This piece looks at alkaline food from one angle: the balance between potassium and sodium in what you eat, a point the review discussed below comes back to more than once. It covers what the alkaline review says about the two minerals, what the World Health Organization asks for, and where a portion of dates lands on both counts.
What the alkaline review actually settles
A 2012 review by Gerry Schwalfenberg (PubMed 22013455) asked whether there is evidence that an alkaline pH diet benefits health. It starts with blood. Human life, it says, requires a tightly controlled serum pH of about 7.4, within a slightly alkaline range of 7.35 to 7.45.
Food changes the urine instead. The review's conclusion is that alkaline diets result in a more alkaline urine pH, and that there is no substantial evidence this improves bone health. So "required" is too strong a word for the slogan. The review gives a better reason to look at the plate, and it has to do with minerals.
The potassium and sodium shift
According to the same review, the agricultural revolution and, more recently, industrialization brought a decrease in potassium compared to sodium in the diet. The ratio of potassium to sodium has reversed. It was once 10 to 1, while the modern diet runs at about 1 to 3. The review also describes today's diet as poor in magnesium, potassium and fiber, and rich in sodium.
Its suggested fix is simple. More fruits and vegetables in an alkaline diet would improve the potassium to sodium ratio. That is advice you can follow without testing anything.
For the acid side, the review quotes a formula described by Remer. Urine acid is estimated as sulfate plus chloride plus 1.8 times phosphate plus organic acids, minus sodium, potassium, twice the calcium and twice the magnesium. Remer and Manz used this approach in 1995 (PubMed 7797810) to score foods, with values from about 23.6 mEq per 100g for certain hard cheeses down to about −3 for fruits, fruit juices and vegetables.
What the WHO asks for
The WHO suggests a potassium intake of at least 3510 mg a day for adults. Its guidance page lists where potassium is found: beans and peas, nuts, vegetables such as spinach, cabbage and parsley, and fruits such as bananas, papayas and dates. It adds that food processing reduces the potassium in many products, and that a diet high in processed foods and low in fresh fruit and vegetables is often lacking in it.
For sodium, the WHO recommends adults keep below 2000 mg a day, which equals less than 5g of salt, or roughly one teaspoon. Its fact sheet puts the global mean intake for adults at 4278 mg of sodium a day in 2021, more than double that limit. It names breads, processed meat and snack foods as high in sodium, along with condiments such as soy and fish sauce.
Where a portion of dates lands
USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, 2019) gives these values per 100g:
- Deglet Noor dates (FDC 171726): potassium 656mg, sodium 2mg.
- Medjool dates (FDC 168191): potassium 696mg, sodium 1mg.
- Dark seedless raisins (FDC 168165): potassium 744mg, sodium 26mg.
The NHS counts a 30g portion of dried fruit, and it names dates, as one of your 5 A Day. At 30g, Deglet Noor gives about 197mg of potassium and under 1mg of sodium. That is a little under 6% of the WHO potassium figure, with almost nothing on the sodium side. One portion won't reach the target by itself. The WHO pages point to two levers together: fewer salty sauces and processed foods, and more fruit and vegetables.
The NHS also says dried fruit should be eaten at mealtimes, not as a snack between meals, to reduce the impact on teeth. Dates also carry calories: Deglet Noor has 282 kcal per 100g in the FDC record, about 85 kcal for the 30g portion.
Three dates worth telling apart
Deglet Noor is the golden, translucent, semi-dry date from Tunisia and Algeria, known in Malaysia as kurma tangkai when sold on the stem. Medjool is large and very soft, with a rich caramel taste. Mazafati comes from Bam, in Iran's Kerman province. It is dark and very soft, needs refrigeration, and is cold-stored so it can be sold year-round. Kurma Mazafati Malaysia is a site about that one variety.
From palm to factory
The video below, from AbuAyyash Farms, follows Medjool dates through farming and a date processing factory.
Buying dates in Malaysia
Malaysia has no commercial date-growing trade, so every date sold here is imported. The Iran Date Fruit about us page mentions delivery across the country. For questions or an order, use the WhatsApp number on the contact page. Other date articles are on the Iran Date Fruit blog.
This article is general information about food and is not medical advice.