What are Brown Sugar and its Benefits

rown sugar is a popular sweetener nowadays, and it is commonly used by households in place of white sugar. Now if you are wondering what is brown sugar called in Hindi? —It's called "Lal Shhakar."

Lal Shakkar or brown sugar is made of granulated white sugar and molasses combined. Molasses is a thick, dark syrup that is a rich source of nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, and it comes as a by-product of the sugar refining process. As a result, brown sugar has a soft, moist, sandy texture with a caramel-like flavour and is used in baking goods, sauces, toppings, and more.

If we talk about brown sugar or white sugar, you must know that brown sugar is healthier than white sugar for several reasons.

Firstly, brown sugar has a lower glycemic index than white sugar. The glycemic index is a rating of foods that contain carbohydrates. It shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) level. Simply put, when you intake sugar, it is absorbed by your body more slowly. As a result, there will be an increase in blood sugar levels, which will prove harmful to the body and also make you fat and lazy.

Secondly, brown sugar has a stronger and richer flavour that enhances the taste of dishes. Moreover, it is rich in nutrients and antioxidants compared to white sugar. This is why brown sugar is a far better and healthier choice for an individual.

Brown sugar is easily available nowadays. Even with the increasing demand, it will be more affordable than other sweeteners. You can find it conveniently and use a variety of dishes while cooking and baking. Now let's understand some of the other advantages of brown sugar on your health:

- Energy Booster: According to science, when you take a simple carbohydrate, your body will easily break it down and give you a lot of energy. So here, brown sugar is also the form of simple carbohydrates that are easy to digest and fuel your body.

- Rich In Nutrients and Minerals: Brown sugar contains a lot of nutrients and Minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, and antioxidants, which further protect the cells from any of the damaging as well as have you make teeth and bones stronger, regulate blood pressure, and increase the production of red cells.

- Good for digestion: Brown sugar is also good for digestion because it is made up of molasses which promotes a healthy digestive system and bowel movements. Furthermore, the fibre in brown sugar leads to lower absorption of sugar by the body, which helps you regulate blood sugar levels.

- Stress Reduction: Blood sugar also has a calming effect on your body which helps you to reduce stress levels and increase calmness and relaxation. Molasses in brown sugar is the ingredient that allows muscles to relax and release anxiety. That's how brown sugar will help you with stress reduction.

- Improve the skin's health: Brown sugar helps improve the health of your body's skin by using it as a natural exfoliant scrub that removes dead skin cells. As a result, your skin will be smoother and healthier. Also, you must remove dirt and impurities from your skin and leave it clean and refreshing. And brown sugar also contains glycolic acid, which generally helps to make your skin anti-ageing and reduces fine lines and wrinkles.

- Enhance flavour: Branch sugar is rich in flavour, and its caramel-like flavour improves and enhances the taste of various dishes, desserts, and beverages. Brown sugar is generally used while baking the product, in sausages, and many more for the needed fitness and depth of flavour.

- Lowers Risk of Obesity and Diabetes: Brown sugar benefit for a diabetic person cannot be ignored. As we know, branch sugar has a lower glycemic index, making it a better substitute for a lump of white sugar to maintain the sugar level in the blood. It also has some amount of fibre which prevents the blood sugar spike. As a result, if your blood absorbs sugar, it also lowers the risk of obesity and diabetes.

- Improve Immune System: When something you eat has a good amount of Vitamin and Minerals, it will help boost your immune system. In reality, the molasses present in brown sugar contains anti-inflammatory properties, which reduce inflammation in your body and boost the immune system and overall health.

If you want, you can replace white sugar with brown sugar in the following preparations. -

- Beverages: you can use brown sugar to add sweetness to beverages like tea, coffee, or shakes. It will give a caramel-like flavour to your beverages.

- Oatmeal and Cereal: Brown sugar is also used as a topping for various oatmeal, cereal, and other breakfast dishes, which helps to boost your energy throughout the day.

- Baking: Most baking products are sweet, so sugar is one of the main ingredients for that, but for a healthy option, you can choose brown sugar, which also helps create a soft texture, giving it more taste and richness.

- Exfoliating Scrubs: You can also use brown sugar for a skincare routine. Brown sugar is a good exfoliating scrub that helps you rejuvenate your skin and remove dead cells. It also helps you to create an even tone of your skin.

- Sources and Marinades: Brown sugar is also used in making various types of sauces and marinades which when combined with other tangy ingredients create a balanced flavour.

To take care of health in a more precise way, one should have to move to more natural sweeteners to protect oneself from various health diseases. And the other way to take care of your health is to invest in a medical insurance plan to save yourself from the financial burden of healthcare checkups. As in rising needs for Healthcare, investing in good health insurance plans after [comparing health insurance](https://www.tataaig.com/health-insurance/compare-health-insurance health insurance) helps you to leverage the maximum benefits regarding the expenses you have to occur for the treatment of sudden or pre-existing health issues. Thus at Tata AIG, we provide customised plans according to the needs of the individual.

So having a good diet for good health is necessary, but protecting yourself from the financial burden of hefty medical bills will also be a better step towards overall health and the future.