Jaggery: Is It Beneficial For Diabetic Patients?

Jaggery is widely used in Indian kitchens to make sweet dishes. Shifting from sugar to jaggery has become a trend these days given that people have been making claims that jaggery is more beneficial than sugar. This has been happening increasingly in domesticated houses with diabetic patients as they need to cut down on sugar. But how effective is replacing sugar with jaggery for diabetic patients?

Jaggery is a form of unprocessed sugar that retains some of the nutrients which are absent in natural sugar. Although jaggery is organic and a healthier option over processed sugar, a person with diabetes should not rely on jaggery as a sweetener. According to Healthify Me, the assumption that jaggery consumption does not increase blood sugar levels is not entirely true and is still under debate.

Commonly known as gur in India, the natural sweetener is a healthier and more nutritious option as compared to refined sugar, and has a high medicinal value due to its nutrients that improve the cardiovascular and immune systems, and aid in treating certain gastrointestinal disorders.

Research has shown that jaggery is the best form of natural sweetener but its glycemic index is 84.4 meaning that if diabetic patients do not consume it in limited quantities, their blood sugar levels can see a sharp rise which can have detrimental effects on them.

The ideal diet for diabetic patients includes foods that have a low glycemic index, and they should limit their jaggery intake to 1-2 teaspoons a day. Natural herbs such as ginger, basil and cardamom should be used to flavour their desserts and milk-based beverages instead of using sugar or jaggery, as nutritionists recommend.

The conclusion as to whether jaggery is good for diabetes is “no” and the sweetener should only be consumed in limited quantities to avoid diabetic patients from their condition becoming worse.

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