Can Babies Eat Jaggery?

Jaggery or gud is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar, mostly used in America and Asia. Jaggery is a mixture of cane juice and date or palm sap. Sugar extracted from sap of the date palm is rarely available in regions outside their origins. The toddy palm is tapped in order to produce gud in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal. In Sri Lanka another variety of jaggery is made out of the syrup extract from kithul trees, or from coconut syrup. Jaggery is used for serving breakfast rice porridge, or with drinks and teas.

Jaggery contains calories, carbohydrates, sugar and some protein, vitamins B6 and B12, folate, iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, manganese and selenium.

Jaggery as any sugar has its side effects. If consumed excessively, it can lead to weight gain, to the raise of blood sugar levels, to indigestion.

Is Jaggery Better Than White Sugar?

Any type of sugar is a source of calories, which should be consumed in moderation. The difference between white sugar and jaggery is, that while white sugar has only “empty calories”, jaggery has more nutritional values, containing vitamins and minerals too.

Is Jaggery Good For Babies?

Pediatricians recommend introducing jaggery or any kind of sugar into your baby’s diet only after the age of 12 months. You can start giving sugar or even better, sugar substitutes like jaggery to your baby starting at the age of 6 months. A teaspoon of jaggery added to your baby’s food, given once in a while does no harm. Just pay attention to the quantity and frequency you offer your baby.

Homemade Jaggery Syrup

Ingredients: 1 cup jaggery, ¾ cup water.

Put the jaggery in a saucepan and add the ¾ cup of water. Heat it for a couple of minutes, until it melts entirely. Once melted, strain the jaggery water, afterwards boil it in a pan until it gets a slightly sticky texture. Keep the heat on medium level and stir from time to time to avoid burning at the bottom on the pan.