All About Blackstrap Molasses

'What Molasses?  Isn't that what you feed cattle and horses'?  I hear you say. 

Yes molasses was given to livestock, and when you realise the abundance of nutrients found in this food, it might just become a dietary staple in your healing homes too.

What is it?  Blackstrap molasses is made by refining sugarcane and sugar beets. During processing, sugar crystals are extracted leaving a dark, syrupy mixture.  It is the darkest colour molasses and this indicates the presence of less sugar, and more nutrients.

Molasses is generally added to a recipe for colour, flavour and moisture, rather than sweetness. This is why many recipes use molasses (also known as treacle) with sugar also added, such as gingerbread or this delicious sticky date pudding recipe.

Some of its known health benefits include;

1. It's good for our hair.  Long-term consumption of blackstrap has been linked to improved hair quality, hair regrowth in men and even a restoration of your hair's original color!
2. A safer sweetener for our blood sugar - Blackstraphas a low glycemic index, which means the glucose and carbohydrates are metablolised slowly, demanding less insulin production and stabilising blood sugar.
3. It has laxative qualities - Blackstrap is a natural stool softener that can improve the regularity and quality of your bowel movements.
4. It's loaded with minerals:  If the molasses is from sugarcane grown in high quality soil, it can have an abundance of B vitamins, especially B6, and minerals including iron which is great for our blood and calcium, magnesium and potassium which are all very important for our bone health. These minerals and nutrients are also important for our nervous system.
5. Rich in iron - Two tablespoons of blackstrap contain 13.2 percent of our RDI of iron, which our bodies need to carry oxygen to our blood cells. People who are anemic (including pregnant women) will greatly benefit from consuming 1-2 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses per day.
6. Great for general health:  Blackstrap molasses has been touted for its wide spread healing ability with cases including growths, strokes, arthritis, ulcers, skin conditions, high blood pressure, constipation, varicose veins, anaemia, bladder issues, gall-stones, nerve cases and pregnancy.  It is also among the list of alkaline foods, while white sugar is highly acidic.

 
While I prefer to use sweeteners in their whole form (i.e. real food) and unprocessed, there will be times you can happily add in organic blackstrap molasses and know you're also giving your body a load of much needed healing nutrients at the same time. 

Have you tried blackstrap Molasses and if so how do you use it?