Simple Solutions: Molasses for Iron Deficiency and Anemia

Mothers often ask me if molasses is a galactagogue, that is, if it increases milk supply.

The easy answer is yes--it provides a source of minerals that nourish and support your body in making more milk. 

However, as with all vitamins and supplements, molasses alone is not a substitute for a good diet.

Mothers today affirm that BLACKSTRAP molasses is helpful for lactation.

But historically, I've found only one source that documents the use of molasses specifically to boost supply--from a 19th century United States cookbook.

Blackstrap molasses is the mineral rich sap of the sugar cane--the part that is removed so that sugar can be perfectly white, denuded, as it were, of its true mineral content. The minerals appear to be easy to absorb, as molasses is famous for increasing iron levels in iron-depleted mothers, for diminishing fatigue and preventing the onset of full-fledged anemia. See my article about anemia, and this article for more suggestions on how to build iron for more information.

Our nerves depend upon the electric conductivity of minerals to function well, as do all the cell walls of all the cells in the body. We are truly a "Body Electric."

Of course, nerves are involved in lactation. For instance, through the stimulation of the nerves in the nipple, the pituitary produces prolactin, a hormone of lactation.

Everyone understands that we need a balance of "electrolytes" in our blood -- tiniest "mineral salts" that keep our blood "electric," and that provide the nerves and cell walls with plenty of super-conducting minerals.

Lactogenic foods and herbs to the rescue! Many are extremely rich in minerals--as is thick, slightly bitter blackstrap molasses. Sports drinks are not a good solution, as some contain toxic food coloring, plus they do not serve up the complete palate of nutrients and micro-nutrients found in food.

To the extent that blackstrap molasses provides iron and helps build blood cells, it also participates in the oxygenation of the body--including of course of the mammary glands. The body functions better if there is plenty of blood supplying oxygen and nutrients to all the cells.

Personally, I have had excellent experiences with blackstrap molasses, and very positive feedback from mothers who use it. (Obviously, however, if you are avoiding any and all potent sources of sugar, you will want to avoid molasses as well.)

How to use it--one to two tablespoons a day. I like to dilute a heaping teaspoon (or more) of blackstrap molasses in a cup of boiled water, and add in raw milk or Half & Half. It tastes somewhat like a rich, bitter-sweet coffee, and is a nice coffee substitute.

Malta and the Childhood of a Ghanaian Poet

 

Nana Yaw Sarpong, a Ghanaian journalist, student, writer and poet, recalls in his blog the role that Malta Guinness played in his childhood. 

"If you are a Ghanaian, Malta Guinness will not be a strange drink to you. I remember as a young lad, whenever I was faced with making a choice for a drink, I chose Malt over fanta or Coca cola or the rest. My belief was that Malt was more nutritious than the other soft drinks.

But my belief in the nutritional values of Malta Guinness at the time was based on fact. Each time my parents bought me Malta Guiness, I turned to the back of the bottle and read the ingredients. I never knew why I did so, really. But I kept going back to it. I took interest also in the fact that the number and range of vitamins contained in the drink were written boldly and they appeared all over the bottle. It did something to me, even as a little boy.

However, things have changed. I bought a Malta Guinness a few days ago only to find my shock. There was nothing at the back of the bottle like before. The list of nutrients were also gone except for some minute information for the consumer. I was hugely disappointed! It was not for my childhood fancy, but something more like consumer confidence.

I realized that the information on the bottle was good for the buyer. At least in practice, you could know what you were drinking."

After reading this blog, I wondered why  Guinness Malta would remove their list of ingredients, specifically in Africa? The most obvious reason is reduced production cost. But because malt-based soft drinks typically contain corn syrup, and GMO corn is banned in most of Africa, removing the list could also be a clever marketing strategy. If children today grow up no longer expecting to know what is in their “healthy” soft-drink, the company can avoid future buyers' prejudice to GMO corn syrup if it should some day be legalized.
  

I was also struck by the note of pride in this account. Here, a child gets a good dose of self-esteem when  he chooses a healthy drink, thanks to informative advertising. But it is clear that the next generation of children have fewer clues as to what is healthful and what is not. They cannot experience that same self-affirming moment when choosing to drink Malta.

In the US, presently, marketing strategies urge adults to have a five-hour energy drink in the form of a 2 oz liquid injection, while artificially colored and flavored “water personalizers” are the newest fad for teens. The best-selling energy drink world-wide, caffeine rich Red Bull (which in 2009 in Austria was found to contain trace amounts of cocaine), is advertised in athletic tournaments and on sports and adventure equipment. It would seem that healthful ingredients are not a selling point when it comes to the  marketing of mainstream beverages. Rather, consumers jump at the promise of energy, sports and flash.

The active decision to consume healthful food and beverages makes us feel dignified and proud. In truly valuing our own health we value life itself. That intrinsic, unifying value is the mystery of "Mother Food" that warms and nourishes us.