Jaggery and its advantages

Jaggery is not a new food item or a new sweetener. However, these days it has become very popular, especially when it comes to replacing the sugar. This natural sweetener is not just a healthy alternative for sugar but it has many other benefits as well. The jaggery is prepared using the juice of different plants like sugar cane and date palm. These plants contain a very good amount of sucrose in them which is being used for preparing jaggery. Jaggery is being used for a long time. Earlier people used jaggery only in place of sugar, be it for preparing tea or for putting it in any kind of sweets. A good thing about Jaggery is that it is free of chemicals, which means it is completely unrefined. For preparing jaggery using the sugar cane or date palm sap, no such chemicals are used. In Hindi, Jaggery is called as Gur, in Telugu, is called as Bellam, in Malayalam, Sharkara, in Tamil, Vellam, in Marathi, Gul, and in Kannada, Bella.

How Jaggery looks and tastes?

 As we already told you above how jaggery are prepared using different plants, you should also know how they look and taste. Some jaggeries are brownish whereas some of them are golden or golden brown. We all know that they taste sweet, but their taste resembles somewhere like a caramel toffee or rich molasses. Different types of jaggeries which are made using different plants can taste differently but sweet. Like jaggery made using Palmyra plant may taste different than the jaggery made using sugarcane.

How Jaggery is prepared?

In some places, Jaggery is prepared manually, whereas there are some places where Jaggery is prepared using automated plants in the industries. But in most of the places, people prefer to prepare jaggery using manual processing only, about which we will read below.

• Firstly, people crush the sugar cane or date palm and then extract the juice from them.
• After that, a large cast-iron vessel is taken which is shallow, and then the juice of the sugar cane is poured into the vessel.
• This sugar cane juice is then boiled in the same vessel and is continuously stirred with the help of the ladles so that it does not get stick at the iron vessel’s bottom. This process continues for a few hours. Once the water from the sugar cane or date palm juice gets evaporated, it starts becoming thick.
• You will see that it has become thick paste now, and its color is golden brown. Later on, this thick paste is taken out of the vessel and is poured into different molds so that it can condense and takes solid form.
• Once it solidifies, it forms the jaggery and is then removed from the molds.

  Some people also add some natural food ingredients to change the color and taste of the jaggery.

  Where Jaggery is made?

  Jaggery is prepared in different parts of the world. Like it is made in South Asia, South East Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean Islands, and North Africa.

  How much Jaggery one should consume in a day?

  We all know that we should consume everything in moderation. Consuming anything less will not help us in any way. And consuming anything more may harm our health. So, most of the doctors recommend that one should consume that jaggery also in a limited quantity only like 10 grams. We know that it is a natural sweetener, but we should not forget that it does contain sucrose in it.

  Different Advantages of Jaggery

  There are many advantages of Jaggery which you all can read below. It is not just good for our health, but it is good for our skin as well.
  

  Purifying Blood – Most of us would have heard about this advantage of consuming Jaggery. If you will consume it regularly, it will help in purifying your blood. Blood purification is very important for a healthy body. It not just purifies the blood, but also keep diseases related to the blood away. It helps in boosting the hemoglobin also.

   

  Helpful in the treatment of menstrual problems – Consuming Jaggery will help in reducing and preventing different menstrual problems. The nutrients present in the jaggery helps in the treatment of these problems. Be it PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome), or the stomach ache, or the cramps, jaggery is helpful in all these menstrual problems.

   

  Boosts Metabolism – Jaggery helps boost the metabolism as it has potassium present in it. The potassium helps in improving the metabolism, and jaggery has an abundant amount of potassium present in it. This is also good for those people who are trying to lose weight, as metabolism plays an important role in weight loss.

   

  Blood Pressure Control – Consumption of jaggery also helps in controlling the blood pressure or in bringing the blood pressure at a normal level. This is possible because of the sodium and potassium’s presence in the jaggery. Both these important minerals help in maintaining the acid level in one’s body, which helps in controlling the blood pressure.

   

  Good for Acne and Pimples treatment – There are many minerals and vitamins present in Jaggery. They do not just help in nourishing the skin but they are also helpful in the treatment of acne and pimples. Consuming jaggery regularly will help one in preventing acne and pimples. It will also provide you with a dark spot and wrinkle-free skin.

   

  Gives a warming effect – We have always been suggested to eat jaggery during the winter season, and it is because of the warming effect it gives to the body. This happens because of the carbohydrates that are present in the jaggery. It takes time in the digestion of those carbohydrates, which in result keeps the body warm. You can eat it raw or can add it in any sweet also during the winters to keep your body warm.

   

  Jaggery has many other advantages as well as it is helpful in digestion, preventing asthma, boosting immunity, and a few others. So, now you know how beneficial jaggery is for us and how it is being manufactured. So, start consuming jaggery from today itself if you also want to get these advantages.