Is Jaggery Good or Bad For Diabetes Patients? Here’s What We Know

Jaggery, also known as Gur in India, is a natural, traditional sweetener made from the concentration of sugarcane juice that is primarily consumed in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Jaggery and even honey are acknowledged as healthier alternatives to white and brown sugar.Also Read – Time to Ditch Sugar and Replace it With These 5 Natural and Healthy Sweeteners

Jaggery is presumed to be safe as it contains all of the minerals and vitamins found in sugarcane juice, but unfortunately, people recommend it as sweet-alternative for diabetics type 1 and type 2 patients without any scientific evidence. So, discussing about this Dr Preet Pal Singh, co founder of glamyo health shared his inputs on whether diabetic patients should include jaggery in their diet or not. Also Read – 5 Kitchen Friendly Foods That Can Help in Boosting Physical And Mental Health

Myth or Fact: Diabetics Can Include Jaggery (Desi Gud) in Their Diet

While it is true that jaggery has a high medicinal value, including blood pressure regulation due to the presence of iron. It also serves to protect against oxidative stress and improves digestion, however, jaggery contains approximately 65 to 85 percent sucrose, which is why it should be totally avoided by diabetic patients. A diabetic’s ideal diet includes foods with a low glycemic index while Jaggery has a very high glycemic index. When consumed, it immediately raises blood sugar levels and can lead to serious health consequences such as kidney disease, heart disease, and organ failure, particularly in type 2 diabetics. A 100-gram serving of jaggery contains 383 calories, 65-85 g of sucrose, and 10-15 g of fructose and glucose which is comparable to regular sugar. Also Read – Eat These 5 Foods to Stay Warm And Healthy This Winter

To summarize, if you’re perfectly healthy and don’t have any blood sugar issues, you can substitute jaggery for white sugar. If you have diabetes, however, you must avoid jaggery completely

The best approach to living well with diabetes is to manage blood sugar, and eating well is the way of managing blood sugar. So before including any food in diet, diabetic patients should consider their glycemic index and it is always recommended to consult a diabetologist to determine what one can and cannot eat.