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<\/a>Another thing I didn\u2019t know — molasses is the \u201cwaste product\u201d of refining sugar cane.\u00a0 You\u2019ve heard a million times that sugar provides lots of empty calories with no nutritional benefit at all.\u00a0 Yet, sugar cane is a nutritious food.\u00a0 The sugar cane plant has deep roots that go far underneath the depleted top soil and get nutrients from below.\u00a0 It\u2019s the processing into white sugar that gets rid of the nutrients. What happens to them?<\/p>\nThey are left in the \u201cwaste\u201d byproduct — molasses.\u00a0 Ironically, this healthy source of vitamins and minerals is mostly used in animal feed.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t always so.\u00a0 Until after World War I, molasses was the sweetener of choice.\u00a0 Then a more efficient way of refining sugarcane was invented and white sugar took over.\u00a0 The amount of white sugar in the American diet has been increasing ever since.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a pity, since molasses is rich in many of the vitamins and minerals we most need.\u00a0 For example, it has more calcium than dairy products, and it is paired with naturally occurring magnesium, which helps your body assimilate the calcium for making healthier bones.\u00a0 Magnesium is also good for your nervous system and heart health.\u00a0 One Web site explained in detail how a deficiency in magnesium can lead to migraines.<\/p>\n
Molasses has iron in abundance, too — more than in red meat.\u00a0 It also has B vitamins, potassium, manganese and copper.<\/p>\n
Wow — no wonder molasses has been used as a tonic for years.\u00a0 There are claims for it helping everything from constipation to heart murmurs.\u00a0 It\u2019s also touted as a help for arthritis pain.\u00a0 Many Web sites recommended using it as a baby food sweetener.<\/p>\n
But what will it do for your weight loss?\u00a0 Well, it has about as many calories as sugar.\u00a0 It does have a lower glycemic index though — 55, which just puts it over in the moderate yellow zone. It won\u2019t help you to down a whole jar in a day or two.\u00a0 In fact, since it is a natural laxative, it won\u2019t be pleasant!\u00a0 If you are going to use sweetener, though, you might as well as be getting some nutritional benefit.<\/p>\n
There are many different kinds of molasses on the shelves at the grocery and health food stores.\u00a0 It\u2019s important to get unsulphered blackstrap molasses, which is the kind with the most health benefits.\u00a0 Organic is best, because the cane syrup is boiled down three times to get to the blackstrap phase.\u00a0 If the syrup contains pesticides or other toxins, they will be concentrated in the finished product.<\/p>\n
The downside of this healthy sugar?\u00a0 The taste.\u00a0 It is distinctive and many people don\u2019t like it.\u00a0 Try working up to the taste by gradually substituting it for some of the sugar in recipes.\u00a0 Also, using it in herbal teas which have a strong or complementary flavor might help.<\/p>\n
If you want the health benefits — or just want to see if it stops your hair from going gray, you can try a tonic.\u00a0 Here is a recipe I found for one:<\/p>\n
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses<\/p>\n
hot water<\/p>\n
3\/4 cup milk<\/p>\n
ice<\/p>\n
Put the molasses in a glass or cup and add just enough hot water to cover it.\u00a0 Stir until it dissolves and add milk and ice.<\/p>\n
You can also just down a tablespoon of it, if you like the taste and\/or are sufficiently tough.\u00a0At any rate, the health benefits are great enough that I\u2019m going to try it and see how I can work it into recipes.<\/p>\n
If you use blackstrap molasses and have a good recipe, please let me know. I\u2019m not a good cook, so I need all the help I can get my readers!<\/p>\n
Eating to live and living for Christ,<\/p>\n
Susan Jordan Brown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A sweetener that keeps your hair from turning gray?\u00a0 That\u2019s just one of the interesting claims I encountered when researching blackstrap molasses — another in our series of sugar alternatives. Another thing I didn\u2019t know — molasses is the \u201cwaste product\u201d of refining sugar cane.\u00a0 You\u2019ve heard a million times that sugar provides lots of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
A Sweetener That Keeps Hair from Going Gray? - Beyond Gorgeous<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondgorgeous\/2013\/03\/a-sweetener-that-keeps-hair-from-going-gray.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Sweetener That Keeps Hair from Going Gray? - Beyond Gorgeous\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A sweetener that keeps your hair from turning gray?\u00a0 That\u2019s just one of the interesting claims I encountered when researching blackstrap molasses — another in our series of sugar alternatives. 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<\/a>Another thing I didn\u2019t know — molasses is the \u201cwaste product\u201d of refining sugar cane.\u00a0 You\u2019ve heard a million times that sugar provides lots of empty calories with no nutritional benefit at all.\u00a0 Yet, sugar cane is a nutritious food.\u00a0 The sugar cane plant has deep roots that go far underneath the depleted top soil and get nutrients from below.\u00a0 It\u2019s the processing into white sugar that gets rid of the nutrients. What happens to them?<\/p>\n