First, it's a natural iron supplement, ideal for pregnant women, post-menopausal women, or anyone dealing with anemia. Second, it's extremely high in minerals and vitamins like copper, manganese, B6, potassium, chromium and selenium. Third, it's a great alternative sweetener with a glycemic index of only 55. Most important, it is high in healthy absorbable calcium and magnesium and in the right ratio for optimal absorption. Oops, that was four, not three. But there are way more reasons than that anyway.
But back to the most important reason. Most people are seriously deficient in calcium and magnesium, and it's important to ingest them in the right ratios so that they are useable for our bodies. Supplemental calcium has been shown to be dangerous. It can lead to increased hardening of the arteries. So food sources like blackstap molasses which have those minerals in natural form in the right ratios are perfect.
Thinking you get your calcium from milk? Milk is not good for us, really. Give it up. Instead, eat only fermented dairy like homemade yogurt or kefir from fresh organic raw milk, or a cheese like pecorino romano high in CLA. But you shouldn't eat enough dairy to get all the calcium you need. If you do, you're eating too much. Think small amounts when it comes to dairy, even fermented dairy.
Usually, I get my calcium from eating tons of greens (kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, etc.) or eating sardines with the bones (extremely high form of absorbable calcium).
Blackstrap molasses is an easy source when you don't have sardines or greens on hand. But it tastes just awful, I think. The only way I like it is on cush-cush or cornbread I make with organic non-GMO cornmeal. But I don't like to eat even organic corn very often. I always gain lots of weight from it.
So how to take my blackstrap molasses?
Today I found a way to ingest it DAILY and painlessly. Pleasurably actually. Read more for the recipe and a discussion of why it's the perfect vehicle for your blackstrap molasses.
Make sure it's organic cause you don't want to get the byproducts from horrible pesticide-soaked GMO sugar beets or highly-sprayed commercial sugar cane in your blackstrap molasses. That's what molasses is--the mineral-rich byproduct of sugar production. Better you get the rich natural molasses byproduct of organic sugar production from organic sugar cane.
I like Plantation Organic but read this comparison of blackstrap molasses products on another blog I like: https://www.toxinless.com/blackstrap-molasses The cheapest source I've found for it is jet.com. Take advantage of your first 3 orders being 15% with free shipping. Stock up on this stuff. It's expensive to order from other sites and the variety carried at many healthfood stores is oftentimes the non-organic variety.
FROZEN COCO MOCHA MACAROON
This morning, in my habitual fashion as of late, I had chocolate for breakfast. I eat some form of homemade chocolate confection every few days for regularity's sake. Nothing works better for me than chocolate. Combined with coffee, it is an instant laxative. I've always had a sluggish digestive system and I've never found anything that works this well. I am trying to stay away from harsh laxatives. I get plenty of fiber...it just SITS there. Chocolates makes everything move. I even find it sparks me mentally.
In the past, I have used organic raw cane sugar in my homemade chocolate confections (which really is alot better than regular sugar), but I'm diabetic and should do even organic sugar rarely if at all. In my last post about chocolate for breakfast, I had drizzled my homemade chocolate syrup (with no sugar) over sweet chunks of fresh pineapple.
But today, I tried making a chocolate confection with blackstrap molasses. I thought it might taste terrible, so I added lots of ingredients to distract from the taste, including extra cocoa and a splash of strong coffee and some raw unsweetened coconut flakes. My recipe included:
Ingredients:
1/3 cup raw cacao (or your favorite cocoa powder)
2 tbsp, virgin coconut oil
1/8 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tbsp. brewed coffee
1/4 cup ground raw flax seeds
2 tbsp. blackstrap molasses
I froze little spoonfuls of it in the shape of coconut macaroons on a glass plate in the freezer, but they looked nothing like macaroons. They were black as molasses, you could say, and decadently mocha. (You can also pour the confection out into a flat mold and make them like chocolate crunch bars.)
Directions:
Add all your dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well. Gently melt your coconut oil in a pan then mix your coffee and molasses in with your melted coconut oil. Pour the liquid into your mixing bowl and mix well with your dry ingredients. If the mixture is not moist enough, add a splash more coffee. Drop spoonfuls onto a glass or stainless steel tray or plate for freezing. When frozen, you can use a butter knife to separate them gently from the tray or plate and place them in the container of your choice. I just leave the plate in my freezer and keep reusing it every time I want to make more.
Chocolate for breakfast is great for regularity, as I said, but so are flax, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, and blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses is a natural stool softener. This combination of ingredients is a one-two health punch for your digestive system.**
Plus the seeds are high in protein, as is the cacao. Yes, cocoa powder has over a gram of protein per tablespoon, while raw cacao powder has twice the protein. You should always aim for high-protein and healthy fats in your first meal of the day. Also, remember my favorite quote from www.livestrong.com: "cocoa powder could help reduce the risk of obesity and fatty liver disease."
(Oh yeah! See, I can scientifically justify my chocolate for breakfast kick!)
For awhile, when I first started this health journey and learned that blackstrap molasses, coconut oil, ground flax, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate was so good for me, I was taking two disgusting tablespoons of blackstrap molasses daily, plus two disgusting tablespoons of coconut oil daily, trying to figure out how to get my flax in, and eating a handful of pumpkin seeds when I thought about it. Then eating part of a gourmet expensive dark chocolate bar a few times a week for the antioxidants and for regularity, but worried about the sugar content.
Now I've finally combined all of them in a lovely little chocolate breakfast macaroon.
You also could use the ground flax, molasses and coconut oil as a great "goo" to make homemade granola bars.
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