Jaggery health benefits and nutrition facts
There is no Indian kitchen that doesn't have a stash of jaggery. This traditional, unrefined sweetener is used in many Indian desserts like payasam, sandesh, malpua, laddoo, gajak, halwa and chikki. In fact, jaggery is also used in savoury dishes like kadhi, chutney and daal to offset the salty, spicy flavours. These days, Indian households have been switching to jaggery and ditching processed white sugar for health reasons. That's because unlike sugar, jaggery is not empty calories.
What is jaggery?
Jaggery is an unrefined sweetener made from concentrated sugarcane juice and sometimes from the sap of the date palm. This brown-coloured sweetener is rich in many important minerals and micronutrients.
Jaggery is called gur in Hindi, gol in Gujarati, bella in Kannada, sarkara or bellum Malayalam and sarkarai in Tamil. It is available in a solid, semi-solid or powdered form.
It's prepared by heating sugarcane juice in an open pan till the juice becomes a concentrated golden syrup. It is then poured into a shallow vessel to solidify.
Jaggery is a crucial part of Indian diet, which can be consumed on its own or as a condiment. In Ayurveda, it's considered a "medicinal sugar" that is often used with certain herbs.
Cuisines across the country use jaggery as their primary sweetener for sweet dishes. Some of the South Indian favourites include payasam, unniappam, neyappam, obbattu (holige), hurakki holige, karadantu, madeli, godhi huggi, gudagana huggi, ada, pradaman, allittu and unday.
Some North Indian preparations like gazak, reori, chikki, nolen gur sandesh and ramdana also feature the heavy use of jaggery.
It also has high religious and cultural significance among the Hindus as jaggery is often placed at the altar of deities as an offering. Even during the festival of Makarsankranti
The sweetener can also be used in a variety of savoury preparations to offset their spicy flavour. The taste of everyday preparations like daal, kadhi, subzi, chutney and curries can be elevated with the simple addition of a lump of jaggery.
Unlike processed white sugar, jaggery is not plain empty calories. It contains essential micronutrients and minerals, giving it an edge over sugar and glucose syrups. For this reason, it is emerging as a healthier alternative to sugar. Many Indian households have been using jaggery to sweeten tea, coffee and sweet dishes.
Jaggery nutrition
A 100 gram of jaggery contains the following nutrients:
| Nutrient | Measure (Daily Value) |
| Calories | 367 |
| Carbohydrates | 86.4 gm |
| Protein | 5.19 gm |
| Fat | 0.17 gm |
| Dietary fibre | 0.20% |
| Vitamin C | 8.35 gm |
| Iron | 3.48 mg |
| Calcium | 103 mg |
| Potassium | 407 mg |
| Sodium | 4.51 mg |
| Phosphorus | 55 mg |
Health benefits of jaggery
Jaggery is an unrefined sweetener, which contains vitamins and minerals unlike refined sugar. Apart from culinary uses, jaggery is also used in Ayurveda as part of numerous medicinal preparations. Jaggery is often with chana or roasted Bengal grams in India as a quick energy booster.
It's a good source of minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, manganese, zinc, copper and chloride.
As a source of calcium, jaggery is consumed as a bone-strengthening food. It contains iron, which helps in the prevention of anemia. It also has anti-allergic properties, which helps reduce stress and manage ashtma-related issues. Magnesium in jaggery can benefit the nervous system, relax the muscles, relieve stress and protect the blood vessels.
It also contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, B6, C, D2 and E. Apart from these, jaggery is also a source of nicotinic acid and protein.
Jaggery has various health-enhacing properties. In the ancient Indian medicinal text Sushruta Samhita, the sweetener is known to have blood purifying properties and can even prevent digestive disorders and rheumatic pain.
Following are some of the health benefits of jaggery:
- Provides instant energy
- Treats anaemia
- Good for heart health
- Strengthens bones
- Purifies blood
- Boosts immune system
- Helps treat jaundice
- Fights free radicals and prevents oxidative stress
- Cools the body down and refreshes it
- Has diuretic qualities
- May increase sperm count
- Remedy for cough
- Remedy for digestive disorders
- Reduces acidity
- Prevents constipation
- Remedy for migraine
- Helps strengthen lungs
Can treat anaemia: Jaggery is a home remedy for low haemoglobin. A small lump of jaggery consumed every day can provide iron to plug the nutritional deficiency.
Strengthens bones: Jaggery is a rich source of calcium, which is essential for bone strength. Often, when it is consumed with other calcium-rich foods like milk, it can provide the body with calcium.
Good for cardiovascular health: Jaggery is a functional food that is essential for heart health. It contains potassium and magnesium. The former reduces sodium in the body and lowers blood pressure. The latter protects blood vessels and relaxes the muscles. Jaggery also contains phenolic compounds that reduce inflammation and oxidative damage that often leads to heart diseases.
Good for digestion: From the ancient ages, jaggery is a common addition to digestive preparations. A small lump of jaggery should be consumed after a heavy meal for improving digestion. Jaggery gets converted into acetic acid in the stomach, improving enzymatic activity and increasing digestion and appetite.
References:
Rao, G. P., & Singh, P. (2021). Value Addition and Fortification in Non-Centrifugal Sugar (Jaggery): A Potential Source of Functional and Nutraceutical Foods. Sugar tech : an international journal of sugar crops & related industries, 1–10. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-021-01020-3
Disclaimer:
“The recipes, food, its nutritional value or any other information are developed/shared by expert professionals as per their skill levels. The website shall not be responsible for any consequences arising as a result of using or following any information given in this video/article. Viewers discretion advised.”