Till Laddoos with dates, healthy Makar Sankrant .

It’s Makar Sankrant season, and you might be asking yourself whether the health benefits of sesame extend to a til laddoos. It’s yes and no.

Age-old traditions in India have ascertained that til is good for your health. For starters, it’s a great winter food . It lowers bad cholesterol, is rich in essential minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium which prevent diabetes and anemia, reduces blood pressure and strengthens the heart muscles. Sesame also contains the calming vitamins thiamin and tryptophan that helps lessen anxiety. A handful of sesame seeds contains more calcium than a glass of milk, and is therefore recommended to prevent and alleviate arthritis and osteoporosis. Its high fiber content aids digestion and it contains an antioxidant known as sesamin, which is said to slow down the regeneration of cancer cells. About 100 gms of the seed gives approximately 18 gms of proteins.

However til laddoos are both high calorie and high fat food, with til, jiggery and ghee contributors to the calories. (1 laddoo contains approximately 146 calories, including 7.85 gms fat.)

So we’d recommend substituting ghee and jaggery with dates (khajur) which are rich in vitamins and minerals, especially iron. (Dates are also good with porridge, see https://www.healthifyme.com/blog/weightloss-diet-porridge/)

Date and til laddoo recipe

Ingredients

Roasted white til, 2 cups

Dates, seedless 6 cups

Method

Grind the dates, and mix with the roasted til seeds (ensure the til seeds are lightly roasted, not browned, and have been cooled properly). Shape into laddoo ball, using wet hands to ensure the dates don’t stick to your palm. This recipe makes about 16 laddoos.

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