Jaggery: An elixir for health

Jaggery or gur may not be an attractive food item, but the nutritional and health benefits it provides is definitely attractive and striking. 

Unlike sugar, jaggery contains several vitamins and minerals that are good for your health. Jaggery is unrefined and pure whole sugar that contains high percentages of sucrose, fructose and glucose. Table sugar is only sucrose, the simplest sugar that creates blood sugar imbalances when consumed. It is rich in various minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, copper, chromium, selenium and zinc. The advantage of consuming jaggery is that it is low in fat and sodium.

Benefits of jaggery are:

• Rich in mineral salts
• Easy to digest
• Develops unique taste as sweetener
• Treats throat and lung infection.
• Easily dissolved and balances the deficiency of sugar level
• Sulphur less Organic Composition
• Does not increase blood sugars quickly (low GI)

Jaggery is a great winter dessert, that not only gives satiety, minus the negative effects of eating sugars but also helps fight cold, improves respiratory health and is a rich source of micronutrients.So stock up on Gur for your fix of sweetness, warmth, health and nutrition.

It is really an elixir for lung problems

The air we're breathing today can lead to more lung damage than regular smoking habit. While our lungs do have a built-in pollution filter called cilia (small hair-like structures) that sweep the mucus and dirt out of the lungs, they are not built to deal with the carbon pollution (read smoke, chemical, toxins and vehicle fumes) that are being found in abundance in city air today. Inhaling the deadly mix of smoke, chemical toxins and vehicle fumes puts our bodies at the risk of asthma and worsens already-existing respiratory diseases.

Thankfully, there is a saviour, tucked away in a jar in your kitchen, and is also easily available at your nearest grocery store, which can help keep your lungs relatively cleaner in heightened pollution.

By consuming jaggery regularly, many respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis can be prevented. Consume this natural sweetener with sesame seeds for wonderful benefits for the respiratory system.

As a matter of fact, industrial workers, who work in dusty and smoky environments (coal mines, for instance), are handed out gur to eat after they are done with the day.

Jaggery helps the lungs and respiratory tract in the following ways:

Rich in iron: It is used as a natural remedy to fight anaemia and boost blood count that in turn will improve blood circulation and also boost the respiratory system.

Anti-allergic properties: Due to its anti-allergic properties, it keeps allergens away from lungs that would lead to serious wheezing and coughing episodes.

Rich in various minerals that boost overall health: It contains potassium, sodium, calcium phosphorus and zinc that contribute towards good health. Apart from this, it is also a good source of magnesium that helps strengthen nervous system and relaxes muscles. It also relaxes the bronchial muscles that help regularise breathing in people with severe asthma.

It is  great to round off a meal with gur

While sugar is a simple carbohydrate that gets absorbed in the bloodstream instantly and gives instant energy, jaggery is a complex carbohydrate that gives energy to the body gradually and for a longer time. This means that the levels of blood sugar do not get raising immediately. It also helps prevent fatigue and weakness of the body.

One of the main reasons that people take jaggery after meals is due to its positive effects on the digestive system. Jaggery stimulates digestive enzyme secretion, and it also gets converted into acetic acid. Therefore, it speeds up the process of digestion, as the load on the digestive tract is significantly reduced. Jaggery also helps in regulating the bowel movement and preventing problems such as indigestion, 

constipation, flatulence, intestinal worms, etc.

So its great to polish off a meal with jaggery as it does the dual job of satisfying the urge for a sweet meat and also keeps digestion robust.

Various kinds of jaggery and their respective uses

Jaggery is made from cane juice, date or palm sap and is the concentrated product that contains crystals and molasses. Jaggery can vary in colour from golden brown to very dark brown and contains mainly sugars such as sucrose (50%), invert sugars like glucose and fructose (20%) and moisture (20%).

Jaggery is available in the market mainly in three-forms namely solid jaggery,liquid jaggery and granular jaggery.The liquid jaggery is utilised as sweetening agent in foods and drinks and in pharmaceutical formulations.Jaggery is made from the sap of palms, sugarcane date palm, toddy palm and few other plants.The various types of jaggery are sugarcane jaggery, palm jaggery, date palm jaggery, toddy palm jaggery. 

• Sugarcane Jaggery: The color of this sugarcane jaggery ranges from golden brown to dark brown. It is made by boiling the juice of sugarcane.It’s physical state varies from amorphous solid to viscous granular liquid. It can be found in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Myanmar, Cuba, Malaysia and Mexico. India is considered as the biggest producer as well as consumer of this variety. It has a sweet taste with a hint of salt.
• Date Palm Jaggery: This jaggery has golden brown or dark brown colour. The sap of date palm is boiled to make this Date palm jaggery. It is an amorphous solid or granular to a clear red liquid. It could be found in Bangladesh and West Bengal in India. It has a sweet taste and typical aroma of Date palm, a bit like a dark chocolate.
• Palmyra Jaggery:It is off white or pale yellowish white. The sap of Palmyra palm is boiled to prepare the Jaggery. It is an amorphous solid. It is found in Bangladesh and India (West Bengal). It has a very sweet taste with a typical aroma of Palmyra or like white chocolate.
• Toddy Palm Jaggery: This jaggery is golden brown in colour. It is made by boiling the sap of toddy palm. It is also an amorphous solid. It is available in Myanmar. It has a sweet taste along with typical aroma of the sap of Toddy palm.

Here are some specific uses of jaggery for curing various health conditions:

• Jaggery for reducing acidity – After a meal, keep a small piece of jaggery in your mouth and suck on it slowly. You can see that the acidity begins to subside very quickly. This effect is due to the high levels of potassium in jaggery that works to maintain the acid balance in your stomach.
• Jaggery and ginger for reducing inflammation – Extract the juice from a small piece of ginger (10 grams). To this add about 5 grams of jaggery and take this mixture once or twice a day to get relief from pain, swelling and inflammation.
• Jaggery and small onions for anaemia – A combination of jaggery and small onions is often recommended for anemic patients because this combination has been found to increase the blood cells. Since it increases the platelet count, this mixture may be effective in treating dengue fever.
• Jaggery for asthma – Jaggery, with its anti-allergic properties is an effective remedy for asthma. Mix together 5 teaspoons of turmeric, 1 teaspoon of butter and a small piece of jaggery and have this mixture 3 or 4 times a day to get relief from acute asthma.
• Jaggery for reducing cough – Jaggery together with ginger powder is a great remedy to reduce phlegm, which in turn helps in getting relief from cough and wheezing.
• Jaggery for easing gas and indigestion – Eating crushed jaggery with powdered black pepper helps in digestion by increasing the secretion of saliva and gastric juices. It is an effective remedy for indigestion, acidity and bloating.