13 Major Benefits of Palm Jaggery
Palm jaggery is a variant of raw jaggery that provides many health benefits because of its rich nutritious profile. It is a good substitute for white sugar which is deprived of any nutritional value as all vitamins, minerals, and amino acids get flushed out of it during the manufacturing process.
Palm jaggery retains most of its nutrients as it is made without involving chemicals and artificial ingredients.
Palm jaggery is expensive compared to sugarcane jaggery or raw jaggery and is made from palm tree extract.
Palm jaggery provides many health benefits due to the abundance of essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and dietary fibers, etc.
Health Benefits of Palm Jaggery
Following are the major health benefits of palm jaggery.
(1) Excellent source of Minerals
Palm jaggery has 60 times more minerals than white sugar.
White sugar almost loses all its minerals during the manufacturing process and gets deprived of any nutritious value.
This is why white sugar is called empty calories.
Palm jaggery contains vital minerals like iron, potassium, magnesium, and calcium that provide amazing benefits such as keeping red blood cells healthy, strengthening bones, strengthening immunity, regulating blood pressure, and improving nerve functioning, etc.
(2) Natural Detoxifier
Dietary fibers in palm jaggery remove toxins, pollutants, and other impurities from our system.
By helping with detoxification, it reduces the detoxification burden from our vital organs like the liver and kidneys and enhances their performance.
The detoxifying properties of palm jaggery reduce the risk of skin problems like acne and pimples.
(3) Improves Digestive Health
Palm jaggery improves our digestive health as antioxidants and other relevant compounds protect our digestive system from free radical damage.
It reduces the risk of colon cancer, abdominal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and intestinal cancer, etc.
The laxative properties of dietary fibers in palm jaggery improve bowel movement and provide relief from constipation and other digestive problems like abdominal pain, gas, bloating, and flatulence, etc.
Palm jaggery enhances digestive enzymes in our body and thus helps with digestion.
In some regions of India, it’s common to offer a small serving of jaggery or palm jaggery after the heavy meal to help with digestion.
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(4) Regulates High Blood Pressure
Palm jaggery contains potassium, a natural vasodilator that relaxes blood vessels, improves blood circulation, and provides relief from hypertension.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a silent killer that affects millions around the world and is a leading cause of cardiovascular and other health problems.
The low sodium level in palm jaggery prevents fluid retention in the body, minimizes stress on the heart and blood vessels, and keeps blood pressure under control.
However, too much potassium may cause dizziness, fainting, nausea, trouble breathing, irregular heartbeat, dehydration, poor concentration, blurred vision, and pale skin, etc.
If you take blood pressure medication, have a word with your doctor before adding palm jaggery to your routine to ensure there is no food-drug interference.
(5) Reduces The Risk of Anemia
Palm jaggery reduces the risk of iron-induced anemia, a blood disorder caused by iron deficiency in our body.
It causes symptoms such as fatigue, pale skin, weakness, shortness of breath, dizziness, lightheadedness, chest pain, and irregular heartbeat or palpitation, etc.
Iron in palm jaggery increases the production of red blood cells that carries oxygenated blood to cells and tissues of the body.
They provide nourishment to our body and keep it healthy.
Doing so reduces the risk of anemia.
Zinc and copper in palm jaggery also help in reducing anemia risk.
(6) Better Alternative to White Sugar For Regulating Blood Sugar Level
Palm jaggery is a better alternative to white sugar when it comes to blood sugar regulation.
Not maintaining optimal blood sugar levels increases the risk of diabetes which further causes other health problems such as cardiovascular problems, kidney problems, nerve problems, or vision problems.
Compared to white sugar, palm jaggery has a low glycemic index and reduces the rate at which sugar is released into the bloodstream.
This prevents a sudden spike in blood sugar levels and keeps blood sugar under control.
Dietary fibers in palm jaggery slow down the absorption of sugar in the bloodstream and help in managing diabetes.
Despite the advantage, eat palm jaggery in moderation and after consulting with your doctor.
If you take diabetes medication, consult with your doctor before adding jaggery to your routine to avoid food-drug intolerance risk.
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(7) Promotes Weight Loss
Palm jaggery promotes weight loss because of multiple factors such as
- Potassium- Potassium improves metabolism causing our body to burn more calories leading to weight loss. It also prevents water retention and contributes to weight loss.
- Magnesium- Magnesium helps with the growth and contraction of muscles. This makes them bigger and stronger and increases energy consumption. An increase in energy consumption encourages our body to burn more calories, and help weight management.
- Dietary Fibers- Dietary fibers in palm jaggery provide stomach satiety and controls overeating, a major cause of obesity.
(8) Improve Cardiovascular Health
Palm jaggery is good for the heart and improves cardiovascular health.
Antioxidants and other relevant compounds such as phytonutrients, etc in palm jaggery protect our cardiovascular system from free radical damage.
The vasodilating properties of potassium in palm jaggery relax blood vessels, improve blood circulation, and relieve hypertension, a leading cause of cardiovascular problems.
The dietary fibers in the palm jaggery also play a significant role in keeping our cardiovascular system healthy as it reduces the level of bad LDL cholesterol in our bloodstream and enhances the production of good HDL cholesterol.
Dietary fibers in palm jaggery reduce LDL cholesterol and minimize the risk of atherosclerosis, a condition that hardens and narrows our arteries and leads to poor cardiovascular health.
Zinc, iron, and magnesium, etc in palm jaggery also improve heart health.
(9) Boosts Immune System
Palm jaggery strengthens our immune system, the defense mechanism of the body help in preventing and treating various infections, injuries, wounds, and diseases.
Antioxidants in palm jaggery protect our immune cells or white blood cells from free radical damage and strengthen immunity.
With stronger immunity, we are less likely to get a cough, cold, fever, and flu, etc.
The antimicrobial properties of palm jaggery protect us from bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.
Nutrients like iron, zinc, potassium, and magnesium, etc in palm jaggery also play an important role in boosting our immune system.
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(10) Good For Brain
palm jaggery improve our neurological health and is good for the brain.
Antioxidants and other relevant compounds in palm jaggery protect our nerve cells or neurons from free radical damage.
This reduces the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and amnesia, etc.
Iron in palm jaggery improves blood circulation in the brain and improves the functioning of nerve cells.
Other nutrients like potassium, zinc, magnesium, and B vitamins, etc in palm jaggery play a significant role in improving neurological health as they provide cognitive benefits such as sharper memory, better focus, alertness, and reduced confusion, etc.
(11) Strengthen Bones And Teeth
Bone strengthening minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, etc in palm jaggery strengthens our bones and teeth.
Calcium promotes the growth and development of bones and reduces the risk of bone disorders such as osteoporosis.
Potassium improves bone density by neutralizing acid load and reducing the loss of calcium from bones.
Magnesium in palm jaggery also contributes to increased bone density and improves bone health.
(12) Natural Energy Booster
palm jaggery is a natural energy booster as it provides energy for day-to-day activities.
Digestive enzymes in palm jaggery help with digestion and quick release of energy.
Both white sugar and palm jaggery provide energy quickly, but palm jaggery is a better choice as it is not just empty calories but a good source of essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and dietary fibers, etc.
(13) Maintains Skin Health
palm jaggery not only provides health benefits but is equally beneficial for our skin.
Antioxidants and other antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids, etc in palm jaggery protect our skin from free radical damage.
It reduces fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, skin blemishes, and other signs of aging.
Dietary fibers in palm jaggery remove toxins and impurities and reduce the risk of skin problems like acne and pimples.
Vitamins and minerals in palm jaggery provide nourishment to our skin and improve skin health.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about the topic and is not be taken as medical advice or as an alternative to medical advice, treatment, and/or diagnosis. Always consult with your doctor before trying out any of the remedies/recipes suggested in the blog post.
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