The Sweet Difference: Jaggery vs Sugar



Ever thought about switching your regular sweetener with an all-natural sweetener?

Someone has rightly said that old habits die hard. 

Choosing to give up something that you’ve been generously using for all these years can be a difficult choice to make. Sugar plays a vital role in our daily lives, we use it to sweeten our beverages, meals, and desserts; from our morning teas to our dinner desserts, it is used in all our meals. This makes it even more important to switch to natural sweeteners that are nutritious and healthier. 

Even though, both jaggery and sugar are obtained from sugarcane there is a huge difference between the two. They not only possess different flavors and colors but also differ in their benefits and properties. Despite these differences between jaggery and sugar, they can be used as a great substitute for one another.

Jaggery has been used since the olden days to create delicious desserts, especially for auspicious occasions. Ancient Indians used natural jaggery to bring out the authenticity and enhance the flavors of traditional dishes.

We at Himalayan Natives promote a healthy lifestyle and are always looking out to find natural and healthy foods for you. To help you make this decision easy we have explained below why jaggery is better than sugar.

As mentioned above, both jaggery and sugar are derived from sugarcane. What makes them different is their method of preparation. The juice extracted from sugarcane is processed differently to make sugar or jaggery. To make sugar, the juice is boiled after extraction. The syrup undergoes a series of processing of crystallization to give it a more finished, clear, and transparent look. Once the crystallization process finishes, sugar is obtained. 

While preparing jaggery the juice is boiled for several hours until a thick paste is formed. This paste is then given a particular shape as it is poured into a mold and cooled

To make sugar the sugarcane juice undergoes a lot of processing to give it its hard and crunchy texture.  Jaggery, however, is softer and less processed. We all understand that the more a food is processed the less is the nutritive value making jaggery better than sugar. 

Let us have a look at the nutritive value of Jaggery vs sugar.

Jaggery is rich in healthy minerals and vitamins whereas sugar contains sucrose which is considered unhealthy. Sucrose can increase the cholesterol levels in our body which may lead to cardiovascular diseases.

Ask yourself if you really want to use sugar considering it doesn't contain any nutrients and can indeed cause many illnesses

Does jaggery sound better than sugar now?

Wait until we tell you about the health benefits of jaggery vs sugar which is empty calories and no nutrition:

• Jaggery contains antioxidants that help to make our immune system strong. 
• Jaggery is good for the lungs and especially for people suffering from asthma. It contains anti-allergic elements which remove the toxins and mucus from the body resulting in a better and clear respiratory system.
• Jaggery, unlike sugar, helps with weight loss as it prevents water retention. It also helps to increase your metabolism level resulting in efficient weight loss. 
• Consumption of jaggery after every meal can help with maintaining a better digestive system as it removes toxins from our bodies.
• No more chewy vitamins. Jaggery has rich amounts of vitamins and minerals such as potassium, zinc, calcium, and magnesium that can help aid many nutritional requirements of the body.
• It also helps to detoxify the liver and flush out harmful and unwanted toxins from our bodies.
• Consuming jaggery in a moderate amount can help purify the blood system and also increase the total hemoglobin count in our body.

We are sure you’ve made up your mind to switch to jaggery, however it is important to use only premium quality jaggery. That is why we at Himalayan Natives, focus on providing a chemical-free healthy alternative to refined white sugar with our 100% natural jaggery powder. We don’t compromise on our quality and provide you with the best products which are not only beneficial for your body but also, leave you with an enriching taste.

If you’d like to know more about Jaggery and how to use it head on to our blog Different ways you can consume jaggery powder.

Introduce natural foods sweeteners and natural foods to your diet and live a happier and longer life. We do believe that sharing is caring. Share this blog with your friends and family to educate them and help them adapt to a better and healthier lifestyle. Let’s test your knowledge about jaggery and its benefits with our super fun quiz on our Instagram!

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