Jaggery - eaten after every meal in winter in north India

1. Mixed with other ingredients like peanuts, til (sesame seeds), coconut, jaggery is a staple after-meal sweet found in most North Indian homes.

2. In fact, not just in food, gur is steeped in Punjab’s entire culture from its folk songs to its many traditions; a symbol of shagun, it finds place in every celebration.

3. Celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar included sugarcane and gur in the list of 10 Indian superfoods in her book Indian Superfoods: Change the Way You Eat, last year.

She advocates eating a mixture of ghee and gur with lunch and dinner in winters. This acts as a perfect cleanser for lungs and intestines and works as a digestive aid as well. This concoction is good for detoxing, too, if you are feeling bloated.

4. The ayurveda celebrates gur for its property to increase majja or health of the bone marrow. Apart from being a natural sweetener, gur is also rich in vitamins and minerals and boosts immunity.

5. “Have you ever asked your elders why they end every meal with gur?” asks Preeti Bisth, a Patiala-based dietician. She dubs “the gur as a magical potion that is good for digestion. It cleanses the liver by flushing out harmful toxins, purifies blood, boosts resistance against infections, prevents anaemia, and most importantly, it helps women to deal with menstrual pain. So, gur is an ideal solution for many health problems.”

6. Epidemology evidence that jaggery is good for health 

Sweet notes from history

Tejwant Gill, a literary critic, says gur has always been a part of Punjabi culture and heritage. “People used to give a chunk of gur as shagun in olden times. Every celebration or festival, be it marriage or the birth of a child or Lohri, gur used to be distributed as sweets to all near and dear ones. It was an essential item in every Punjabi kitchen. From children to adults, everyone could relish it in various ways. A glass of milk with shakkar was mandatory for kids for speedy growth and better digestion, while adults would relish it as gur wale chawal or gur wale paranthe.” The recent ravings by dieticians and doctors surprise Gill, as our elders always knew about the health benefits of gur.

Going places


Across India, various regional recipes use jaggery in various dishes. In Andhra Pradesh, Chakkara Pongal is prepared with rice, jaggery and milk. In Kerala, various varieties of payasam are made with jaggery as sweetener.



http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/spectrum/the-goodness-of-gur/510693.html