Jaggery is India’s most popular and healthy natural sweetener. A great alternative for sugar, Jaggery is essentially made from raw and concentrated sugarcane juice that is boiled until it solidifies. Jaggery which is also known as ‘Gur’ in India has a plethora of health benefits that include digestion assistance, body cleansing, providing a fair amount of nutrients and minerals, and more.
In this article, we would like to provide you with some amazing health benefits of Jaggery which will make you want to add this healthy sweetener as part of your diet, right away!
Health Benefits of Jaggery
1. Blood purification:
Jaggery is a well-known blood purifier. When consumed in moderate quantities regularly, it greatly helps in keeping your body healthy by assisting the cleansing of blood in your system. Reducing toxin build-up in blood vessels and having good blood circulation are essential for a healthy body to keep it free from diseases.
2. Liver detoxification:
Jaggery helps in reducing the workload of the liver as it is a natural body cleanser. Jaggery helps in flushing out the harmful toxins from the body thereby cleansing the liver. This further helps in liver detoxification. Consuming a bit of jaggery each day can help keep your liver healthy and well.
3. Constipation prevention:
By activating the digestive enzymes in the body, jaggery
stimulates bowel movements and helps to relieve and prevent constipation. Constipation occurs when there is difficulty in emptying bowels regularly. Jaggery is also an excellent diuretic that is also helpful in stimulating bowel movement. To kick start digestion, have a small piece of jaggery after lunch, every day.
4. Immunity booster:
Loaded with antioxidants and minerals like selenium and zinc, jaggery helps in boosting resistance against infections and also helps in preventing free radical damage of cells. Jaggery is also greatly helpful in increasing the total count of hemoglobin in the blood.
5. Body cleanser:
Consuming jaggery regularly can help in the removal of unwanted particles from the body. Jaggery is one of the best natural cleansing agents for the body and efficiently helps in keeping the stomach, lungs, intestines, etc, clean. People working in heavily polluted areas such as coal mines and factories can benefit from consuming jaggery.
6. Easing menstrual pain:
Jaggery is exceptionally helpful in providing relief from menstrual cramps and is an effective natural treatment for all menstrual problems. If you experience mood swings before your period, taking a small piece of jaggery can uplift your mood and help in alleviating PMS symptoms. The endorphins released when consuming jaggery deeply relaxes your body and help in preventing premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
7. Effectively treats flu-like symptoms:
Jaggery can successfully fend off symptoms of cold and cough. By mixing jaggery with water or adding it in tea instead of sugar you can reap its benefits. The heat produced by jaggery when consumed is what makes an excellent treatment for cold and flu. People consume jaggery in winter due to the same reason.
8. Anaemia prevention:
Jaggery helps in preventing anemia as they are rich in folate and iron. When consumed regularly, jaggery ensures that a normal level of red blood cells is maintained in the body. It becomes especially helpful for pregnant women. Jaggery also provides instant energy to the body.
9. Cools the stomach:
Jaggery keeps your stomach cool by maintaining a normal body temperature. Juice made of jaggery soaked in ice-cold water taken during the summer months is a great way to keep your body cool during the summertime.
10. Weight loss:
As jaggery is a rich source of potassium, it is very effective in aiding weight loss. Potassium helps in the electrolyte balance and also helps in boosting metabolism and building muscles.
11. Boosts intestinal health:
Due to its high magnesium contact, jaggery is highly beneficial in boosting intestinal strength. You get 16 mg of magnesium with every 10 grams of jaggery, which is almost 4 percent of the daily requirement of this mineral.
12. Relieves joint pain:
Jaggery can provide you the best relief if you are suffering from pains and aches in your joints. Eating jaggery with a piece of ginger can greatly alleviate joint pains. To strengthen bones, drink a glass of milk with jaggery every day.
13. Prevents respiratory problems:
You can prevent many respiratory problems like asthma, bronchitis, etc by the regular consumption of jaggery. Eating jaggery with sesame seeds can provide wonderful benefits to the health of your respiratory system.
14. Good energy source:
Jaggery being a complex carbohydrate gradually provides energy to the body for a longer time.
Jaggery is readily available throughout India and also in many parts of the world. When purchasing jaggery, always make sure it’s of the best quality. Buy the best jaggery powder in Kerala and keep yourself healthy every day!
