NaturalSociety June 21 2013

Superfoods are considered super because they are more nutrient dense than most other foods. One superfood, unsulphured blackstrap molasses, is among numerous superfoods receiving little recognition when it should be in everyone’s home. Read on to learn about blackstrap molasses benefits and what this superfood actually is.

Ironically, molasses is the byproduct or “waste” from processing sugar cane into unhealthful table sugar. Refined table sugar creates blood sugar and insulin instability while providing no nutrients. It actually robs nutrients, especially minerals, out of the body if consumed enough.

Once sugar canes are harvested, machines are used to press the juice out of the cane. 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.

That juice is boiled then put through centrifugal machinery to extract the sugar crystals. Sun ripened sugar cane is processed without using sulphur, which is less than ideal for human consumption.

Read:  The Many Benefits of Coconut Oil

A third boiling necessary to extract table sugar from sugar cane produces a thick dark substance known as blackstrap molasses, which is the most nutrient dense of all.

Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses Health Benefits

It is well established that synthetically derived or composed mineral supplements are not as beneficial as nutritionally dense whole food sources. Enzymes and minerals are even more important than vitamins for our health.

Blackstrap molasses has a low glycemic index. This means the glucose and carbohydrates are metabolized slowly, demanding less insulin production and stabilizing blood sugar. This results in less lipids or fats being stored in the liver while reducing your diabetes 2 risk factor.

Because of its high iron content, many use blackstrap molasses to holistically overcome anemia. Iron is essential to creating red blood cells. In addition to iron, blackstrap molasses contains folate, a natural source for folic acid, along with some other B vitamins, which all combine to form the synergistic mix that promotes red blood cell production.

Then there is magnesium in abundance, along with calcium. Magnesium is important for balancing calcium for bone production and energy. It is necessary for the smooth function of our nervous system. The mineral is essential to over 300 metabolic processes and the synthesis of almost all the other minerals and vitamins. Yet several health practitioners have gone on record saying that most of the population is magnesium deficient. Might there be some health problems associated with that?

Magnesium is also helpful for maintaining heart health. Insufficient magnesium levels can result in muscle spasms, including the heart muscle, which of course relates to arrhythmia or even heart attacks.

Potassium is another mineral abundant in blackstrap molasses. A deficiency in potassium results in weak muscles and is considered a factor in causing arthritis. Potassium also helps maintain a calmly functioning nervous system and boosts heart health.

Manganese, a trace mineral, is very high in unsulphured blackstrap molasses. Manganese ions function with a number of enzymes, and are essential to combating unusual free radicals. Like magnesium, manganese also supports cellular absorption of nutrients, and is beneficial to the nervous system.

Other minerals that appear in abundance are copper and zinc. Zinc has been tagged as the male mineral because it helps support a healthy prostate. Working with zinc, copper helps eliminate oxidation damage.

All the minerals and nutrients of unsulphured blackstrap molasses are in their natural, balanced form to create a bio-accessible, nutritional synergy unavailable from supplements that are not food. Regardless of the amounts of nutrients listed in synthesized supplements, there is more bang for the buck with whole or super food sources.

A complete nutrient analysis is here.

Taste Concerns

Unsulphured blackstrap molasses can be incorporated with many food items as a sweetener despite its distinctive flavor. It works in teas or hot cereals, on pancakes and waffles or dessert items, or used as a glaze for cooking. Some people take right to it.

Others, especially those who have taste buds conditioned for years by sugar and artificial sweeteners, find it lacking as a sweetener.

Just like any transition from unhealthy processed “tasty” foods to healthier real foods, taste can be acquired even to a point of wondering why the junk food was consumed with so much relish in the first place!

What is more important: a long lasting healthier condition, or immediately satisfying cravings that lead to serious health problems?

Unsulphured blackstrap molasses is easily managed as a tonic. Mixing a tablespoon or two with a glass of warm water works well as a mineral tonic. Some have used this mix three times a day as a remedy for extremely poor health conditions.

Restoring or maintaining health through natural whole foods requires a sustained intake over time, but it’s still less expensive than medications or even synthetically derived supplements. And the results are real and permanent without side effects.

Additional Sources:

WH Foods