--Gingerbread man style--Value of BSM

Hi Ya'll,

A little extra about Blackstrap Molasses:


Molasses is an extremely nutritious by-product of the sugar refining process.
Sweet Molasses is useful as an alternative sweetener to refined cane sugar. Both
Blackstrap Molasses and Sweet Molasses are extremely rich sources of minerals
and vitamins. Those nutrients that are unharmed by heat are 30 times more
concentrated in molasses than in the original cane juice.
Properties:
¤ One tablespoon of Molasses contains more calcium than a glass of milk (+/- 100
milligrams)
¤ One tablespoon of Molasses contains more iron than nine eggs (+/- 3
milligrams)
¤ Blackstrap molasses contains more potassium than any food
¤ Molasses contains an excellent supply of B Vitamins
¤ It is a good source of natural sugars.
¤ It is an alkali-forming food, beneficial for maintaining a proper acid-alkali
balance in the body.
¤ Molasses is also rich in phosphoric acid. If this and potassium are deficient,
a general breakdown of the cells, especially of the nerves and brain, can occur.
(3)
¤ Molasses is also rich in copper, magnesium, chromium, manganese, molybdenum,
zinc, phosphorous, Pantothenic acid, vitamin E and Inositol. Refined sugar
contains none of these nutrients.
From a nutritional point of view, crude or black-strap molasses, which is only
mildly sweet and not too palatable, is preferable to sweet molasses.
See composition and nutritional analysis below:
Suggestion: The benefits of molasses can be greatly increased by combining it
with other foods that are rich in B Vitamins such as brewer's yeast and wheat
germ.
Uses:
If informed nutritionists had their way, a jar of sweet molasses would stand on
every table, to be used as a spread or sweetener.
¤ Energy Drink: Dissolve 1 tablespoon Sweet Molasses in 1 cup lukewarm water or
milk; children should use half this amount.
¤ Spread: Mix together equal parts molasses and natural honey.
¤ Baking: Molasses can be used as an ingredient in cakes, pies and cookies to
improve their nutritional value.
¤ To Relieve Mild Constipation: Take two teaspoons at bedtime.
¤ Nerve Tonic: Blend together 1 cup fresh milk, 1 Tbsp seedless raisins and 2
teaspoons blackstrap molasses. (3)
¤ Night Cap: Blend together 1 cup warm milk, 1 tsp honey, 2 tsp molasses, 1 tsp
brewer's yeast. Sip slowly just before bed time. (3)
Healing Benefits: The greatest advantage of molasses is its ability to
conveniently supplement the diet of the busy twenty-first-century citizen with
easily assimilated natural nutrients. Like most things natural, its effects are
slow but cumulative and, as such, it should be used regularly.
In his book about Molasses, the British nutritionist, Cyril Scott, describes his
own and other healer's successes in treating anemia, rheumatism, arthritis,
ulcers, colitis, varicose veins and benign tumors. Scott testifies to the
success of molasses in reversing hair graying and even in the external treatment
of wounds. Gaylord Hauser, the well-known nutritionist and author, particularly
praises molasses as a natural laxative. Because molasses is high in iron,
nutritionists often recommend it to pregnant and lactating women.
Molasses is one of the two natural foods which contain a special ingredient
(wulzen factor) that has been shown to prevent and cure wrist-stiffness,
muscular dystrophy and arthritis. (1)
Ulcers, dermatitis, hair damage, eczema, psoriasis, angina pectoris, and nervous
conditions may also respond to supplementing the diet with mineral-rich
molasses. (2)
Because of deficiencies in their traditional diet, black Africans are especially
benefited by the inclusion of molasses in the diet.
While molasses should never be used as a crutch, some of the deleterious effects
of cane sugar (which is sometimes unavoidable - especially when dining with
friends) may be partly overcome by taking molasses soon after eating refined
cane sugar. This provides the body with the nutritive elements that are lacking
in cane sugar and helps to ward off some of the negative effects of cane sugar.
Dosage: In general the recommended daily dosage is 1 tablespoon dissolved in
warm water or taken as is.
Cautions: Molasses should not be thought of as an all-purpose cure but as a
useful weapon in the healing armory. Like sugar, molasses can cause tooth decay,
so either clean your teeth or rinse your mouth thoroughly after use, especially
if you take it straight from a spoon.
References:
(1) Complete Nutrition, Dr Michael Sharon, p75-76
(2) Nutritional Almanac, Levonne Dunne, p.249
(3) Whole Energy, Caryl Vaughn-Scott, p.80


Blackstrap molasses
The thick viscous syrup we call blackstrap molasses that provides the robust
bittersweet flavor to baked beans and gingerbread is available throughout the
year.

Blackstrap molasses is just one type of molasses, the dark liquid byproduct of
the process of refining sugar cane into table sugar. It is made from the third
boiling of the sugar syrup and is therefore the concentrated byproduct left over
after the sugar's sucrose has been crystallized.




Health Benefits
Description
History
How to Select and Store
How to Enjoy
Safety
Nutritional Profile
References
Health Benefits

Blackstrap molasses is a sweetener that is actually good for you. Unlike refined
White Sugar and corn syrup, which are stripped of virtually all nutrients except
simple carbohydrates, or artificial sweeteners like saccharine or aspartame,
which not only provide no useful nutrients but have been shown to cause health
problems in sensitive individuals, blackstrap molasses is a healthful sweetener
that contains significant amounts of a variety of minerals that promote your
health.

Iron for Energy

In addition to providing quickly assimilated carbohydrates, blackstrap molasses
can increase your energy by helping to replenish your iron stores. Blackstrap
molasses is a very good source of iron. Particularly for menstruating women, who
are more at risk for iron deficiency, boosting iron stores with blackstrap
molasses is a good idea--especially because, in comparison to red meat, a well
known source of iron, blackstrap molasses provides more iron for less calories
and is totally fat-free. Iron is an integral component of hemoglobin, which
transports oxygen from the lungs to all body cells, and is also part of key
enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism. And, if you're pregnant or
lactating, your needs for iron increase. Growing children and adolescents also
have increased needs for iron. Just 2 teaspoons of blackstrap molasses will
sweetly provide you with 13.3% of the daily recommended value for iron.

A Spoonful of Molasses Helps Your Calcium Needs Go Down

Blackstrap molasses is a very good source of calcium. Calcium, one of the most
important minerals in the body, is involved in a variety of physiological
activities essential to life, including the ability of the heart and other
muscles to contract, blood clotting, the conduction of nerve impulses to and
from the brain, regulation of enzyme activity, and cell membrane function.
Calcium is needed to form and maintain strong bones and teeth during youth and
adolescence, and to help prevent the loss of bone that can occur during
menopause and as a result of rheumatoid arthritis. Calcium binds to and removes
toxins from the colon, thus reducing the risk of colon cancer, and because it is
involved in nerve conduction, may help prevent migraine attacks. Two teaspoons
of blackstrap molasses will meet 11.8% of your daily needs for calcium.

An Energizing Mineral-Dense Sweetener

Molasses is also an excellent source of copper and manganese and a very good
source of potassium, and magnesium.

Copper, an essential component of many enzymes, plays a role in a wide range of
physiological processes including iron utilization, elimination of free
radicals, development of bone and connective tissue, and the production of the
skin and hair pigment called melanin. Numerous health problems can develop when
copper intake is inadequate, including iron deficiency anemia, ruptured blood
vessels, osteoporosis, joint problems such as rheumatoid arthritis, brain
disturbances, elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduced HDL (good) cholesterol
levels, irregular heartbeat, and increased susceptibility to infections. Using
two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses to sweeten your morning cereal and the
coffee or tea you drink during the day will supply you with 14.0% of the daily
recommended value for copper.

That same amount of blackstrap molasses will also provide you with 18.0% of the
day's needs for manganese. This trace mineral helps produce energy from protein
and carbohydrates, and is involved in the synthesis of fatty acids that are
important for a healthy nervous system and in the production of cholesterol that
is used by the body to produce sex hormones. Manganese is also a critical
component of an important antioxidant enzyme called superoxide dismutase.
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is found exclusively inside the body's mitochondria
(the oxygen-based energy factories inside most of our cells) where it provides
protection against damage from the free radicals produced during energy
production.

Like calcium, potassium plays an important role in muscle contraction and nerve
transmission. When potassium is deficient in the diet, activity of both muscles
and nerves can become compromised. Potassium is an especially important mineral
for atheletes since it is involved in carbohydrate storage for use by muscles as
fuel and is also important in maintaining the body's proper electrolyte and
acid-base (pH) balance. When potassium levels drop too low, muscles get weak,
and athletes tire more easily during exercise, as potassium deficiency causes a
decrease in glycogen (the fuel used by exercising muscles) storage. Simply by
adding two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses to your morning smoothie, you can
supply 9.7% of your potassium needs for the day along with a healthy dose of
carbohydrates to burn.

Calcium's balancing major mineral, magnesium is also necessary for healthy bones
and energy production. About two-thirds of the magnesium in the human body is
found in our bones. Some helps give bones their physical structure, while the
rest is found on the surface of the bone where it is stored for the body to draw
upon as needed. Magnesium, by balancing calcium, helps regulate nerve and muscle
tone. In many nerve cells, magnesium serves as Nature's own calcium channel
blocker, preventing calcium from rushing into the nerve cell and activating the
nerve. By blocking calcium's entry, magnesium keeps our nerves (and the blood
vessels and muscles they ennervate) relaxed. If our diet provides us with too
little magnesium, however, calcium can gain free entry, and the nerve cell can
become overactivated, sending too many messages and causing excessive
contraction. Insufficient magnesium can thus contribute to high blood pressure,
muscle spasms (including spasms of the heart muscle or the spasms of the airways
symptomatic of asthma), and migraine headaches, as well as muscle cramps,
tension, soreness and fatigue. In two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses, you will
receive 7.3% of the daily value for magnesium.

Switching from nutrient-poor sweeteners like white sugar or corn syrup, or from
potentially harmful fake sweeteners like Aspartame or saccharin to
nutrient-dense blackstrap molasses is one simple way that eating healthy can
sweeten your life.

Description

The truth behind the phrase "slow as molasses" becomes apparent when you reflect
on molasses's thick, viscous, syrupy texture. Featuring a robust bittersweet
flavor, blackstrap molasses helps create the distinctive taste of dishes such as
baked beans and gingerbread. Blackstrap molasses is very dark in color, having a
black-brown hue.

Blackstrap molasses is just one type of molasses, the dark liquid that is the
byproduct of the process of refining sugar cane into table sugar. Blackstrap
molasses is made from the third boiling of the sugar syrup and is therefore the
concentrated byproduct left over after the sugar's sucrose has been
crystallized.

History

Molasses has been imported into the United States from the Caribbean Islands
since the time of the early colonists. In fact, it was the most popular
sweetener used until the late 19th century since it was much more affordable
than refined sugar, which was very expensive at that time.

In some respects, molasses has had a rather sticky history with at least two
important historical events centering around this sweet food product. The first
is the Molasses Act of 1733, a tariff passed by England to try to discourage the
colonists from trading with areas of the West Indies that were not under British
rule. This legislation is thought to be one of the events that catalyzed
pre-revolutionary colonial dissent and unrest.

It is not often that a fateful tragedy occurs that centers around a food, but
unfortunately, in 1919, one such event did occur. The event is referred to as
the Great Molasses Flood and occurred when a molasses storage tank holding over
two million gallons of molasses broke, and its sticky content came pouring
throughout the city streets of Boston, Massachussetts, traveling as fast as 35
miles per hour and creating a thirty foot tidal wave of sweetener.
Unfortunately, this was not a sweet matter as twenty-one people died and
significant amounts of property was destroyed.

Blackstrap molasses gained in popularity in the mid-20th century with the advent
of the health food movement. Today, the largest producers of molasses are India,
Brazil, Taiwan, Thailand, the Phillipines and the United States.

How to Select and Store

Look for blackstrap molasses that is unsulphured since not only does it not
contain this processing chemical to which some people are sensitive, but it has
a cleaner and more clarified taste. Blackstrap molasses made from organic sugar
cane is also available in some markets.

Molasses should be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator or a
cool, dry place. Unopened containers should keep for about one year, while
opened containers should keep for about six months.

How to Enjoy

For some of our favorite recipes, click Recipes.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Adding molasses to baked beans will give them that traditionally robust flavor.

Molasses imparts a wonderfully distinctive flavor to cookies and gingerbread
cakes.

Basting chicken or turkey with molasses will give it both a rich color and rich
taste.

Safety

Blackstrap molasses is not a commonly allergenic food and is not known to
contain measurable amounts of goitrogens, oxalates, or purines.

Nutritional Profile

Blackstrap molasses is an excellent source of manganese and copper. It is a very
good source of iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium. In addition, blackstrap
molasses is a good source of vitamin B6 and selenium.

For an in-depth nutritional profile click here: Blackstrap molasses.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile

In addition to the nutrients highlighted in our ratings chart, an in-depth
nutritional profile for Blackstrap molasses is also available. This profile
includes information on a full array of nutrients, including carbohydrates,
sugar, soluble and insoluble fiber, sodium, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids,
amino acids and more.


http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=118




http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrientprofile&dbid=85



Tweet