When looking for a good food source of iron, you can’t go past molasses. Many ask what molasses is made of and there are in fact no secret ingredients – molasses is a by-product from the process which turns sugar cane into sugar. The juice is extracted from the sugar cane and then boiled. Boiling concentrates the juice which gives it a syrupy texture. There are three grades of molasses – “first molasses” which is the result of boiling it once and has the highest sugar content. “Second molasses” is boiled twice and is not as high in sugar. The third and more nutritious is “black strap molasses” which is boiled three times and retains the least amount of sugar. It appears iron levels increase by approximately 5% with this third boiling. Unlike refined sugar, which is stripped of nearly all nutrients, blackstrap molasses is sweet in taste and higher in nutrients. Two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses provide a little over 13% of the daily recommended value of iron.

Molasses is also an excellent source of copper, manganese, potassium, and magnesium. Interestingly, copper assists in the utilisation of iron. This food is also a good source of calcium. Two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses will meet 12% of your daily needs of calcium. Obviously, molasses does have a sweet flavour and we find most customers prefer to take it in a drink, usually first thing in the morning. It can also be added to smoothies.

Ingredients: 2 tsp black strap molasses, hot water, ¾ cup milk or soymilk. Direction: Add molasses to a glass adding just enough water to cover the molasses. Stir until dissolved then top up glass with milk. What a great way to top up your iron and calcium levels!

NUTTY MOLASSES COOKIES

Ingredients – 1 mashed banana; ½ cup smooth Go Vita Freshly Ground Peanut Butter; ¼ cup Melrose Organic Blackstrap Molasses; 1 tsp Very Vanilla Aust Vanilla Extract; 1 ¾ cups Organic Road Rolled oats; ½ tsp Simply No Knead Baking Powder; ½ cup chopped Go Vita Roasted Peanuts; ½ cup Go Vita Dried Cranberries, ½ cup Go Vita Omega 3 Seed Mix.

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix and stir banana, peanut butter, molasses, and vanilla until blended. Mix in rolled oats and baking soda, then peanuts and cranberries. Scoop a rounded tablespoon of mixture and roll into a ball, then roll in Omega 3 Seed Mix. Place on a lined baking tray and slightly flatten with a fork. Bake for approximately 10 minutes.