What Is Jaggery and What Benefits Does It Have?

 

Jaggery is a sweetener that’s becoming popular as more and more people are getting health conscious. This sweet sugar alternative is also one of the most common ingredient that is used in most of the Indian sweets. In fact jaggery is one of the most favourite sweet of kids from 90's.

Moreover jaggery has been a part of the Indian culture, tradition, food, and medicines for over 5000 years. Jaggery is also considered one of the most nutritious ingredient in ancient medication and has also gained popularity in morden science. 

The best part about this sweetner is that it's not only delicious but is also nutritious, and is also  referred to as a “superfood sweetener”. In this article we will try to find out is jaggery a healthy option for you but before moving forward let us understand what is jaggery.

What Is Jaggery?

Jaggery is an unrefined sugar alternative that is prepared in Asia and Africa. It is also known as date palm. 

However traditionally jaggery is made from unrefined sugar, and is obtained by boiling raw, concentrated sugar cane juice till it solidifies.  However you may also find jaggery made from date palm and the sap of coconut

This healthy sugar alternative is packed with natural sugars,  It contains up to 50% of sucrose and up to 20% of invert sugars. 

Here's an interesting fact about jaggery - About 70% of the world’s jaggery production takes place in India, where it is commonly called “gur". Jaggery is also used in other part of world with some unique name.

These products include:

• Gur - India.
• Tapa dulce - Costa Rica.
• Panela - Colombia.
• Piloncillo - Mexico.
• Namtan tanode - Thailand.
• Gula Melaka - Malaysia.
• Kokuto - Japan.

Jaggery Nutritional Fact

Here is the nutritional value of jaggery for 10 grams of serving:

• Calories: 38.3
• 0 gram of fat
• 0 mg of sodium
• 9.8 gram of carbohydrates
• O gram of fiber
• 9.7 gram of sugar
• 0.01 gram of protein

Health Benefits Of Jaggery

 1. It is More Nutritious Than Sugar

One of the best reason to replace your regular sugar with jaggery is its nutrient contain. It contains more nutrients as compared to sugar because of its molasses content.

Molasses are the by-product that are removed while making refined sugar. Molasses adds a small amount of micronutrients to the final product. As jaggery doesn't go through the process of refining you can find all these nutrients in it.

Here's nutrient contain for 100 grams (half a cup) of jaggery may contain

• Sucrose: 65–85 grams.
• Fructose and glucose: 10–15 grams.
• Iron: 11 mg, or 61% of the RDI.
• Magnesium: 70-90 mg, or about 20% of the RDI.
• Potassium: 1050 mg, or 30% of the RDI.
• Manganese: 0.2–0.5 mg, or 10–20% of the RDI.

Jaggery may also contain small amounts of B vitamins and minerals, including calcium, zinc, phosphorus and copper which are responsible for proper functioning of body.

2. Improved Digestive Health

Jaggery may help in improving your digestive system and also help in preventing  constipation by stimulating bowel movements

Jaggery may help in stimulating the digestive enzyme secretion, and help them in converting them into acetic acid. Which further help in speeding up the process of digestion, as the load on the digestive tract is significantly reduced.

 You may simply have them after your meal, eat a piece of jaggery and drink water. It will not only improve digestion but will also help in maintaining the temperature of your body which is one of the best health benefits of jaggery.

3. Anemia Prevention

One of the most common types of anaemia is Iron deficiency anaemia. To prevent amenia  it is required to maintain adequate levels of RBCs in the body along with iron and folate.

Moreover jaggery is rich in both iron and folate which are responsible for  maintains normal level of red blood cells in the body thus preventing  anemia. Jaggery contains around 11 mg of iron per 100 grams, or about 61% of the RDI

Many doctors often suggest taking jaggery to pregnant women who require energy levels to be high and maintaining a good hemoglobin count, jaggery is highly recommended to them. [1]

However you would have to take more than 100 grams of jaggery to attain the daily requirement for iron. Hence it is unjustifiable to suggest that you should add jaggery to your diet because it contains iron.

Also Read: 8 Simple and natural ways to improve your Digestion.

4. Improved Immune Functions

Our immune system is our first line of defence, which is responsible for keeping you healthy. 

Jaggery is believed to have higher minerals and antioxidants, which helps prevent free-radical damage and also boosts resistance against infections like the common cold and the flu.

Some evidence suggests that oral zinc and vitamin C  supplements may help in reducing the severity of cold, but neither is found in high amounts in jaggery. [2]

People believe that antioxidants and mineral may help in increasing haemoglobin which might help in  strengthening immune system. But due to lack of evidences it would be inappropriate to consider that jaggery might help in boosting your immune system.

Also Read: Food that can help in boosting your immune system.

5. Liver Detoxification

Many food often gain popularity with a claim that they might be great for liver to get rid of toxins. However there are no such evidences to prove that any food or drink might help in detoxification. [3] [4]

Many people often claim that jaggery might be a best option and act as a natural detoxifiers for the body and  may help in purifying the blood as, after detoxification, blood flow gets improved. 

However, your body is capable of removing these toxins on its own. 

Does Jaggery Have Negative Health Effects?

Jaggery might be a best option but in the end of day it's still sugar. However if you are replacing refined sugar with jaggery, then you’ll get in a few extra nutrients. 

However sugar is still linked to various health complications like an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. However you may consider adding these health alternative of sugar to boost your health.

Also Read: 6 ways to detox sugar from your diet.

A Word From Healthyngreat

Although jaggery might be claimed to be a best alternative for sugar but that cannot be proved without evidence. However it may be beneficial only in shot run.

If you are replacing sugar with jaggery it may be helpful as jaggery has more nutrients than refined sugar which makes it healthy. But considering it healthy and munching on jaggery might not be a best option.

However you can use them in your tea or simply mix them in a glass of warm milk to boost flavour. . If you are new to our blog and prefer our statistics please subscribe us and follow us and you will be notified everytime when we post something new.

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