Jaggery and artificial sweeteners are not health shortcuts, experts say

With the festive season underway, Indian kitchens are swapping refined sugar for jaggery, stevia or monk fruit sweetener in traditional sweets. The intention is to cut sugar intake while enjoying festive food, but nutrition science warns that these alternatives are not equivalent to eating less sugar.

Jaggery, though less refined and carrying trace minerals, remains a concentrated source of sugar. The World Health Organization recommends free sugars stay below 10% of daily energy intake, roughly 4 to 5 teaspoons for a 2,000-calorie diet. A jaggery laddu is still a sugar-heavy treat, and a 'sugar-free' dessert can be calorie-dense from ghee, nuts or cream.

The WHO also advises against relying on non-sugar sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame or monk fruit extract for long-term weight control, citing insufficient evidence of lasting benefit for reducing body fat. The key lesson, say public health specialists, is portion control: enjoy sweets less often and in smaller servings, regardless of the sweetener used.