If you have ever lived in a place that experiences harsh winters, you ll notice that the moment the season changes, there are some basic dietary changes that come up. I noticed everyone around me ending their meals with a piece of jaggery. To them, it is an old wives tale and since the elders have advised so, they happily follow it. Children are even fed with ghee and gur or jaggery along with makki or bajra rotis to keep their body warm and for added nutrition. We decided to ask Dr Namita Nadar, Chief Dietician, Fortis Hospital, Noida the reason behind this tradition and here s what she says:
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Reasons you must eat jaggery during winters:
- Eating jaggery in winters helps in generating heat in the body. A piece of jaggery after every meal thus keeps the body warm from inside. Here are some more health benefits of jaggery.
- Minerals like zinc and selenium present in jaggery help build immunity and improve the body s resistance to infections. It also keeps your haemoglobin count in check. You can even add these immunity boosting foods to your diet.
- Jaggery or gur helps in dilating the respiratory tracts and provides relief from irritation in the throat. It also keeps your lungs warm.
- Winters are a time when you end up eating fatty food and in higher quantities. Since strolling outdoors or physical activity is lesser during the cold weather, digestion issues are on a rise. Eating jaggery prevents constipation and boosts production of digestive enzymes.
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4. Gur also helps in dilating the blood vessels that usually are prone to get constricted during extreme winters. Find out whether diabetics can have jaggery or gur instead of sugar.
5. The antioxidants present in jaggery help in preventing joint pains and inflammations which are common during winters.
How to add jaggery to your diet
One marble-sized piece of jaggery can be consumed daily post meals. You can add it to milk instead of sugar or replace refined sugar with jaggery wherever possible.
NOTE – This article was originally published in The health site and can be viewed here
