Jaggery in Winter

Jaggery is most commonly known as Gur in India and the Asian subcontinent. It is a superfood and is primarily consumed in Winter, because of its numerous health benefits. There are several winter desserts made with Jaggery or Gur, and some of them are “Peanut Chikki,” “Gur ke laddu,” ” Gur ki barfi,” and “Gur ka halwa,” and the list is endless. In this post, we will try to find out about this superfood and the benefits of Jaggery in Winter.

What is Jaggery/Gur?

Jaggery or Gur is unrefined sugar. Unlike refined sugar, nutritional molasses is not removed from gur as it is removed from sugar. And for the same reason, Jaggery/ gur is also termed non-centrifugal sugar. Non-centrifugal sugar or unrefined sugar is also available in different countries with different names.

Some of them are:

Jaggery/Gur in India.
Kokuto in Japan.
Gula Melaka in Malaysia.
Tapa dulce in Costa Rica.
Namtan tanode in Thailand.
Panela in Colombia.
Piloncillo in Mexico.

The primary source to extract Gur is sugarcane. But it can also be extracted from other sources like Date, coconut, or Palm trees.

What are the benefits of Jaggery in Winter

Jaggery is a superfood packed with multiple nutrients like iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, thiamin, zinc, riboflavin, and niacin. And the total calories in 1tsp regular Jaggery – 15 cal. Let’s see some of the benefits of consuming it, especially during Winter.

Jaggery tends to generate heat and produce warmth in the body during Winter.

As per Ayurveda, Jaggery holds hot potency. So if we consume Jaggery during Winter, it will generate heat for each gram of Jaggery consumed and keep our body warm in the cold weather.

2. Regulate Blood pressure in Winter

In Winter, our blood vessels constrict or become narrow, requiring more pressure for blood to flow through narrowed veins and arteries. This leads to high blood pressure. However, Jaggery helps in dilating the blood vessels and improving blood flow. And hence improves blood pressure during the winter season.

3. It improves our immunity

Being loaded with essential Minerals, vitamins & antioxidants, it helps in building antibodies, boosts immunity, and guards our body against harmful pathogens in chilly Winter. It also has a cleansing property. As per research & studies, it was proved that Jaggery cleans the lungs, throat, stomach, intestine & respiratory tract too. So, daily consumption of Jaggery will keep you safe from any allergies and illness throughout Winter.

4. It aids in digestion

In ancient times people preferred to take pieces of gur as a dessert substitute after their meals, which still prevailed in some families. But today, it’s proved that nutrients present in Jaggery stimulate the bowel and help release digestive enzymes. It also helps in treating intestinal worms in Kids, as well as Adults. So it works as a boon for people who suffer from constipation or other digestive problems.

5. It is rich in iron and prevents diseases like Anaemia

Jaggery is known as a superfood because of several reasons. It is an excellent source of iron and phosphorus, which makes it a miracle food for anemic patients. A single serving of Jaggery may contain nearly ten percent of a person’s required daily iron intake. Iron is essential for supporting healthy blood cells in our body. And not getting enough iron leads to a lack of energy and makes you feel tired. So little amount of daily intake of Jaggery will help a person to regain the lost energy.

6. It Controls blood sugar, improves metabolism, and helps in weight loss

Jaggery is no lesser than a boon for you if you are on your weight loss journey. The first thing you can do is replace your white/refined sugar with Jaggery. As we know that white sugar increases the blood glucose level, whereas Jaggery not only works as a delicious sweetener in your dishes but it will keep your blood sugar level in check. Furthermore, it can keep you feeling full for a longer duration, which cuts down your cravings and helps in losing weight.

Another important thing is that Jaggery contains a high percentage of potassium, which balances the electrolytes in our body. Thus it can also help your weight loss plan by reducing water retention in the body. It further aids in boosting metabolism.

So we can conclude that a portion of Jaggery in your daily meals can work wonders if you are on a weight loss plan.

These are a few of the mentioned benefits of Jaggery in Winter, so what are you waiting for, try some winter dessert with this magical Jaggery and enjoy.

We will soon upload different jaggery desserts with you all. But let’s start with a jaggery Tea.