Replacing sugar with jaggery: fad or beneficial for all?

The health halo around jaggery is no recent trend. Elders handing out jaggery and ginger to revive one from a cold or warm one up during the winters is a fond childhood memory.  Ayurvedic practitioners too suggest jaggery or guda to improve the body’s metabolism and produce more heat to warm one up from inside.

Moreover, ayurvedic physicians say that it cleans the lungs and protects the respiratory system. A 1994 study on how jaggery helps remove particulate matter from the lungs, was done on 22 healthy albino rats for 90 days

Researchers found that jaggery bolstered the defence mechanism of lungs up to two-folds against dust particles passing through the organ. Therefore, jaggery was actively promoted among the coal mine workers to protect them against coal dust, before masks began to be used. However, more studies need to be done to ascertain the benefits of jaggery for lungs.

What jaggery brings to the table today

As the clamour for healthy sugar-alternatives reach a fever pitch, jaggery comes to the rescue again. Although jaggery has just as many calories as refined sugar, it is packed with sodium, potassium, iron, antioxidants and more, which makes it a healthier choice .

Sudhir Suryavanshi, food technologist & ayurveda nutritionist from Pune, says that it is a source of several micro-minerals such as manganese, selenium, and phosphorous. “It is also a good source of iron. This iron content comes from the iron vessels used to boil the sugarcane juice while making jaggery,” he adds.

Iron is an important element for the body to produce red blood cells. A 2018 study published in the National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology evaluated the efficacy of jaggery to prevent and treat anaemia (a condition where level of red blood cells in the body drops).

Researchers studied 50 female participants for 8 weeks where they were given 5g jaggery and 5g raisins every day. The study concluded that there was significant improvement in their haemoglobin levels in the blood.

Moreover, it is rich in folate which is another important element for producing red blood cells along with iron. The presence of both iron and folate makes it an effective means to manage anaemia.

“It gives a burst of energy, which is required during any physical activity, or when you are unwell. However, they should be consumed in minimal amounts (5g) given they are high in calories,” says Svasti Upadhyaya, sports nutritionist from Hyderabad.

Nutritional Values per 100g Jaggery

Ayurvedic point of view

Jaggery aka guda in Sanskrit, has been long considered an important element in ayurvedic ways of management of conditions. According to ayurvedic practitioners it is also intimated to be good for the heart and digestive system.

Suryavanshi suggests taking a small cube of jaggery after lunch to curb constipation. “The fibre (inulin) in it helps to improve digestion and bowel movement,” he adds.

Herbal jams such as chavanaprasha, used to boost immunity and brahmigrida (which helps with memory), are made with jaggery as the sweetener that adds to their nutritional value.

The colour to rely on

The dark brown colour of jaggery comes from the molasses (a thick brown paste) which is refined out to make white sugar. As the molasses contribute to its micronutrient content, jaggery is accepted as a healthier alternate of refined sugar.

Jaggery comes in three forms, solid, semi-solid and liquid. The commercial forms are often bleached with sulphur to give it a light golden yellow colour.   “The best form to consume is the dark brown colour solid cubes of jaggery that has not undergone any chemical treatment,” says Suryavanshi.

Benefits aside, Upadhyaya cautions to use it mindfully.  “At the end of the day, jaggery mainly provides sucrose and fructose (simple carbs) and therefore should be added minimally in the diet to avoid lifestyle disorders like obesity, CVD (cardiovascular disease), and diabetes,” she says.