Thread by @aayurarogyam

Jaggery - A Healthy Ayurvedic Sweetener

- Traditional Jaggery is a condensed sugarcane juice
- Natural Sweetener used next to honey in Ayurvedic medicine [Lehyas & Arishtas]
- Ayurveda has specified exclusively its usage in "Guda Prayoga " [ Guda - Jaggery in Sanskrit]

-Jaggery is considered as ahara [Food] dravya as well as aushadha [medicine]
dravya

- Potency of jaggery increases as it age if it is not added any chemical during making , it is a self preservative as it has molasses in it

- Pure jaggery can self preserve itself for 5years

Pure Jaggery has ability to cure

-Cold
-High Blood Pressure
- Remove Blemishes from Skin / Acnes
-Anaemia
-Mensural disorders
- Mood swing

Traditionally Jaggery is of 5 types based on it fruit source

- Sugarcane Jaggery
- Date Palm Jaggery,
- Palmyra jaggery
- Toddy Palm Jaggery
- other palm Jaggery

Jaggery does following to your health

- Natural Detox
-Boosts intestinal health
-Prevent Nervous systems &respiratory problems
-Provides antioxidants
-Relieves joint pain
-Controls body temperature
-Provides instant energy
-Boost immunity & Liver function

Jaggery has the following nutrition value
- richest source of iron
-phenolic compounds such as phenolic acids,
flavonoids, and different glycoside

-jaggery preparation has important steps

-Extraction of juice from the fruit, purification of juice
and concentration of juice

Sugarcane based jaggery is mostly widely used and available jaggery utilized in household cooking

- Novel machine made jaggery preparation is devoid of molasses which makes the jaggery to get spoiled easily as molasses has more commercial value in spirits and breweries

To increase the shelf life of jaggery , citric acid and ascorbic acid is being added by the manufacturers to ensure longevity of the produce and prevent it from thawing

Pure jaggery would get thawed itself in summer and solidified in winter

Jaggery is ancient sealant liquid too

-Jaggery and lime are mixed to seal the vessel mouths where medicines are preserved to prevent the air from getting inside the storage vessels

How to identify Aged jaggery

- It is sweeter than new ones.
- It will be moisty and odorless
- Light in weight as molasses would have turned to self preservative
- It will be slight darker in color due to oxidization happened during aging
- Will be slightly thawed or semisolid

Speaking glycemic index, yes it is high but it ha sno harmful chemical like white crystal sugar

-Our ancestors were wise enuf to consume excess jaggery always either with some nuts / ghee . which is pretty much in Indian sweet , helps to offset the glycemic load of jaggery

-A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that “nut consumption was associated with a decreased prevalence of selected risk factors for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome [Found ages ago by ancient Indians :)]

This is a best alternative to white crystal sugar to consume in moderation

Another beauty of jaggery is it will become too sweet and untasty if you consume in excess where white sugar it will keep craving you for more due to it brain rewarding /mind altering chemical additives

Do buy your jaggery and allow it to age for six months at least

if it had no odor, fungus growth or if its mis shapened there is good chance that you had bought reasonably good quality jaggery

Also a pure aged jaggery will not attract ants due to molasses conversion underway

If you dont like Jaggery /want to consume in moderation do consume with Adrak , cardamom as a paanagam drink alternate days that's enough to attain the health benefits to some extent

https://twitter.com/aayurarogyam/status/1314781572604723200?s=20

Lets enjoy the ancient sweetener wisely !

End of thread !

Value addition : Most of Indian cuisine [Especially Karnataka ] exclusively add jaggery to taste as how salt is added to a recipe

Due to convenience sugar has been replaced with jaggery in most of recipes , you may try alternating sugar to jaggery and achieve the same good