A Spoonful of Molasses a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

It's all about the nutrients! 

Instead of worrying about the nutritionists' holy grail of calories, cholesterol and fat, I am much more concerned with my nutrient intake. I believe that eating a nutrient-dense diet—based on an ever-rotating carnival of fruits, vegetables, meats, seafood, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fats, etc.—keeps me healthy and happy. 

In addition to the above foods, which are the bedrock of my meals, I'll supplement my diet not with vitamins but with occasional spoonfuls of nutrient-dense foods such as blackstrap molasses, sauerkraut and coconut oil. 

All three can be acquired tastes, but the benefits are immense. My spoonful of organic unsulphured blackstrap molasses provides a quality source of manganese, copper, iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium, all of which help me keep going. Molasses is sort of like a multivitamin, but it actually works. 

There are different kinds of molasses, but blackstrap is considered the healthiest; buying organic helps avoid pesticides. 

From The World's Healthiest Foods website: 

"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. 

"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 . . . blackstrap molasses is a healthful sweetener that contains significant amounts of a variety of minerals that promote your health."

Click here to read more about molasses's nutritional benefits.

The molasses I buy is made by Wholesome Sweeteners, a brand available throughout the United States and Canada in both larger chains (Costco, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Kroger, Publix, Target, etc.) and independent health food stores