Get more nutrients into your diet and put extra energy into your day with nature’s mineral-rich healthy sweetener, says naturopath Dominique Finney.

Strange but true – one of the most nutrient-dense foods available to you is sold primarily as cattle feed. The process of refining sugar cane, beetroot or whole grains to make white sugar removes over 95 per cent of the nutrients. The ‘waste’? Molasses.

Pure molasses is an excellent source of iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, selenium and vitamin B6, as well as important active ingredients like uridine, which research has identified as being able to counter mild to moderate depression. Molasses is also a chelating agent, meaning it ‘locks onto’ toxins and expels them safely from the body. Here’s another strange but true fact: if a rusty iron nail is placed in molasses for a fortnight, the rust will disappear. Which all make for powerful reasons why swapping nutrient-poor white sugar or potentially dangerous fake sweeteners like aspartame with molasses is a simple way to improve your diet with next-to-no effort.

Sweet and smart

Sugar production involves crushing the cane to extract the juice, then boiling the resulting mash three times to obtain white sugar crystals. First-grade molasses comes from the first boiling; second-grade molasses, from the second boiling, is darker and slightly bitter. However, it is the third-grade molasses from the third boiling which is the most nutrient-dense, and this is the one that naturopaths recommend for therapeutic use.

There are two main types: High Test Molasses (HTM) and blackstrap. Both have a high Brix content of 80-84 per cent (Brix is a technical term used to indicate the amount of sucrose in any solution), and both have a rich, full-bodied flavour. Note that, because molasses is an end-product, all the residues and potential toxins are concentrated in it; for this reason, only use organic molasses, made from organically-grown sugar cane.

Buying and using molasses

A good rule of thumb to remember when choosing and buying molasses is: the darker and less sweet it is, the better it is for you. Always check that the molasses you buy is unsulphured, meaning it is made from sun-ripened cane. Sulphured molasses, on the other hand, is made from unripe green sugar cane; because it has not matured sufficiently, it is treated with sulphur fumes during the extraction process. Once opened, keep molasses in a tightly-sealed container and store in the refrigerator or another cool place; it will last for up to six months.

In my clinic I recommend 15 grams of molasses daily as a supplement for adults, 5-10 grams daily for children. (If the flavour is too much of a shock to the system, simply blend it with a little rice or soy milk; some of my patients mix it with their morning yoghurt, so try that.) I have noticed particularly good results with larger doses, up to 30 grams daily, when treating exhaustion in adults. I have also found that when children are given molasses on a regular basis they seem better able to concentrate and focus on school work, possibly due to the presence of nerve-soothing magnesium.

Believe it or not

A Molasses Act was passed in England in 1733. This was a tariff to discourage trade with areas of the West Indies not under British rule. The Act eventually triggered the unrest in the colony that resulted in independence from England.

There was a Great Molasses Flood in Boston in 1919. A storage tank holding over two million gallons of molasses broke, and the contents created a 30-foot high tidal wave that swept through the streets, killing 21 people.

Molasses as medicine

• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Depression, anxiety, and related nervous disorders
• Chronic ailments, such as arthritis and rheumatism
• Tumours and fibroids
• Constipation
• Heart palpitations
• Anaemia
• Acne

This article first appeared in the October 08 edition of Nature & Health Magazine, Australia's original and best magazine of natural healthcare and alternative medicine.

Dominique Finney is a Sunshine Coast-based naturopath and herbalist who manufactures organic herbal medicines; call 0409 765 033, or visit medicineroom.net. Dom is also the author of The Wellness Zone, available in good bookstores.