Should jaggery be replaced with unrefined sugar for diabetics?

Living with diabetes isn't really the most ideal life. One has to face many restrictions the most important one being the cutting down of sugar from their diets. But does that mean you need to cut down all kinds of sugar? A lot of people are recommended to switch to jaggery but is that really healthy? An expert says, “For diabetic, anything that spikes insulin is bad, including jaggery. So jaggery is only relatively better for a diabetic than white sugar. However, organic, unprocessed jaggery does not evoke the same extent of response in the human body as white sugar does. It also contains some essential minerals such as iron and manganese.”

Another expert said, “Jaggery has a high glycemic index. Jaggery is a form of sugar that gets absorbed rapidly and can spike blood sugar levels. Many diabetic patients are under the misconception that jaggery is a safe replacement for sugar, however that’s not true. It is a good replacement for sugar among non-diabetics.” So, the conclusion they've drawn is that it isn't really safe for diabetics to consume jaggery. While for non-diabetics it seems to be a good replacement for sugar. Stay tuned for more updates.