All you need to know about Sugar, Sugar-free and Jaggery!

Mehak Narula

Hey guys,

A lot of you must be having this question very often, I thought of sharing a detailed blog on this so that it can clear your doubts for once and for all.

Today’s topic is focused on “SUGAR”

Glucose, fructose & galactose there three components that makes sugar. Sugar in general we all know is a substance basically used to add sweetness to our foods or specifically desserts but on the other hand excessive intake on sugars can drastically affect the body.

It can even interfere with hormones in your body that regulates hunger & fullness leading to obesity; also harms metabolism which leads to increased insulin & fat storage & sometimes deadly disease like diabetes, heart disease or cancer. But having said that, having desserts in moderation is okay :), it keeps your heart healthy!

We all have heard of substitutes of sugar like stevia, erythritol, jaggery etc but never spent time on reading about them.. Today, I am gonna share these details with you:

1.

Stevia

It is extracted from a plant leaves called Stevia Rebaudiana.

  • It is zero calorie sugar
  • Very less amount of stevia works for large amount of sugar that means 1Tsp Stevia= 1Cup Sugar
  • It can be sourced from supermarkets or various marketplaces
  • The texture of stevia is generally either liquidy or very fine like icing sugar
  • Too much of stevia can make your desserts a little bitter

2.

Erythritol

It is a sugar alcohol used as a low calorie/ sugar-free sweetener.

  • It has only 6% of the calorie content found in an equal amount of sugar.
  • Table sugar=4 Calorie/gram

Erythritol= 0.24 Calorie/gram

  • It is made by yeast fermentation of glucose from corn or wheat starch
  • Looks very similar to castor sugar.
  • Available on marketplaces & baking supply vendors.
  • My favourite brand is Nutrisweetnaturals and it works really well for sugar-free/keto desserts.

3.

Jaggery

It is an unrefined sugar, extracted from sugarcane or palm tree

  • Often referred to as a “Superfood Sweetener”.
  • India is the largest producer accounts for more than 60% of world jaggery production.
  • It is loaded with lots of vitamins, protein & minerals (Magnesium, Potassium & Manganese).
  • Jaggery contains more nutrients than refined sugar of its molasses content which adds micronutrients to the final product.
  • Can be acquired in the form of blocks, liquid or granules (also called jaggery powder).
  • Along with the facts above, Jaggery also has some health benefits like:

    • 1. It improves digestion
    2. It improves immunity
    3. It helps in detoxification of liver

  • It is easily available on marketplaces, local kirana stores and supermarkets

I hope these details helped you in some way or the other. In case you have any questions related to this, feel free to ask 🙂

Thank you for your time!!! Be Happy & Healthy!

-Love
Mehak