller and softer, are easier to overeat by the handful.

Black raisins are one of the better plant sources of iron in IFCT 2017: 6.81 mg per 100 g, ranking 2nd of 43 fruits and 29th of 242 foods, about 2.1 times the 3.2 mg in dates. That covers 36 per cent of a man's daily need against 17 per cent. Raisins also have more potassium, 1105 mg against 804 mg, ranking 1st among fruits, and more copper and selenium. Dates win on magnesium, 74 mg against 34 mg, about 2.2 times as much, and on zinc, 0.7 mg against 0.22 mg. Calcium is about the same in both, 71 and 73 mg, which is high for fruit.

Raisins have twice the folate, 38 micrograms against 19, and more thiamine. Dates have about 3.1 times the niacin, 1.47 mg against 0.48 mg, and a little more vitamin C. IFCT 2017 also lists a beta-carotene value for dates far above what other sources report for the fruit, so it is best treated with caution rather than as a reason to eat dates.

In Indian homes, dates are eaten at iftar, stuffed with nuts, blended into milkshakes, and used as kharek in Gujarati and Rajasthani sweets. Black raisins, often soaked overnight, go into kheer, halwa, pulao, biryani and morning routines.