'Delicious and Wonderful': Nutritionist on Viral Butter-Stuffed Dates

Sticky and sweet Medjool dates stuffed with butter and topped with salt flakes are circulating on social media as a tasty and nutritious snack.

A video of a woman trying the viral snack garnered 2.1 million views in its first 10 days on TikTok.

In the video, Joyce Arizala sits in her car in Sydney, Australia and shows the snack to the camera. She says, “So if you put butter and salt in a Medjool date, it ends up tasting like cookie dough, so let's give it a try.

After tasting the butter-filled date, she says, “This is amazing… The taste is almost like salted caramel.”

Sometimes paired with a piece of dark chocolate, the trend seems to be particularly popular with influencers who follow an animal-based diet, which is similar to the carnivore diet – which only includes meat, eggs and dairy – except dieters eat fruit, honey and some other foods can also be eaten.

Newsweek turned to three nutrition experts to get their opinion on the trend – and everyone had a different opinion.

For butter-filled dates

Nutritional therapist Charlotte Watts of Charlotte Watts Health said she thought the snack sounded “frankly delicious and wonderful.”

“Medjool dates are incredibly good for the gut microbiome,” Watts said, explaining that their high fiber content may help feed gut bacteria and regulate bowel movements.

She said that the dried fruits were previously considered high glycemic index (GI) – meaning they had a rapid and dramatic effect on blood sugar and insulin – but that this was based on “misunderstood data” and that the data was “actually incredibly low ” were. GI” due to their fiber content.

As for the other ingredients, Watts said she hopes people will use high-quality organic butter and high-quality salt; If so, they could benefit from “wonderful fat-soluble nutrients” and “lots of trace minerals.”

“I wouldn’t worry about the saturated fat,” Watts added, talking about the butter. “They are problematic in our diet when mixed with the high amounts of sugar we normally consume.” As part of a healthy, balanced diet, the saturated fat in butter shouldn't be a problem, she said.

And for vegans and people avoiding dairy, Watts suggested replacing the butter with coconut oil.

A middle ground

However, nutritional therapist Rakhi Lad of Healthology said Newsweek that this snack is “a mixed bag” nutritionally.

“Medjool dates are naturally sweet and rich in fiber, potassium and antioxidants, providing benefits for digestion and energy levels,” said Lad. “Adding a little butter, especially if grass-fed, provides healthy fats that aid sugar absorption can slow down and thus provide a more stable energy boost.”

As for the salt, Lad said it enhances the flavor of the other ingredients and could trigger the “happy point” where the food could become addictive and we find it difficult to stop eating.

“It's something food manufacturers use strategically, mixing sugars, salts and fats to keep us reaching for another bite,” Lad said.

She recommended enjoying the snack “as an occasional treat,” while practicing moderation and portion control.

For a more “balanced” alternative, Lad suggested pairing dates with nut butter or tahini, pairing apple slices with nut butter and cinnamon, or enjoying Greek yogurt with dark chocolate and sea salt.

Not a fan of butter stuffed dates

Least enthusiastic about the viral butter-filled date snack was nutritionist Giulietta Durante of Hormones in Harmony, who said the snack's main downside was its sugar content.

“Yes, they are rich in minerals and fiber, but each date contains about four teaspoons of sugar,” she said. “People with high blood pressure should also be careful with this snack, as its high sodium content could affect blood sugar control.”

While the snack sounded “delicious,” Durante said, “It's not a snack I would eat regularly due to its high sugar content.”

“Plus, I imagine they’re pretty grumpy, so it’s unlikely anyone would stop at one!”

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