Jaggery Benefits – Tasting The Sweet Gold

An essential ingredient found in every Indian kitchen, Gur or Jaggery is a traditional natural sweetener that has delighted many people’s taste buds for several years in India. Jaggery benefits go beyond just adding sweetness to your meals but also years to your life. Prepared from boiling and solidifying sugar cane or palm syrup, this highly nutritious element will add immense benefits with unique flavors to every sweet dish you prepare.

How Is Jaggery Formed?

Jaggery is made from sugarcane juice, date palm, coconut palm, or palmyra palm. Below is a breakdown of the procedure:  

1. The juice of one of the ingredients is extracted and strained to remove solid residues and get a uniform liquid.
2. The liquid is transferred to a large container and heated for hours with constant stirring to thicken it.
3. The thickened paste is then transferred to large containers and allowed to cool down and harden, giving the jaggery its shape we all see in the markets.

10 Amazing Jaggery Benefits For A Healthier You

They say healthy things are always bitter. But Jaggery has come to turn over this myth. This sweet gold is called medicinal sugar in Ayurveda and helps treat various diseases. These jaggery benefits will make you swap your older sweetening methods right away.

1. Immense Energy Supplier

Jaggery is the best source for getting your daily dose of glucose. It consists of complex carbohydrates easily absorbed in the bloodstream and breaks down slowly, reducing tiredness and energizing you throughout the day. 

2. Cure For Anaemia

The rich brown color Jaggery gets is from the rich iron content present in it. Iron is an essential mineral our body needs to keep us energized and our tissues healthy. If you feel tired all the time and have shortness of breath, you may be anemic due to low iron content. Take a teaspoonful or two of jaggery powder to recharge your iron levels and feel instantly energized.

3. Clear And Healthy Skin

Want clear skin but don’t want to use harmful chemical products? Jaggery is the way to go. Its antioxidant and anti-aging properties keep the skin clear, glowing, and youthful. Eating jaggery daily protects the skin from sun damage and effectively treats acne and pigmentation. Other jaggery benefits for skin involve the lightening of dark spots, reduction of fine lines, and evening skin tone.

4. Natural Blood Cleanser

Blood is an essential element of our body as it circulates vital nutrients throughout our bodies and maintains the proper functioning of our systems. Impure blood in our bodies creates health problems and must be cleaned regularly. Jaggery benefits by purifying the blood naturally by removing toxins while also increasing hemoglobin levels and improving blood circulation.

5. Relieves Menstrual Symptoms

It is a life-saver in menstrual conditions. Now, you do not have to suffer from period pains anymore with this natural, sweet remedy for uncomfortable symptoms that accompany your cycle. It makes for an easy, delicious snack that prevents bloating, cravings, and mood swings and refills blood into your body, preventing anemia.

6. A Sweet Path To Losing Weight

You may think how jaggery benefits in controlling weight when it is sugar. Unlike artificial sweeteners like sugar, which gives instant energy and drains it at the same speed, Jaggery provides energy all day. It has complex carbohydrates that break down slowly and thus retain energy for longer. It lessens cravings and lets you consume fewer calories, aiding in weight loss.

7. Immunity Shield

Do you get sick very often? It may be because you have low immunity. All you need to do to fix this is add jaggery to your diet! Gur has antioxidant properties that prevent harmful free radicals from collecting in our bodies and protect them from dangerous health problems like cancer and heart disease. Build your immunity shield by having enough jaggery daily to keep illness at bay.

8. Natural Healer For Cough And Cold

Do you know that jaggery benefits your immune system and prevents you from catching a cold? How about enjoying your daily cup of tea or glass of milk with jaggery as the sweetener? It enhances the flavor of your beverage and provides excellent relief for cough, sore throat, fever, and headache. So, when you catch a cold, add a small amount of gur to your drink to warm your body and soul. 

9. Sweet Treat For The Diabetic People

A glass of water with a tablespoon of jaggery powder works wonders in controlling blood sugar and cholesterol levels. If you are diabetic and bored with the tastelessness of your everyday meals, you can treat your mood with foods containing jaggery. It could be gur sweetened water, juices, sweet dishes, and more. Substituting jaggery powder benefits your health while helping you enjoy your favorite dishes. However, you must only have it in moderation with your doctor’s advice.

10. Good For The Gut

Can’t resist your favorite food and overeat? No worries, jaggery will help you with your bloating and digestion issues. Jaggery powder benefits in a congested stomach. It is a natural laxative that helps clear the intestines and improves digestion. Having a small amount of jaggery after meals activates the digestive enzymes, which helps in better absorption of food. It also detoxifies the liver and improves its functioning, enhancing metabolism. 

Refined Sugar Or Jaggery – Which Is Better?

If you love making your sweet treats as much as you savor their sweet flavors, you must be conscious of how unhealthy they can turn out. One such ingredient is refined sugar. Be it your refreshing summer drinks and pastries or warm, comforting hot chocolate and brownies, sugar has won hearts as the one doing the job perfectly well. But have you ever thought how harmful your sweet old friend can be? Let’s see how.

The Nutritional Value of Refined Sugar per 100 grams 

Half a cup of sugar contains:

Calories: 387

Carbohydrates: 33%

Refined sugar doesn’t have any nutrition other than simple carbs, which get used up by your body very quickly, giving you instant energy but draining it readily. So, you crave more sugar in a single day, which adds up to your calorie intake.

A delicious and healthier alternative to refined sugar is Jaggery! Here is how jaggery benefits go a long while.

Nutritional Facts About Jaggery

100 grams or half a cup of jaggery powder contains:

Jaggery also has the goodness of several vitamins and minerals that make it a better choice over regular sugar. But you may be wondering whether it tastes better than sugar, too. Jaggery has a rich, smooth texture and caramel-like taste. It melts in the mouth as soon as you have a bite and is perfect for adding to your lattes, cakes, and sweet dishes, or you can have it as a snack. 

How Much Jaggery Benefits You?

As you may have heard, too much of anything is terrible, so it applies to Jaggery. Ideally, one must consume about 10-15 gms or one tablespoon daily to gain maximum Jaggery benefits. Gur is only sugar, but it has added nutrition compared to refined sugar. The nutritional elements in 15 grams of jaggery don’t meet your body’s daily requirements, but that doesn’t mean you must take it in large amounts. It takes only some more grams of jaggery to make its benefits become drawbacks.

Consuming too much jaggery causes the risk of type-2 diabetes, obesity, fatty liver disease, and heart disease. It may also cause specific allergies in people who are sensitive to sugar. Sometimes, overeating jaggery may upset your stomach or cause indigestion.

Always remember, a little goes a long way. When used in moderation, you can enjoy the immense health benefits of jaggery and its sweet taste.

Tips To Include Jaggery In Your Diet

Here are some ways to reap Jaggery benefits by swapping unhealthy sweeteners with this nutritious alternative.

A Perfect Snack

Are you bored and want an energy boost but don’t have chocolate in your fridge? Have a taste of gur to recharge your mood and energy. You can join it with nuts like almonds and peanuts to make it a fun snack.

A Satisfying After-Meal Sweet

Jaggery has laxative properties, which makes it great for digestion. Grab a small cube or one teaspoon of jaggery powder after every meal to prevent bloating and stay at ease.

An Alternative to Sweet Cravings

Jaggery adds richness to your sweet delights due to its creamy texture. When using jaggery instead of sugar, add ⅓ cup more jaggery powder with the amount of sugar used in your recipes, as it is a bit less sweet than sugar. Jaggery is perfect for preparing sweet desserts like til laddoos, chikkis, cakes, halwa, and more.

Healthy Sweetener For Your Beverages

Are you a coffee or tea lover? If yes, you are in for a treat. Adding jaggery to your beverages will make them even more comforting and delicious. It has a caramel-like taste, and the texture enhances the flavor, so you feel like you are sipping a luxurious drink. It also provides instant energy as a sweetener for refreshing summer drinks and smoothies.

Flavor For Daily Meals

Jaggery adds a brilliant taste to daily dishes. You can use it as a sweet flavoring for tamarind chutneys or vegetable sauces. Add it to your muffins, cookies, brownies, and pancake batters. Use it as a salad dressing or sprinkle it on your fruits for added taste.

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