Should you replace sugar with jaggery in your food?
As a first step towards eliminating white sugar, yes. Organic, black jaggery is a better alternative as it has traces of iron, fibre and various mineral salts. Consumption in controlled quantity works.
BUT the underlying problem we’re working on in Holistic Nutrition is the addiction to unnatural taste – in this case, processed sugar in all its forms, including jaggery.
As we continue consuming sugar in the form of jaggery, we manipulate our taste buds, reducing our ability to appreciate the natural sweetness of fruits. That’s why many people top up fruits with honey or sugar.
You can enjoy payasam or kheer with natural sweeteners like dates or raisins. But not until we rid ourselves of jaggery which feeds our sweet cravings.
From sugar, we’re now addicted to jaggery!