12 Jaggery Benefits, Nutrition Value, Facts & Side Effects
Jaggery, also known as ‘Gur’ in Hindi, is quite a popular natural sweetener used as an alternative to sugar. It is essentially a type of unrefined sugar made primarily from raw, concentrated sugarcane juice that is boiled until it solidifies. Gur is not just better than white sugar—which only gives the body empty calories—it also cleanses the body, assists digestion, and provides decent amounts of minerals. Before we dig into understanding how jaggery benefits lifestyle, let us know how distinct it is from white sugar, honey, and brown sugar.
12 Best Jaggery Benefits
Are you planning to try and add jaggery to your diet? Well, that’s definitely a wise choice and a healthier switch. But before that, it’s important to make your healthier switch. Jaggery also exerts therapeutic benefits in many body conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, constipation etc. Read below 15 benefits of jaggery that make it a better choice.
1. Good for Weight loss
It is one of the most popular benefits of eating jaggery, it facilitates quick digestion. Gur helps in cleansing the body by flushing out toxins and also purifying the blood. The nutrients help to preserve the balance of electrolytes, thereby improving metabolism, and the presence of potassium allows water retention from which weight can be handled effectively.
2. Good for Diabetic Patients
People with diabetes sometimes see jaggery as a healthier alternative to sugar, but the fact is that it often contains high sugar levels. In 10 grams of jaggery, almost 65% to 85% of sucrose is present. People with diabetes are also advised not to eat it daily. If you have diabetes and considering jaggery as an alternative to sugar, you should consult your doctor and then jump to any conclusion.
3. Helps in Preventing Constipation
It regulates certain digestive enzymes in the body, which helps in proper bowel movements, thereby preventing constipation. Eating a small piece of jaggery is a diuretic that can help promote bowel movement.
4. Help to Boost Immunity
It contains antioxidants and essential minerals such as zinc and selenium, which can help prevent free-radical damage and improve infection tolerance. Jaggery (gur) also tends to boost the overall blood haemoglobin count. Hence, it is great for your overall immunity.
5. Helps in Preventing Respiratory Issues
It may be one of the most effective solutions for people with chronic respiratory tract issues. Having the same in a regular diet can stop asthma, bronchitis, etc. The trick is to eat jaggery along with some sesame seeds. It is a perfect blend to cure respiratory problems.
6. Helps in Fighting Cold and Flu
It helps induce heat in the body, making it a suitable companion in winter. Jaggery’s naturally soothing influence helps fight the common cold and flu. You can mix Jaggery in warm milk to get the best results or use it as a sweetener in your tea.
7. Detoxifies the Body
By flushing out toxic chemicals from the bloodstream, it helps cleanse the liver and further helps detoxify the liver. So, if you want to detox your body quickly, bite yourself into a piece of jaggery. Jaggery price is reasonable, and it is easily available in the market too! Detoxing has never been so easy, isn’t it?
8. Helps to Controls Blood Pressure Levels
Jaggery contains essential nutrients like potassium and sodium that help maintain a proper balance of acids in the body, thereby controlling blood pressure levels. People with high blood pressure issues should have it regularly to have positive effects.
9. Help to Boosts Energy
One of the main Jaggery benefits is boosted energy. Unlike sugar, Jaggery is a complex carbohydrate that gradually energizes the body and keeps it energized for longer. It can also help in preventing weakness and fatigue.
10. Helps to Joint Pain Reliever
Many doctors recommend jaggery in the regular diet of an individual with joint pains. It should be eaten with a piece of ginger or with milk to alleviate pain.
11. Helps in Preventing Anemia
One of the major Gur benefits is preventing anaemia. It is high in iron and folate, which helps to produce RBCs in the body, making it a safe way to avoid anaemia. Doctors also prescribe teenagers and pregnant women for their consumption.
12. Ensures Proper Intestinal Health
Jaggery has a rich magnesium content. 16 mg of the mineral is found in every 10 g of food. So, if even 10 grams of it were eaten, he or she would have reached 4% of this mineral’s everyday requirement in our lives. Consuming it daily will also result in healthy intestinal health.
Jaggery (Gur) Nutritional Value and Facts
Jaggery is filled with Molasses, a nutritious by-product of the process of producing sugar, typically extracted when refined sugar is produced, making it a nutrient-rich product. Compared to refined sugar, the nutrition level in jaggery is quite high.
| Elements | Jaggery Nutirional Value Per 100g |
|---|---|
| Calories | 38.3 kcal |
| Total Carbohydrates | 98.0 g |
| Fat | 0.1 g |
| Protein | 0.4 g |
| Minerals | Calcium (80.0 mg), Iron (5.4 mg), Magnesium (160 mg), Phosphorus (40.0 mg), Potassium (140 mg), Sodium (30.0 mg), Selenium (1.4 mcg) |
| Vitamins | Niacin (2.0 mg), Vitamin B6 (0.4 mg), Pantothenic Acid (1.0 mg) |
Jaggery (Gur) Side Effects
We have already discussed various excellent merits and health benefits of Jaggery, but we have not forgotten jaggery side effects. Yes, even our has some side effects on our bodies. So, here we have listed a few of them.
You might gain weight by intaking a higher amount of Jaggery is harmful to your inches and curves because it has calories and sugar, leading to increased weight.
1. Allergies
Eating Jaggery might cause allergies in people who are sugar sensitive. However, it depends on person to the person still, sensitive people should take a limited amount to gur.
2. Interrupt Blood Sugar Levels
Besides the fact that Jaggery is healthy and beneficial in many ways, it still contains sugar. In addition, diabetic people should avoid Jaggery because it has hyperglycemia that spikes blood sugar levels.
3. Constipation
Excessive consumption of Jaggery can disrupt your digestion system and cause bowel movement difficulty. Moreover, freshly made Jaggery is more prone to cause indigestion.
Conclusion
Jaggery is undoubtedly more nutritious than white sugar and filled with nutrients and essential minerals. Jaggery’s benefits include improved immunity better digestion and However, it is high in calories, which should not be avoided in any case. This implies that you may add jaggery or use it as a natural alternative to sugar in your daily diet, but it is not advisable to have jaggery in large quantities.
FAQs
Eating jaggery in heavy quantities may sometimes lead to a constipated state, parasite infections, allergies, and weight gain.
Yes, jaggery is very effective for hair, as its iron & vitamin C content are good for shiny, healthy, and strong hair.
Eating a higher amount of Jaggery harms your inches and curves because it has calories and sugar, leading to increased weight.