Jaggery (Gur) for Diabetes?

Dr. Ritesh Bansal
June 29, 2021

Jaggery for Diabetes? Can I have Jaggery (Gur) in place of sugar? Is Jaggery good for diabetes? These are the most common questions DIABETICS ask, particularly in winter.

TO ANSWER THIS LET US FIRST SEE, WHAT IS JAGGERY?

Jaggery is traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar. Jaggery is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color.

Jaggery contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder, made up of other insoluble matter.

What is the Nutritional Value of Jaggery?

100 grams (half a cup) of jaggery may contain:

Calories: 383

Sucrose: 65–85 grams

Fructose and glucose: 10–15 gram

Protein: 0.4 grams

Fat: 0.1 grams.

Iron: 11 mg, or 61% of the RDI.

Magnesium: 70-90 mg, or about 20% of the RDI.

Potassium: 1050 mg, or 30% of the RDI.

Manganese: 0.2–0.5 mg, or 10–20% of the RDI.

A common question by diabetics is – Can I have Jaggery for Diabetes? There is a common misconception among diabetics that jaggery can be safely replaced with table sugar and that one can have jaggery in place of sugar in diabetes.

However, this is wrong.

Is Jaggery healthier than sugar?

In spite of the fact that jaggery is more nutritious than table sugar, it still fails to become a healthy choice for diabetes. The reason is that jaggery is also a food with a high glycaemic index (gi), having the almost same amount of carbohydrates as that of table sugar.

The glycemic index is basically a measure of how slowly or quickly foods can cause an increase in blood glucose levels.

So what is the gi index of Jaggery?

The glycaemic index or gi index of Jaggery is around 80.

So, coming back to the question.

Is Jaggery good for diabetes? NO

Jaggery as mentioned earlier contains about 60 percent carbohydrates and thus affects the physiological functions of the body in the same way as table sugar does. Even jaggery is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream causing spikes in sugar levels.

Therefore, jaggery should not be allowed in a Diabetic diet and persons with diabetes should not consume jaggery.

You can definitely use jaggery as a sugar substitute if you are not suffering from Diabetes or you are not at risk of developing Diabetes.

But if a Diabetic consumes jaggery, it is no less than consuming toxin.

Take Home Message - Jaggery for Diabetics? A Strict NO

A Diabetic patient, Controlled or Uncontrolled should avoid Jaggery or Gur, to avoid spikes of sugar levels thereby paving way for diabetic complications. Hence, jaggery is not a replacement for sugar in diabetes.

[Featured Image Credit – iStockphoto.com]

Dr. Ritesh Bansal

Dr. Ritesh Bansal, MBBS, MD, MRCP (UK) is a Consultant Diabetologist & Physician at Saroj Diabetes & Research Center, Wellness Hospital, Delhi

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