Health Benefits of Jaggery (Gur)

About Jaggery/Gur

Jaggery is famous by the name Gur all over the India and has been used for years all around the world because of its therapeutic and nutritional health benefits. It is prepared using fresh sugarcane juice, date or palm juice which may vary in colors from dark to golden brown. It contains sugar in the form of sucrose. Mix products of the jaggery are prepared using peanuts, coconut, chana dal, milk, til or sesame seeds, white sugar and etc.

It is used as most favorite sweet dish in some countries such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The largest consumer and producer of the jaggery in India is the Maharashtra where people generally use it to eat and drink water to get instant energy.

Benefits of Jaggery (Gur)

India’s most favorite and largest used sweetener is jaggery which has ability to digest food properly as well as cleanse whole body by removing toxins. It is very healthy as it contains high quantity of required minerals, vitamins, iron and etc healthy nutrients. Some of the outstanding health benefits of the jaggery are mentioned below:

Benefits of Jaggery for Blood

Purifies Blood

• It helps in purifying whole blood if regularly consumed.

Prevents from Blood Disorders

• It helps in enhancing total blood hemoglobin count and boosts immunity thus prevents from many blood related problems and disorders.

Benefits of Jaggery for Digestion

Reduces Risk of Digestive Disorders

• Gur is a very good digestive agent helps in maintaining proper digestive system functioning and improving digestion by reducing digestive disorders.

Stimulates Digestive Enzyme Secretion

• It stimulates the secretion of digestive enzymes and gets converted to the acetic acid in stomach thus speeds up the digestion process by reducing overload of digestive tract.

Regulates Proper Bowel Movements

• Jaggery provides relief from the indigestion, flatulence, intestinal worms and constipation by stimulating the proper bowel movements.

Benefits of Jaggery for Bones

• It properly nourishes and strengthens the bones and joints by reducing joints pain and other bone problems.

Beauty Benefits of Jaggery/Benefits of Jaggery for Skin

Provides Proper Nourishment to Skin

• Its richness in the vitamins and minerals makes it able to nourish the whole body especially skin. It provides skin smooth, healthy, hydrated and glowing look.

Cures Pimples and Acne

• It makes skin free of wrinkles and spots free by curing problems of pimple and acne.

Benefits of Jaggery for Women

Cures Menstrual Problems

• It helps in curing various menstrual problems among women by providing relief from the stomach pain during periods.

Prevents from Anemia

• Its richness in the iron and folates helps during pregnancy and prevents from anaemia by maintaining the normal level of red blood cells. It is a source of instant energy thus prevents from weakness and tiredness.

Benefits of Jaggery for Men

Improves Quality Sperm Production

• Eating gur with amla powder on regular basis helps in enhancing quality and quantity of semen, reducing weakness, energizing body and treating urinary disorders among men.

Benefits of Jaggery for Weight Loss

Reduces Water Retention

• Its high level minerals content especially high potassium level helps in managing weight by reducing the extra water retention in the body.

Improves Body Metabolism

• Potassium helps maintaining the electrolyte balance, building muscles as well as improving metabolism thus aids in weight loss.

Benefits of Jaggery for Hair

Improves Iron Absorption

• Jaggery is the rich source of iron which should be eaten with the vitamin C rich foods as it enhances the absorption of iron in the body. Vitamin C rich foods are lemon juice, amla, guavas and etc. It is very good source of getting healthy, long, smooth, black and strong hair.

Provides Natural Beauty to Hair

• It is considered that applying the paste of jaggery, fuller’s earth and curd on the scalp twice a month before shampooing makes hair naturally beautiful and long.

Benefits of Gur and Chana

Prevents from Anemia

• Gur and chana or jaggery and gram should be eaten at least once a week regularly especially women in order to get prevented from anemia as the combination of both is the richest source of iron and folic acid. It is a good idea of eating gur with roasted chana to avoid taking iron and folic acid pills or tablets or other supplements.

Benefits of Jaggery Tea

• Taking jaggery tea is good habit instead of taking white sugar tea as white sugar is high in calorie having refined sugar which may lead to the serious health disorders if taken on daily basis. Jaggery is good source of iron having less calories and sucrose form of sugar which is not harmful to health.

Benefits of Jaggery with Milk

Strengthens Bones and Relieves Joint Problems

• Taking jaggery with milk provides lots of health and beauty benefits if consumed on daily basis. It helps in making bones so strong and provides relief from the bone and joints problem.

Other Health Benefits of Jaggery

Prevents from Respiratory Problems

• It helps in preventing from the respiratory problems like asthma, bronchitis and etc if laddoos of sesame is eaten made using jaggery and sesame seeds.

It Strengthens Muscles

• It strengthens muscles by providing instant energy thus weakness symptoms.

Good Sweetener

• Gur is a very good sweetening agent loved by almost all the people. It is used as a natural and artificial sweetening agent in many recipes.

Energy Booster

• It is an energetic food rich in carbohydrates provides instant energy to body upon oxidation.

Removes Toxins

• It is a very good cleansing agent cleans out different systems of the body (respiratory tract, digestive tract and etc) by removing unwanted particles and toxins.

Strengthens Nervous System

• Jaggery helps in strengthening nervous system very well thus prevents from various nervous system disorders.

Delays Early Ageing

• It is an excellent source of antioxidants (selenium) which helps in preventing from the harmful effects of free radicals thus slows down the risk of early ageing.

Reduces Risk of Allergy

• Its anti-allergic property prevents from the risk of allergy problems like asthma.

Treats Hiccups

• Eating dry ginger powder (also called saunth) by mixing with jaggery with luke warm water helps in getting free of hiccups.

Controls Blood Pressure

• Potassium and sodium found in it helps in maintaining acid balance in the body as well as controlling blood pressure up to the normal level.

How to Enjoy

Jaggery can be enjoyed in many ways such as with milk, roasted chana, tea, water, powder, in variety of laddoos forms (sesame seeds and jaggery, peanuts and jaggery, basan sticks and jaggery, roaster chana dal and jaggery), jaggery with ginger, jaggery with black peeper and etc. It can be enjoyed itself with cold water or cold jaggery sarbat (juice) during summer season.

How to Select and Store

Always buy jaggery prepared with organically produced sugarcane in the market. Buy pure jaggery instead of refined jaggeries from the market. It can be stored in the air tight container to prevent from moisture for many months. Place it in the dark, cool and dry place.

Disadvantages, Side Effects and Precautions

Long term use of the jaggery may lead to the weight gain, intestinal worm problem and etc. It should be avoided by the people suffering from the diabetes and ulcerative colitis. It should be avoided with radish and fish

Eating it regularly may fluctuate the blood sugar level which affects the functioning of pancreas thus release of insulin. This fluctuation of blood sugar may affect the functioning of major organs like kidney, eyes, heart and etc.

How Much Jaggery to Eat Everyday

The amount of jaggery which should be eaten on daily basis depends on the age, health conditions and requirement of the person. It is very necessary to eat jaggery within limit if it is eaten on daily basis. However, one to two spoon full of the jaggery can be taken every day by the normal person.