Is Jaggery good for health?

Eating jaggery has numerous health benefits for us because this sweet ingredient is not only yummy to taste, but it is also loaded with many essential nutrients. Jaggery, known as gur in India is basically unrefined sugar from the sugarcane plant. In this article we will seek the answer to: “Is jaggery good for health?”

There are other sources to obtain jaggery such as from the sap of the coconut tree or date palm, although jaggery made from sugarcane is the most widely used form. People want to know “Is it good to eat jaggery every day?” Jaggery has been a staple of the Indian household for ages. Jaggery should definitely be a part of your diet if it isn’t already, and here we’ll discuss why.

1. Jaggery, brown sugar and honey

Jaggery is prepared by natural means without the use of any chemicals, preservatives or synthetic additives. For this reason it contains a number of proteins, minerals, and vitamins. People consider this brown sweetener and brown sugar to be one and the same. However, brown sugar is produced either directly from cane juice or by refining raw sugar. Both cases require the addition of a variety of molassesand syrups. Hence, brown sugar contains unnatural additives as well. The hierarchy being-  jaggery is better than brown sugar which is better than white sugar. Honey is also a good alternative for desserts and sweets. It is rich in Vitamin B, C, and potassium while jaggery is rich in copper, iron, and magnesium. Which one you add comes down to your preference.

2. Is jaggery good for diabetes?

People often ask, “Is jaggery good for diabetes?”Jaggery is not to be misconstrued for other forms of sweeteners.It should preferably be likened to a somewhat healthier form of sugar. There is almost 65%-85% of sucrose in 10 grams of jaggery. People with diabetes are advised not to consume it regularly. 

3. Jaggery and weight loss

Jaggery facilitates quicker digestion since it is rich in nutrients. People often ask if they could have some weight loss with jaggery. There are some jaggery benefits for weight loss. The nutrients help to maintain electrolyte balance, improving metabolism. The presence of potassium enables water retention, through which one can effectively manage their weight. It cleanses the blood and flushes out toxins from the body. Consuming jaggery can hence help with weight loss. These are the benefits of jaggery for weight loss.

4. Helps in Cleansing the Body

If you are staying in an area that is heavily polluted, including jaggeryin your diet may help you a great deal. Jaggery is a natural body cleanser and helps to cleanse harmful toxins in the body. Jaggery is beneficial in cleaning the lung, respiratory tract, and others to prevent infections.

5. Helps in Preventing Anemia

Low iron levels in the body lead to a disease called anemia. Adding this iron and folate-rich food in your daily diet may help in the prevention of anemia. Anybody battling low iron and folate levels should definitely include jaggery in their diet so that they can prevent anemia.

6. Helps in Maintaining Body Temperature

Jaggery is very versatile. If you want to keep your body warm during the winter months you should consume jaggery since it helps you keep your body warm. Consuming jaggery with cold water keeps your stomach cool and helps in the summers. Hence jaggery is fit for consumption throughout the year.

7. Helps in Maintaining Good Intestinal Health

Magnesium helps keep your intestinal health on track, and jaggery contains a good amount of magnesium, hence it would be a good idea to consume jaggery if you want to keep your intestinal health on track. You will get approximately 15 mg of magnesium if you consume 10 grams of jaggery on a regular basis.

8. Helpful in Controlling Blood Pressure

Regular blood pressure should be maintained to maintain good health. Low blood pressure is just as detrimental as high blood pressure is. Sodium and potassium are essential for maintaining blood pressure and jaggery is loaded with both sodium as well as potassium. Both these minerals are beneficial in regulating the blood pressure in the body. Therefore, by eating jaggery on a daily basis, your blood pressure levels are likely to be under control.

9.Fightfatigue

Fatigue and exhaustion are real problems. Simple things like taking your dog for a walk become monstrosities to overcome. Jaggery can instantly help you feel energized. Jaggery slowly gets released into your blood stream instead of all at once like sugar does. Hence, it not only helps with your blood sugar levels but also helps you fight fatigue and gives you a constant stream of energy for your daily grind.

10. Menstrual pain no more

Those painful days of the month can give nightmares to most women because menstrual pain is something all women can relate. Over the counter medication help with this problem but they may have unwanted side effects, and are not a natural solution to the problem. Jaggery is loaded with all the essential nutrients that may prove helpful in reducing period pain and other associated side-effects. Jaggery helps release your endorphins (the feel good hormones), which help you deal with PMS.

11. Bronchitis and asthma

Bronchitis and asthma make breathing very difficult. It is believed that when jaggery is eaten, it soothes and nourishes the inflamed airways and thus helps in providing relief and also prevents the condition from further deteriorating.

12. Joint pains and aches will be less of a problem

Joint or bone pain can be a very painful situation and hamper your day-to-day functioning. However, it is believed that consuming jaggery on day to day basis has proven to be effective in dealing with joint pains and aches.

13. Constipation

Constipation has the possibility to take a toll on your health.  Cleaning bowels is a problem as well as hardened stools. Consuming jaggery on a regularly helps in activating the digestive enzymes and also helps in stimulating bowel movements. Addingjaggery to your diet can help to smoothen bowel movements. Having smoother bowel movements will also help with your weight loss diet plan so you can correctly manage your appetite.

14. Cold and cough

Fighting flu like symptoms like cold and cough is another thing jaggery could do for you. Jaggery fights cold by the production of heat within the body, and cough by lubricating the throat.

15. Low calorie count compared to sugar:

Here we’ll seek to answer how to eat jaggery for weight loss. There are different amounts of calories in sugar and jaggery. Just 20 grams of jaggery contains 38 calories and has 9.8 gram of carbohydrates, 9.7 gram of sugar, 0.01 gram of protein, choline, betaine, vitamin B12, B6, folate, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, selenium, and manganese. Meanwhile the same amount of refined sugar would contain nothing else but sugar. It would not give you the additional nutritional value that jaggery gives you. Sugar has much more calories than jaggery does. So, if you were wondering how to lose weight jaggery can definitely help you in that regard.