01/08/2023
*Sugar vs. jaggery vs. brown sugar vs. honey* - an overview
Dr. Saji Kumar, MD pediatrics.
Recently, there has been a huge push towards jaggery in social media as a healthy alternative for white sugar. The reasons quoted are as follows:
White sugar is processed with chemicals
White sugar causes obesit and diabetes.
No extra minerals, iron in sugar
Let's discuss these claims.
White sugar contains 99.95 %sucrosee ( glucose 50 % + fructose 50%) with glycemic index 65. Most bad effects are attributed to fructose % in sugar. Industries use High Fructose corn syrup (glucose 45 % + fructose 55%) instead of sugar because it's cheap with a good shelf life with more sweetness. So it's bad compared to sugar. Next time, read the labels for the type of sugar used in packaged foods.
Jaggery contains 85 % sucrose and iron,minerals like magnesium, etc. so it's 15% less healthy than sugar in terms of sucrose content .The following chemicals are used in clarification of sugarcane juice to make jaggery - Guar gum powder, hydros (sodium hydrogen sulphite),calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. In traditional methods, they use lime and deola (Hibiscus sp). Brown color jaggery might have fewer chemicals used in clarification. To get minerals, we need to take more quantities of jaggery, which is not a healthy option.
The glycemic index of jaggery is 84( high), so jaggery is not a “healthy” alternative to sugar. We can use jaggery in places where it will enhance food taste, and it can not be used for baking.
Palm jaggery, on the other hand, got 75% sucrose with slightly low GI .
“ A dessert made from jaggery is not a healthy dessert, it's just a dessert” - quote from masala labs krish.
What about brown sugar?
Brown sugar is made by mixing refined sugar and a limited amount of molasses . Its glycemic index is the same as white sugar because it's nothing but the usual sugar in brown color. The quantity of added molasses is so low that there are no micronutrients left in them. So it's just a MARKETING GIMMICK and not a healthy alternative to sugar.
How about honey?
Honey is natural, so it should be healthy, right? Let's see.
Honey contains mainly fructose, Tbsp of sugar contains 46 calories, whereas 1 Tbsp of honey has 64 calories. The glycemic index is 50, but this is not the correct way of estimation.
Fructose will not increase sugar like glucose, and glycemic index measures the amount of glucose rise in blood. Fructose is mainly metabolized in the liver , in excess quantities, fructose gets converted to VLDL and triglycerides (unhealthy fat), uric acid, which aggravate metabolic syndrome. So honey should be used in very minimal quantities.
*TAKE HOME MESSAGES:*
1. Zero sugar is the only “HEALTHY” alternative to sugar
2. Jaggery, honey can be used in very limited quantities if desired.
3. Brown sugar is just a marketing gimmick
