Narain: Doctor, I’ve been using jaggery instead of sugar in my coffee. A diabetic friend told me jaggery is good for us. What do you think?
Doctor: Ah, the old jaggery debate! Narain, I hate to break it to you, but your friend’s advice is about as useful as a chocolate teapot for a diabetic. What did you say his blood sugar readings were?
Narain: His FBS is 200, PPBS is 250, and HBA1C is 8.5%. But he insists jaggery is fine!
Doctor: Narain, with those numbers, your friend is deep in diabetes territory. Arguing that jaggery is good for diabetics is like saying ice cream is a vegetable because it comes from cows. Let’s dig into the sweet science, shall we?
Jaggery and sugar both come from sugarcane. The only difference is that jaggery has some extra minerals because of how it’s processed. But in terms of blood sugar impact, they’re like two peas in a sugary pod. Jaggery is about 65-85% sucrose, while sugar is 99% sucrose. So with jaggery, you might be getting a tiny bit more nutrition, but you’re still mainlining a truckload of sugar.
For diabetics, the goal is to keep blood sugar stable. Eating jaggery is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline – it’ll just spike your glucose levels and make your diabetes harder to control.
When can diabetics enjoy jaggery? Sparingly, my friend. On rare festive occasions, a small taste of jaggery-sweetened treats like puran poli or obbattu is fine. A drizzle of liquid jaggery on neer dosa won’t kill you. But these should be occasional indulgences, not daily habits. And your sugar levels need to be well-managed to handle these sweet dalliances.
The bottom line? Jaggery is not a magic bullet for diabetes. Treat it like any other sugar – consume in strict moderation if your glucose is controlled, and steer clear if your diabetes is running wild. Stick to a diabetes-friendly diet, exercise, and medication, and save the jaggery for those special occasions.
