Forget Stevia. After all, India has had a near-perfect natural sweetener for thousands of years, even before Alexander’s army invaded around 326 BC (as revealed by the Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research).
India is the one of the world’s largest producers of white sugar; it is also the world’s diabetes capital. It is not without reason that white sugar has also come to be known as white poison.
“Sugar, in terms of its nutritive value, is an energy source. But it should not exceed the body’s energy requirement; otherwise, it is converted into fat. White sugar, is not advisable, because of the chemicals used in its processing. Also, white sugar creates fermentation and peristalsis in the intestine, affecting digestion. Jaggery, honey sugar, fruit sugar and palm sugar do not interfere with the intestinal atmosphere. They, in fact, benefit digestion,” explains Dr. Sunita Koppolu, Professor of Biochemistry in a Bangalore-based hospital.
Ayurvedic-cooking expert, Kaushani Desai, says too much sugar in the diet can result in acidity, dental cavities, osteoporosis, high cholesterol and a number of other diseases from migraines and hypertension to kidney disease.
The internet is flooded with a range of natural alternatives, ranging from stevia to honey, molasses, agave syrup, maple syrup, xylitol, date and coconut sugar. Still, both Dr. Sunita and Kaushani agree that organic jaggery is a healthy alternative to sugar.
“When sugarcane juice is processed, the first product in the sequence is jaggery, the second product is powdered dry jaggery (known as shakkar in North India), the third product is brown sugar or mishri (kal shakkar) and the final product is sugar. Since sugar is refined and chemicals like sulphur are added while processing, it is harmful to health,” adds Kaushani.
Jaggery is a good source of iron, boosts immunity and comes loaded with anti-oxidants and minerals like zinc and selenium. It has anti-carcinogenic properties, cleanses the digestive system and can even be used to treat the flu.
Though over 70 per cent of the world’s jaggery is produced in India, jaggery constitutes only a little over 30 per cent of India’s sweetener requirement. “When we consume even 100 gms of sugar, our white blood cells become less effective; it affects the immune system for five hours,” says Padmnav Singh, head chef, Cafe Vishala, Bangalore. Though he recommends palm sugar and honey as alternatives, he finds jaggery ideal because of its health benefits.
But jaggery is still not as widely used as sugar because the latter is easier to use; it doesn’t have to be strained and it doesn’t have a distinct taste. Jaggery also curdles hot milk if it is not added at the right time, says Meena Thennaapan, Head of R&D, Mahamudra restaurant, Chennai. “Yet, it has always been used in traditional Indian sweets and dishes, which means that it has been in use for a long time. It is only recently that people have begun to replace it with sugar,” she adds.
Says Chef Harish Rao, Crowne Plaza, Chennai, “Although jaggery is not as widely used as sugar, it is popular in Indian culinary practices. It is used in curries, lentil soups and other preparations. It is an integral part of country sweets — groundnuts, grams, sesame seeds, rice flakes, puffed rice, popped rice, cashew nuts, almonds, wheat, or gram flour are combined with jaggery to make snacks — which are consumed during winter all over India, as they provide nutrition and warmth to combat the cold.”
Chef Padmnav finds that jaggery can also be equally effective as a sweetener as well as a coolant in summer (Palmyra jaggery). “Jaggery can be used in cooking for making most sweets including ladoos, rasgullas, different types of halwas as well as shakes and ice creams. It can also be used in a range of bakery products from cookies to cake bases,” he explains.
