jaggery cubes, jaggery powder in bowl and mortal pestle | jaggery and its benefits

Look At These Amazing Benefits Of Having Jaggery In Your Diet!

As the world witnessed in lockdown, people needed it to have discovered several secret components for skin whitening, pigmentation and hair care, which they would never give a thought to. And it's really good because natural and various home remedies are always preferred over other harmful cosmetic solutions, because the former is considered to have long-lasting effects, and is much more result-producing.

If you are not a fan of doing extra and elaborate and are only looking for the best one or two available kitchen ingredients, here is some good news for you all! Jaggery, which is manufactured from sugarcane juice or palm tree juice, is becoming increasingly popular as a substitute for white sugar. It is also known as gur/gud in Hindi.

Jaggery or in the local language as Gud is your one-stop solution for all known skin ailments whether it is skin whitening to pimples to hyperpigmentation and it is even used to treat various hair problems.

Jaggery benefits:

Aids in the treatment of many hair and skin disorders
Helps prevent premature ageing
Helps in treating digestive problems
Helps in Skin whitening
Helps in treating hyperpigmentation
Helps in improving liver health

How to Incorporate Jaggery Into Your Diet?

Any known benefit of Jaggery can only be effectively realized only if you have it regularly. That is why there is a need to look for some innovative ways to incorporate jaggery into your diet or apply it topically. So here are some of the most effective and common ways to make jaggery a part of your life:

You can eat a small piece of jaggery in its original form
You can use it as a substitute for sugar and can add it to your daily cup of tea.
You can also add a small amount of Gur to the flour to make Gur Rotis.

Jaggery Nutrition

A quarter-cup portion of jaggery has the following ingredients:

Calories: 100
Protein: around 1 gram or less
Fat: around 1 gram or less
Carbohydrates: around 26 grams
Fibre: around 1 gram or less
Sugar: around 24 grams
Calcium
Magnesium
Manganese
Potassium
Phosphorus
Iron
Zinc
Copper
Vitamin B (thiamin, riboflavin and niacin)
Plant protein
Phytochemicals
Anti-oxidant

A quarter-cup portion of jaggery has the following ingredients:

Do you know how much jaggery you should consume each day? For daily usage, 10 grams of jaggery should be enough. It is undeniably a better and more nutritious version of sugar, but it is still sugar. So, you must not consume too much of it.

Top Benefits of Eating Jaggery

1. Glowing Skin

Glowing skin is always desired, but environmental strains like pollution, UV rays, and dust rob our skin of its natural shine, making it look more dull and lifeless. However, if you want that skin to glow back, jaggery can prove quite helpful. As also mentioned earlier, it contains glycolic acid, which is a critical ingredient that is mostly added in many skin whitening products to improve the texture of your skin.

Were you aware of the fact that you can reap various skin benefits of jaggery by applying it topically?

Combine some powdered jaggery with lemon juice and honey and apply this mixture to your face and neck area.
Wash it after 10 minutes and pat dry.

2. Removes Pigmentation

Jaggery is also known to remove skin pigmentation and lighten up your skin.

Mix about 1 tablespoon of jaggery powder with 1 teaspoon of tomato juice.
Also, add a few drops of lemon juice and turmeric powder to it.
Now, apply this whole mixture to the face and leave it like this for about 15 minutes.
Once it begins to dry off then wash it off with normal water.
You will see your hyperpigmentation reduce to an average level.

3. Reduces Wrinkles

Jaggery's benefits for the skin are mainly due to the presence of Glycolic acid, which helps in reducing skin aberrations and other skin flaws. It also helps in increasing your skin’s flexibility which reduces the signs of ageing like fine lines and wrinkles. Glycolic acid acts as an effective mild exfoliator to promote clear and spotless skin.

4. Prevents Premature Ageing

In Ayurveda, Gur is known to be a superfood due to its medicinal properties. Jaggery benefits for the skin can be fully and effectively utilized when it is consumed along with sesame seeds and other essential herbs. That’s because jaggery is so rich in many anti-oxidant that can fight off free radicals and prevent the skin-ageing process.

5. Reduces Pimples

One of the Jaggery benefits for your skin is that it is found very effective in reducing skin acne. Even a small amount of daily consumption of jaggery every day can remove your skin spots, clear your skin complexion, and keep the acne at bay.

6. Reduces Hair Fall

Jaggery is a rich source of iron that prevents hair fall. Iron helps in raising the level of hemoglobin in your blood which, in return, leads to better circulation of blood from the roots of the scalp, which promotes hair growth and reduces hair fall.

7. Better Digestive Health

Jaggery is often consumed after a meal in India.

Some think it aids digestion and stimulates bowel movements, making it an excellent option for avoiding constipation.

Jaggery includes sugar, but nearly little fibre or water – two dietary elements believed to aid with regular bowel motions.

There is no study to back up this assertion. Given its nutritional composition, jaggery does not seem to aid digestion or avoid constipation.

8. Promotes Hair Growth

Various scientific studies show that hair grows an inch per month. But iron deficiency can retard this growth. Since Gur is high in iron content, consuming jaggery daily encourages rapid hair development.

9. Treats urinary Issues

Jaggery is a natural diuretic, which means it promotes urination and hence treats urinary issues. It also helps with bladder enlargement and other urinary problems.

Is it good to eat jaggery every day?

Jaggery is advised to be consumed every day after meals to avoid constipation and aid digestion by stimulating the digestive enzymes in our bodies.

It is advisable to consume around 10 grams of jaggery every day after meals. Every 10 g of jaggery includes 16 mg of minerals, which indicates that consuming it once a day will satisfy 4% of our bodies' daily mineral requirements.

Is jaggery good for your health?

Jaggery is a great source of iron from plants. While a single serving of jaggery will not cover your daily iron requirements, substituting jaggery for refined sugar can add more iron to your diet and help minimize your chance of developing anemia.

Types of Jaggery

Sugar Jaggery

This kind of jaggery has a lot of magnesium and iron since it is made from unfermented coconut sap. It is not your typical sucrose and doesn't include any artificial ingredients. This kind of jaggery may also be used to successfully lessen the spice in any sauce. This jaggery may be used to flavour and colour Indian delicacies like kheer and halwa.

Coconut Jaggery

This kind of jaggery, which is high in magnesium and iron, is produced from raw coconut sap. It is neither artificially coloured nor sweetened with sugar. Additionally, it works well to lessen the spiciness in any cuisine.

Palm Jaggery

The potassium-rich palm jaggery, which comes from a palm tree, aids in lowering bodily water retention. Palm jaggery also has the benefit of being a powerful body cleanser, which makes it ideal for supporting intestinal health and weight reduction.

Benefits of Drinking Jaggery water

Drinking jaggery water may help to empty your stomach, promote digestion, and prevent issues like acidity, constipation, and digestive illnesses. It also aids in the proper production of digestive juices, hence preventing the core cause of weight gain. Jaggery has a high melting point and is known to work miracles when ingested before going to bed during the winter.

It protects against winter diseases such as the common cold and flu.
Jaggery also stimulates the release of hormones that de-strain the body and mind, allowing you to sleep sooner and better.
Improves metabolism and immunity
Aids in weight loss
Treats anaemia
Eases joint pain and controls blood pressure

Take Away

Apart from its various skin, gut and hair benefits Jaggery is also said to support your immune system and liver health. It also helps in reducing the risk of anaemia and has a cooling effect on your body. However, there is not enough scientific backing to support these facts. Eating too much sugar from any known source can not count to be safe and can increase your risk of heart disorders, obesity and type 2 diabetes. So always keep a check over the amount you consume to get benefited from jaggery.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Is drinking jaggery water good for health?

Warm water and jaggery work well together as an antidote for your health. It improves digestion by increasing natural digestive enzymes and is particularly beneficial for renal problems.

2. What is the sugar content in jaggery?

The sugar content in jaggery is about 24 grams.

3. Is jaggery good for hair?

Jaggery contains iron, which helps to prevent hair loss. Iron aids in the formation of haemoglobin, which leads to improved blood circulation to the scalp's roots, encouraging hair growth and minimising hair loss. When applied as a hair mask, the iron concentration of jaggery results in lustrous and silky hair.

References:

Fermín Mearin, Constanza Ciriza, Miguel Mínguez, Enrique Rey, Juan José Mascot, Enrique Peña, Pedro Cañones, Javier Júdez, Jun 2016, Clinical Practice Guideline: Irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and functional constipation in the adult
How to make jaggery syrup