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There are several varieties of sugar: cane, beet, maple, malt, sorghum, and palm. In our country, beetroot is the most common, and many know how to use it, how it is useful and how it can harm. The benefits and harms of palm sugar (jaggery), the recipes in which it is indispensable, are not so well known today, but people who try palm sweetness at least once will at least appreciate its unique taste.
How and from what is palm sugar made
Palm sugar is a beneficial product made from the juice that comes from the cuts made on the flower cobs of a sugar palm. The homeland of the plant is Southeast Asia. Therefore, all products that are manufactured in this area (sugar, alcohol, wine, vinegar) are considered valuable and relatively expensive all over the world.
Earlier, palm sugar was obtained as follows (homemade jaggerry is now made in the same way):
- Juice was poured into large earthenware containers (the pots should be half full).
- The containers were placed on an oven where the juice was evaporated.
- During the evaporation process, the contents of the containers were gradually filled until they became full, and in parallel the foam formed on the surface was removed.
- Lime (small amount) and palm leaf were added.
Today, healthy palm sugar is extracted and produced much faster and easier thanks to modern technology. In factories, juice goes through a considerable number of processing stages (filtration, decantation, and others).
The cooking method affects the taste and color of the jaggery. Produced in the factory, it tastes like caramel to which honey has been added, and it tastes like molasses at home. It is also believed that homemade food, due to its properties, brings more benefits to the body, since the necessary vitamins and other substances are preserved during production, and causes less harm, since it does not contain any other additional components.
Composition and calorie content of palm sugar
Home-made jaggery is considered the most useful. It contains a considerable amount of minerals, organic acids, dietary fiber, vitamins:
- potassium;
- zinc;
- copper;
- folic acid;
- anthocyanidins;
- choline;
- thiamine;
- magnesium;
- phosphorus;
- riboflavin;
- choline;
- nicotinic acid and other beneficial substances.
The main composition of the product is fructose, sucrose (about 50%), glucose. The approximate calorie content is 308 kcal.
Types of sugar on sale:
- soft, liquid and viscous substance;
- pieces and crystals;
- pressed tiles.
The health benefits of jaggery
Due to the composition rich in useful substances, it is able to usefully influence the following systems of the human body:
- digestive (due to its properties, it reduces the load on the pancreas, normalizes the liver);
- cardiovascular (normalizes blood pressure);
- respiratory (relieves attacks with whooping cough and asthma, eliminates sore throat, possible harm - the occurrence of an allergic reaction);
- genitourinary (helps to speed up the healing process with pathologies of an inflammatory nature);
- musculoskeletal system (maintains the density of cartilage and bone tissue).
It is also known that the benefits of jaggery are not limited to the above list, since the properties of the product are also capable of purifying the blood, increasing energy, facilitating the digestion process, normalizing the menstrual cycle, removing toxins and maintaining electrolyte balance without harm to the body.
Sugar is useful not only as a food product. Its properties have been used to this day in some areas as a building material (instead of cement), feed for cattle (in India, they are added to feed for cows so that milk is sweeter), bait for fish.
Palm Sugar Healing Recipes
Do not forget about the medicinal properties of the substance. It helps with asthma, colds, migraines, inflammation. Alternative medicine can offer a considerable number of recipes with palm sweetness, the beneficial properties of which have been proven by more than one generation.
With ginger juice to treat inflammation
Ginger juice and sugar are blended to create a beneficial medicine that can help fight colds. This remedy relieves inflammation and swelling of the throat mucosa, eliminates painful sensations, and removes phlegm.
The recipe is simple: mix the juice of ginger (squeezed out of a small piece ~ 10 grams) and 5 grams of palm sugar.
With turmeric for asthma
To make it easier to cope with asthma attacks and / or prevent them from occurring, traditional healers recommend mixing palm substance (1 piece) with butter (half a teaspoon) and turmeric (5 teaspoons).
With sesame seeds for headaches
A remedy made from jaggeri (half a teaspoon), the same amount of sesame seeds and a few drops of milk helps well for migraines. From these ingredients, a paste is made, which must subsequently be applied to the forehead for a few minutes.
With basil for colds
To prepare a useful remedy for colds, you must mix a small amount of sugar (a teaspoon) with basil juice (2 tsp). After that, pour the mixture with purified or boiled water (150 ml) and drink.
With ginger powder for hiccups
It is also believed that a drink made from ginger powder (500 mg) and sugar (3 g) can help get rid of hiccups without harm. If this situation suddenly happened, and the above ingredients were at hand, you can safely try the tool.
The use of palm sugar in cooking
Jaggery, like other types of sugar, can be beneficially combined with completely different foods. It will give a unique taste to any dish, but it is especially interesting in combination with the following products:
- meat (any);
- fish (seafood);
- berries;
- mushrooms;
- fruit;
- vegetables.
Also, the substance gives a special taste to various sauces and dressings, so you can safely experiment with it, combining even with the incompatible.
The harm of palm sugar and contraindications
Palm sugar is much more beneficial and less harmful than other types, since it undergoes minimal processing and retains more of the substances necessary for the body. But, like any other product, the healthy palm sweetness has certain contraindications:
- the presence of allergic reactions;
- obesity;
- diabetes and / or other disorders of the thyroid gland.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that the benefits and harms of palm sugar are unequal. Palm sugar is an extremely healthy product that, if used correctly, is practically not capable of causing harm. Large doses of palm sugar are just as dangerous to health as any other type, but if consumed in moderation, the benefits and beneficial properties can be fully appreciated.
