Jaggery is rich in?

RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2018

Applied Nutrition & Dietetics

Easy

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2018

Explanation

Jaggery is an unrefined sugar that retains minerals from sugarcane juice, unlike refined white sugar.
Among the options provided, jaggery is most significantly recognized for its iron content.
Nutritional data confirms that jaggery contains a substantial amount of iron (ranging from 2.64 to 11.4 mg per 100g depending on the source), which is far more than other sweeteners.
Clinically, the iron in jaggery is beneficial for increasing hemoglobin levels and is often recommended as a dietary supplement for individuals with or at risk of iron-deficiency anemia.

Option A: While jaggery does contain calcium (approximately 80 mg per 100g), it is not considered 'rich' in it compared to other food sources like dairy products or certain green leafy vegetables. Its iron content is more nutritionally significant.
Option C: Jaggery contains only trace amounts of folic acid (folate). The quantity is too small to be considered a rich source.
Option D: Jaggery contains no Vitamin C. This vitamin is heat-sensitive and is completely destroyed during the boiling process used to make jaggery.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Nutritional value of common food items, specifically jaggery as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses often provide dietary counseling to patients, especially those with nutritional deficiencies like iron-deficiency anemia. Recommending affordable and culturally common foods like jaggery can improve patient adherence.
In community health settings, particularly in India, promoting the use of jaggery over refined sugar can be a simple public health strategy to combat mild anemia in vulnerable groups like adolescents and pregnant women.
What if the patient has diabetes? The nurse must advise caution. Although jaggery has more nutrients than sugar, it is still a simple carbohydrate with a high glycemic index and will raise blood sugar levels. Diabetic patients should consume it sparingly, if at all.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question based on nutritional knowledge.
First, identify the core of the question: it asks for the primary nutrient that jaggery is known for.
Recall or deduce the nutritional properties of jaggery. It's a type of unrefined sugar.
Compare jaggery to refined sugar. The key difference is that unrefined products retain more of the original plant's minerals.
Evaluate the options: Calcium, Iron, Folic Acid, and Vitamin C. Consider which of these is most likely to be retained from sugarcane and is a well-known benefit of jaggery.
Select the nutrient for which jaggery is most famous as a source, which is iron, often recommended for anemia.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Textbook of Biochemistry for medical StudentsDM Vasudevan Part 2 — Subpart B (pp 240-463 of 478) p. 205-207

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