Maybe you’ve had JuJubes at the movies? The precursor to gummy bears, JuJubes are faux fruit flavored chewy candies that keep your dentist in business.

The hot JuJube right now is actually Ziziphus jujuba, commonly called jujube, red date, Chinese date, Korean date, or Indian date. Mounting evidence shows the red date can protect us from inflammation, obesity, cancer, gastrointestinal maladies and, like any good superfood, has antioxidant properties. It grows mostly in South and East Asia, as well as in Australia and Europe, but is making an appearance in the American diet.

Jujubes are also adaptogens, meaning they can help reduce stress and anxiety as well as boost your mood. So, what else do we know about Jujubes?

• Just like the dates we are accustomed to, red dates are soft on the outside with a sweet smell and moist inside.
• These dates are also considered an herb, used in China to make tea. Red date ginger tea helps soothe an upset stomach.
• Red dates are grown in the US in California, Arizona and Florida.
• Eating red dates gives you more than your recommended daily intake of vitamin C, as well as a significant amount of 5 B vitamins and minerals such as copper and potassium.

The best news? They actually taste good. Unlike some healthy foods, they are sweet so you can eat jujubes alone or use them as a natural sweetener. Use the jujubes just as you would use any other dried fruit. Add them to salads or to sweeten roast chicken or pork; serve them, pitted and stuffed with Parmesan or blue cheese, or use them in baked goods.

Andrea Groth Wellbeing Detective

Andrea wants to live in a world where the neighborhoods are walkable, bike lanes are plentiful, and the food is fresh, delicious and readily available.
A 20-year veteran of the health and wellness industry, she started her career in the fitness industry while earning a master’s degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion, and then on to the burgeoning field of worksite wellness. Andrea has competed in collegiate level soccer, worked as a personal trainer, fitness instructor, wellness coach, and master trainer, climbed 14ers, and completed cycling centuries and metric centuries. All of these experiences give her the opportunity to view well-being from many different perspectives.
When she’s not helping others to be their healthiest self, you can find her at a farm to table restaurant, down dogging at the yoga studio, or experiencing the Colorado landscape on a bicycle, snowshoes, cross country skis or on foot.