Blackstrap Molasses – a mineral-rich superfood

Blackstrap Molasses – a mineral-rich superfood

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I have recently started adding blackstrap molasses to my diet after learning about the high mineral content. If you want to increase the nutrient-density of your diet, molasses is a great addition. It’s also relatively cheap which is a bonus. I use Meridien Organic Pure Blackstrap Molasses. You can buy a 740g jar on Amazon for about £5 (buy via our Amazon Shop link in menu bar above).

 

Molasses is a thick dark syrup that is a byproduct of sugar refining. It results when sugar is crystallized out of sugar cane or sugar beet juice. Sugar cane roots go very deeply into the soil, often 15 feet down or more. That’s enough to bypass nutritionally depleted topsoil, which has become the norm with monoculture and chemically induced agriculture.

 

What Minerals do you Find in Blackstrap Molasses? (Figures given for the Meridien brand I buy)

 

*CALCIUM ~100mg of calcium in one 25g tablespoon – this is about 12.5% of your RDA.

*IRON ~3mg of iron in one 25g tablespoon – this is about 20% of your RDA

*CHROMIUM ~5ug in one 25g tablespoon – this is about 12.5% of your RDA

*It is also contains reasonable amounts of magnesium, manganese, potassium, copper, zinc and selenium plus some of the B vitamins.

 

Unlike many other plant foods, which on paper look like a good sources of minerals, molasses contains a low level of phosphorus. This is important because high phosphorus levels in plant foods usually means high phytic acid content and that means the minerals are pretty unavailable for absorption by our digestive systems. Molasses only has about 30mg of phosphorus per 100g indicating low phytic acid content.

 

How I Take Molasses

 

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I make molasses into a mineral-rich hot drink that has the added bonus of being caffeine-free. It also contains lots of healthy fats and protein from the gelatin. It’s a take on the idea of bulletproof coffee with grass-fed butter and coconut oil.

 

Here’s the recipe

*1 tbsp (about 25g) of organic blackstrap molasses

*1 tbsp coconut oil

*1 tbsp grass-fed, unsalted butter (for a dairy-free version simply omit the butter). You could also use clarified butter/ghee

*2 tbsp Great Lakes gelatin (green tub)

*1 mug of boiling water

*Optional: 1/2 tsp each of ground ginger, ground cinnamon and ground turmeric

*Optional: 1 tbsp raw cream

 

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until frothy. I use a Nutribullet blender but you could use any blender. This doesn’t work without blending as the fats stay oily, you need to blend to emulsify and make it creamy. A great alternative to tea or coffee in the morning. I also find this just sweet enough to take a sugar-craving away so I sometimes drink a mug of this after lunch or mid afternoon.

 

I have also started adding molasses to smoothies for my kids. I mix half a table spoon of molasses with a little boiling water to get the molasses to dissolve. I then add raw kefir, frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries or blueberries) plus either a little water or raw milk and blend. My kids love it! My 3yr old daughter won’t eat red meat so I am pleased to get some extra iron into her via the molasses.