Palm Sugar

Palm Sugar also called Panangkarkandu or Panam Kalkandu in Tamil is a healthy alternative to regular white cane sugar because it is rich in nutrients as opposed to white sugar that is devoid of any nutrition. Since Palm Sugar does not go through any chemical process, it retains most of it’s nutritional benefits making it a healthy alternative to white sugar for everyone including babies, pregnant women and elders.

Here in our place, we use palmyra Palm Sugar (panakarkandu) extensively in remedies especially in herbal tea served for improving digestion. We make a wonderful tea out of Palm Sugar and I love it. Whenever we make evening tiffin like bajji, we also serve palm jaggery tea made with palm sugar, dried ginger and peppercorns to promote digestion.

Palm Sugar is a wonderful energy booster for both adults and children alike. It is rich in vitamins and minerals like vitamin B, iron, calcium and keeps us energized. Encourage children to consume Palm Sugar from their young age instead of white sugar which is devoid of any nutrients from young age itself. It can also be safely given to infants and babies.

Palm Sugar is full of antioxidants and regular intake helps improve our immunity. Since it is rich in antioxidants, consuming Palm Sugar prevents free radicals which is the main reason for skin ageing. It is also a wonderful blood purifier and here in our village we prefer natural sweeteners like Palm Sugar over white sugar. All our traditional sweets are made with palm sugar.

Here in our place it is a custom to take sweets and fruits for pregnant women. We usually make the sweets at home with either Palm Jaggery or regular Jaggery. Pregnant and lactating women should try to avoid white sugar completely. Instead replace with nutrient rich Palm Sugar. Even women who are suffering from PCOS will benefits replacing white sugar with Palm Sugar.

Any ingredient that has a low glycemic index and does not spike up our blood sugar levels is considered the best. Palm Sugar has a low glycemic index compared to white sugar which has a high glycemic index of 61 so it does not spike our blood sugar levels immediately.

Palm Sugar is generally used in remedies for treating cough and cold. Ginger tea sweetened with Palm Candy is a very good remedy for cold and cough. It also treats hiccups and aids digestion. Since Palm Sugar is rich in magnesium, it also has a soothing effect on our nervous system.

Palm Sugar is free from chemicals and additives whereas white sugar is highly refined. White sugar is free of all nutrients whereas Palm Sugar is rich in nutrients. Palm Sugar has a low glycemic index as opposed to white sugar. Palm Sugar is an apt sweetener (in moderation) for kids, adults and even pregnant women than white sugar as it is devoid of any nutrients.

We can use Palm Sugar in all the recipes that call for white sugar, the color of the dish might be darker and the taste might slightly vary but it won’t change the taste drastically. At home, we use Palm Sugar in all the traditional sweet recipes and also for making herbal teas like ginger tea and also in remedies.

Though Palm Sugar is rich in nutrients and is a wonderful substitute for white sugar, we should remember that it is still a concentrated form of sugar and has high amounts of fructose (almost 40 %) so please moderate your intake. Diabetic patients should be cautious while consuming Palm Sugar and should limit the intake greatly.