Overview
About Date
Dates are a sticky, sweet, concentrated-sugar bomb, and the trigger data shows why they hit harder than their small size suggests.
They are high FODMAP from excess fructose, high in salicylates, and very high in oxalates: a single date carries around 24 mg, putting dates among the highest-oxalate fruits and a real concern for calcium-oxalate kidney stones. Unlike prunes and dried apricots the polyol level is only moderate, so with dates the story is fructose, salicylate and oxalate, not sorbitol.
Sensitivities
How Date scores
Watch for
What trips people up
- Very high in oxalates, among the highest of any fruit, so dates are worth limiting if you are prone to calcium-oxalate kidney stones
- High FODMAP from excess fructose, the concentrated sugar behind the bloating and gas people get from just a couple of dates
- High in salicylates, a separate trigger if you react to aspirin-type or salicylate-rich foods
- Moderate for nickel, worth noting if you have systemic nickel allergy and are stacking other nickel-rich foods
Diet fit
Where it fits
Swap ideas
More alternatives
FAQ
Common questions about Date
Are dates high in oxalates?
Yes, very. A single date carries roughly 24 mg of oxalate, which makes dates one of the highest-oxalate fruits and a food to limit if you form calcium-oxalate kidney stones. For a sweet fix with far less oxalate, a ripe banana or a clementine is a much lighter choice.
Why do dates cause bloating even in small amounts?
Dates are extremely concentrated, and they carry excess fructose, meaning more fructose than glucose. Unabsorbed fructose ferments in the gut and pulls in water, so even two or three dates can be a high FODMAP dose and set off bloating and gas.
Are dates a better dried fruit than raisins or prunes?
It depends on your trigger. Dates are low in sulfites and only moderate in polyols, so they are gentler than sulfur-treated dried fruit or the sorbitol-heavy prune on those fronts. But dates are much higher in oxalate, so if kidney stones are your concern they are one of the worst dried fruits to choose.
References
Read the background
Ratings reflect the Triggerbites ingredient database and may vary with portion size and preparation.