Jaggery Nutrition

Jaggery is prepared from sugarcane molasses; it’s the unrefined brown
sugar. Better known as the medicinal sugar. It’s available in many forms
like blocks, liquid, powder or small random pieces. Lets first see what
is the difference between jaggery and sugar,
and why should we replace sugar with jaggery.
Following are the benefits of jaggery
Energy Food: Carbohydrate being the main nutrient supplied by jaggery,
foods high in carbohydrates fuels our body to produce sustainable energy
through oxidation. Jaggery has more complex form of carbohydrate than
plain sugar. So, it is digested and absorbed
gradually and releases energy gradually. This provides with warmth and
energy for a longer period, without harming the internal organs. This
could be a good food supplement for fitness lovers. However it provides
roughly around the same amount of energy and
carbohydrate as sugar. So excess intake of jaggery is not advocated.

Cleansing Agent
Jaggery
effectively cleans the respiratory tracts, lungs, food pipe, stomach and
intestines. It pulls out dust and unwanted particles from the body. It
also helps in giving relief from constipation, perhaps
due to presence of fiber in it.Jaggery has strong antioxidant
properties and protects our body cells from the damage caused by free
radicals. Apart from this, the presence of mineral potassium helps to
assists kidneys to remove waste by the process of excretion.

Digestive Agent:
This may sound
strange but it is true and it has sufficient scientific explanation
behind this. In India, it is recommended to take a few grams of jaggery
after a heavy meal of after eating meat. This
facilitates digesting. What happens is that jaggery activates the
digestive enzymes this speeds up digestion.
Jaggery helps in bile disorder
According to ayurveda, jaggery helps in treating bile disorders thus is useful in treating jaundice. It strengthens the liver.
Jaggery helps in maintaining acid balance
Jaggery is high
in Potassium and low in Sodium helps to maintain blood pressure and
reduces water retention.. This also helps in maintaining balance in your
body. Infact, jaggery, when taken along with
dry ginger is a known cure for acidity and gas.
Jaggery is eco-friendly
According to
World Wildlife Fund (WWF), sugar industry pollutes air, water and soil.
While jaggery is produced by cooking sugarcane juice in an iron vessel,
sugar undergoes various treatments, purification,
crystallisation which not only wastes several gallons water, but also
pollutes natural water source, where the wastewater is dumped! Jaggery
is healthier and greener.

Jaggery helps to treat Cramps:
due to the
presence of magnesium and potassium. Muscle cramps result due to low
level of potassium in the blood, a condition called as hypokalemia, also
due to magnesium deficiency symptoms of cramps
in leg as well as fatigue are normally visible.
Keeps bone healthy
due to the
presence of magnesium, which is directly related to the bone density.
Inadequacy of this mineral could be a cause of osteoporosis. Magnesium
helps in regulation of calcium levels in the body
along with vitamin D, copper, zinc etc.
May help to prevent Stroke:
due to the
presence of Potassium, which plays an important role in keeping the
working of brain in normal state. It is of great importance in
preventing the occurrence of stroke in human brain.
Prevents Asthma
Chronic asthma
patients may be able to normalize their breathing with help of jaggery
due to magnesium present in it that aids in relaxing bronchial muscles
and normalize breathing. Even wheezing and
breathlessness can be relieved through.
Increases haemoglobin
Jaggery is rich
in iron and thus is highly recommended for anaemic people, helps in
increasing haemoglobin., most of the iron in it comes through processing
in iron vessels.
Culinary Uses
In Maharashtra
most vegetables curries and dals contain jaggery, also a pinch of
jaggery is sometimes added to sambar, rasam and other gravies.

-Jaggery is specially used during Makar Sankranti for making sweetmeat called tilgul.

-It is regularly consumed as a sweetener and is a part of many sweet
delicacies such as gur ka chawal (rice with gur) which is a traditional
Rajasthani dish.
- Jaggery is also added to lentil soups to add sweetness to balance the
spicy, salty and sour components, particularly in Gujarati cuisine
- Many sweet dishes are made by mixing jaggery with milk and coconut or with nuts like cashew.
- can be added to porridges esp in weaning food, can replace sugar in milk with jaggery for young children’s and adults.
-can be used as a preservative.
-can be added to lemon water, tea.
-Minimize your sugar intake and replace with jaggery when you prepeare sweet dishes at home.
So r u still thinking …..go Go ahead make a start replace white poison,sugar with jaggery.
Jaggery Nutrition
Jaggery nutrition facts reveal it to be superior than brown sugar and
processed white sugar. It is a rich source of natural sugar, vitamins
and minerals.
We have many forms of sugar, of which the most common type is available
as refined, white and granular sugar. Unfortunately, it is linked with
several lifestyle illnesses, including obesity, diabetes, dental
cavities and heart problems. Thus, with the raising
health concerns of using regular sugar in daily diet, nutrition experts
are busy with searching alternative forms of sweetener that pose lesser
health risks. And one such sweetening product is jaggery, sold as
golden brown or dark brown, solid molasses. Information
on jaggery nutrition facts is discussed in the upcoming paragraphs.
Jaggery Nutritional Information
Jaggery has been used as a sweetening agent in parts of Asia, Africa and
Latin America. This somewhat natural form of sugar is known by varied
names in different regions. It is derived from sugarcane, sugar palm and
other plant sources, which contain high percentage
of sucrose, glucose and fructose. But, as we all know, white sugar is
also a product of sugarcane. So, what is so special about jaggery that
is not in white sugar? The uniqueness of jaggery lies in the making
process. It is prepared by boiling sugarcane pulp
without undergoing processing steps.
Jaggery, also known as gur, has a mineral content of approximately 60
times that of refined white sugar. One teaspoon of jaggery contains
approximately 4-5 mg calcium, 2-3 mg phosphorus, 8 mg magnesium, 48 mg
potassium, 0.5 mg iron, as well as trace amounts
of zinc, copper, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin. The corresponding
values for white sugar are all essentially zero.
Calories
Since jaggery contains high amounts of sugar, glucose and fructose, the
calorie count of this sweetening agent is high. Serving 1 teaspoon (4 g)
of jaggery yields 12.32 kcal. In other words, including 100 g of
jaggery in the diet is equivalent to providing
308 kcal. Accordingly, you can adjust the serving quantity of other
calorie loaded foods.
Sugar Content
Well-made jaggery contains approximately 50 percent sucrose and 20
percent of glucose and fructose (invert sugar), which altogether comes
to about 3.08 g sugar. Of the remaining components, moisture contributes
to about 20 percent volume. The rest constituents
include proteins, mineral, vitamins, wood ash, bagasse and other
insoluble particles.
Potassium
Refer to the list of potassium rich foods, you will surely come across
jaggery. As per researches conducted on jaggery nutrition, it is found
that serving a teaspoon of this unrefined sugar is sufficient to give 45
mg of potassium. This high potassium and low
sodium food is a healthy choice for people with hypertension and heart
problems.
Selenium
Requiring in trace amount, selenium is crucial for normal functioning of
the immune system. Together with manganese, it counteracts the harmful
free radicals in the body, thus functioning as powerful antioxidants.
Not all nutritious foods are superior enough
to serve as a selenium source. Fortunately, jaggery is one such food
products that contain selenium.
Magnesium
Magnesium is present in it in moderate amounts. Serving one teaspoon of
this non-centrifuged sugar form is beneficial for providing 8 mg of
magnesium. Thus, incorporating jaggery in the daily diet is helpful in
increasing stamina level, strengthening muscles
and blood vessels.
Calcium
A serving size of 1 teaspoon jaggery is useful for yielding 4-5 mg
calcium. The calcium content is found to be higher in coconut palm
jaggery. As we all are aware, calcium is crucial for strengthening bones
and teeth.
Other Nutrients
The total mineral content of jaggery is 5 times higher than brown sugar
and 50 times more than that of regular sugar. A food rich in iron, it is
a healthy nutrition choice for anemic patients. Other nutrients found
in jaggery are riboflavin, thiamin, niacin,
zinc, chromium and copper. The plus points with consumption of jaggery
are low-fat and low sodium content.
With reference to jaggery benefits in maintaining optimal health, it is
also referred to as medicinal sugar. Including this in the regular diet
is a simple way to provide energy, essential vitamins and minerals in
their natural form. You can use it as a sweetener
in recipes that call for refined sugar. And to get the same sweetness,
jaggery amount should be higher than the required sugar.
In a nutshell, the richness of jaggery is evident from the fact that, it
is used for replacing refined white sugar for diabetic patients.
However, as with any sweetening agent, the consumption amount should be
monitored stringently. It should be used in moderate
amounts, and high consumption is associated with increased sugar levels
in the bloodstream.
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