How To Keep Kids Healthy

 

This post a reprint of a post by AnneMarie Colbin. The author suggests the following tips for  a healthy school year. I would take this one step further and recommend these steps year-round for happy and healthy children. Annemarie has been on the forefront of educating people on how to eat healthily through her books, articles and seminars.

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Here are my four top tips for helping your children to stay healthy and avoid illnesses in the new school year. The foods that make kids the sickest are sugar and dairy.

 

 

1. Avoid dairy.

If you can possibly raise them without milk products, you will prevent the most common mucus conditions, especially colds and ear infections. Milk is a great mucus producer; bacteria love living in it, and casein, the protein in milk, is commonly used in laboratories to set up bacterial cultures. Cheese is just as much of a problem, and yogurt is little better. And it’s not because of the fat – in fact, butter does not bring on infections, according to my observations – it is the protein and the calcium, which in cow’s milk are intended to help baby cows become big cows (or steer), and are excessive for humans.

 

2. Don’t reward them with sugar.

If you can avoid giving your kids sugared foods – including sugared breakfast cereals, cookies, cake, candy, and ice cream – you will allow their immune systems to do a better job of keeping them healthy. Sugar is known to depress the immune system, and what is worse, it is really addictive. According to a recent study at the University of Bordeaux, France, it appears to be more addictive than cocaine. I know that we tend to reward the children with sweet goodies, but that habit is perhaps best reconsidered – crayons, balloons, comic books or nuts and raisins might be a better idea for rewards.

 

3. Give them lots of protein.

To keep the kids healthy, they also need to eat sufficient protein (some in each meal, such as fish, chicken, meats, or beans and legumes), with lots of vegetables both cooked and raw, as well as good quality fats (extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, organic butter). See my post on protein breakfasts for more advice. 4. Make sure they get plenty of rest Most importantly, they need enough sleep and rest, which will allow their bodies and their brains to recuperate and restore, as well as grow. Lack of sleep is one of the major causes of stress and illness. So there you have it: feed them well, keep them off the ice cream and sweets, and make sure they sleep enough, and they will avoid many illnesses.

 

4.  Make sure they get plenty of rest

Most importantly, they need enough sleep and rest, which will allow their bodies and their brains to recuperate and restore, as well as grow.  Lack of sleep is one of the major causes of stress and illness.

So there you have it:  feed them well, keep them off the ice cream and sweets, and make sure they sleep enough, and they will avoid many illnesses.

Avocado Smoothies

Today, my friends and I were discussing avocados. Specifically, avocado smoothies. The best part about putting avocado in a smoothie is the smooth texture it provides and the light flavor it gives out, making it possible to mix avocado with stronger-flavored foods. I believe, avocado can be substituted even for ice cream in any milk shake recipe! It can also be substituted for frozen yogurt or regular yogurt, because of its texture.

Avocado is a powerhouse of healthy nutrients. It is exceptionally high in  soluble fiber, which has the ability to bind to fat and excess cholesterol. One cup of avocado has about 23% of FDA’s RDV for folate, a nutrient important for heart health and for healthy pregnancy. Avocado also contains “oleic acid”, a monounsaturated fatty acid, which may help lower cholesterol. Avocado is a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure. Adequate intake of potassium can help protect against circulatory diseases, like high blood pressure, heart disease, or stroke. Avocado is also a very concentrated dietary source of the carotenoid lutein. Addiitonally, it contains measurable amounts of other carotenoids and significant quantities of vitamin E.

Avocado Banana Strawberry Smoothie

2 servings:

Half a ripe avocado
1 frozen banana
5 strawberries
Splash of nut milk

Blend everything on high.

Blueberry Avocado Smoothie

1 avocado
2 bananas
1 cup orange juice
1 cup of blueberries
1/2 cup ice

Blend everything until smooth.

Avocado Colada

serves 2-3

1 avocado
1 1/2 cup fresh pineapple
stevia to taste
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
3 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp shredded coconut
2 ice cubes

Blend everything until smooth.

Avocado Cashew Smoothie

serves 2:

1 medium avocado

1 handful raw cashews

1/2 teaspoon stevia

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup water

6 ice cubes

Blend everything until smooth.

Chocolate Avocado Banana Smoothie

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup water

1 banana

1 avocado

1 tablespoon of raw cacao or carob

10 ice cubes

Stevia to taste

Blend everything until smooth.

 

Avocado Coffee Smoothie

Serves 2

1/2 cup brewed coffee, chilled

1/2 cup ice cubes

1 banana

1 avocado

Stevia to taste

Blend everything until smooth.

 

Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s Healthy Summer Recipes

The following is a reprint from IIN blog. I am a proud graduate and love this post, full of yummy recipes by my fellow grads!

 

100 Recipes for a Healthy Summer

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Integrative Nutrition

Summer is finally here! It’s time for BBQ’s and outdoor dinner parties with friends and family. We want to make it easy for you to make healthy dishes for your family, but still enjoy the cooking activities that define summer. We collected a list of 100 healthy recipes for you to enjoy all summer long!

Appetizers

1. Pizza Caramel by Nourish Nutrition

2. Artichoke Pesto Stuffed Tomato by Making Good Choices

3. Vegan Spring Rolls with Mango Ginger Dipping Sauce by Wholesome Kid Food

4. Easy Hummus by Andrea Beaman

5. Mango Salsa by Terry Walters

6. Spicy Slaw by Elana’s Pantry

7. Peaceful Parsley & Pistachio Pesto by Peacocks and Moonshine

8. Creamy Curry Sauce with Summer Veggies by Collective Nutrition

9. Sesame and Thyme Pancakes by Wholepromise

10. Asparagus Sundried Tomato and Goats Cheese Pizza on Spelt by Wholepromise

Soups

11.  Roasted Tomato Soup by Love, Life and Lollipops

12.  Farmstand Gazpacho by Eat, Live, Run

13.  Really Easy Spice Pumpkin Soup filled with Beta-Carotene by Scott Mathias

14.  Summer Herb Soup by Kath Eats Real Food

15.  Cold Beet and Fennel Soup by Clean and Delicious

16.  Easy Asparagus Soup with Seasoned Dill Yogurt by Cook me Healthy 

Salads

17.  Quinoa Summer Salad by Alicia Somma

18.  Raw-Vegan Som Tum by Tina Leigh

19.  Radish, Celery and Apple Salad by Seven Spoons

20.  Roast Chili Butternut and Fig Salad by Me Organic

21.  Watermelon, Feta and Tomato Salad by Lemons and Loafers

22.  Refreshing Chopped Salad by Miligirl Wellness

23.  Jicama Salad by Raw, Radiant Health

24.  Quinoa Salad for all seasons by Chronic Wellness Coaching

25.  Orzo Super Salad by 101 Cookbooks

26.  Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Apricot Lime Vinaigrette by Terry Walters

27.  Southern Style Cobb Salad by Find Your Balance Health

28.  Rustic Pesto Potato Salad by Clean and Delicious

29.  Pumpkin Seed Salad by Feed Your Life

30.  Delicious Life Beet and Walnut Salad by Live a Delicious Life

31.  Crunch Salad by Live a Delicious Life

32.  Ribboned Asparagus Salad with Lemon by Smitten Kitchen

33.  Radish, Asparagus and Mint Salad by Coloring the City

34.  Fresh Corn, Tomato, Avocado and Black Bean Salad by Whole Nutrition

35.  Black Lentil and Quinoa Salad with Citrus Dressing by Infinite You

36.  Green Light Salad by My Healthy Vision

37.  Spicy Curry Kale Salad by Natalie Duhamel

38.  Curried Cauliflower Quinoa Salad by Maureen O’Neal

39.  Roasted Butternut Squash and Wheat Berry Salad with Goat Cheese by Cook me Healthy

40.  Spinach Salad with Mango and Avocado by Linda Poynter

41.  Raw Kale & Beet Salad by Beth’s Botanical Scents

Refreshments

42.  Watermelon Aguas Fresca by Elana’s Pantry

43.  Summertime Blueberry Coconut Smoothie by Frank Giglio

44.  My Green Smoothie by Muscle Chick

45.  Watermelon Lemonade by Smitten Kitchen

46.  Pineapple Ginger Cooler by Maureen O’Neal

47.  Peachy Green Smoothie by Natalie Duhamel

48.  Super Simple Strawberry (Shh, and Spinach) Smoothie by The Nourished Life

Breakfast

49.  Veggie Frittata by Frank Giglio

50.  Sweet Corn Pancakes by Smitten Kitchen  

51.  Japanese Style Breakfast by Integrative Nutrition

52.  Coconut Spelt Pancakes by Wholepromise

53.  Homemade Granola by The Sublet Kitchen

54.  Buckwheat Banana-Walnut Pancakes by Cook Me Healthy

55.  Breakfast Casserole by Integrative Nutrition

Dinner

56.  Sautéed Chicken with Caramelized Onion-Tomato Relish by Cook me Healthy

57.  Mixed Green Salad with Tilapia and Clementine’sby a Hint of Greens 

58.  Coconut breaded Mahi-Mahi Tacos with Mango Salsa by Coloring the City

59.  Grilled Salmon Paprika by Elana’s Pantry

60.  Spiced Turkey Burgers with Green Olives and Feta by Pinch My Salt

61.  Sesame Chicken and Orange Salad by Wholepromise

62.  Sweet and Hot Chicken with Eggplant and Mushrooms by Destiny Kelley

63.  Quinoa and Spinach Burgers by Winspiration Wellness

Vegetarian Dinner 

64.  Thai Coconut Stir Fry by Selkis Whole Foods

65.  Bean Burgers by Kath Eats Real Food

66.  Pasta with Green Beans and Cannelloni Beansby Mary Curran

67.  Cashew and Ginger Stir-fry by Laurel Staples

68.  Sweet Potato Burgers by Making Good Choices

69.  Bean Stir Fry by Making Good Choices

70.  Spicy-Sweet Arugula Sautee by Pure Potential Wellness

71.  Spring Panzanella by 101 Cookbooks

72.  Peanut Soba Noodle Bowls by Eat, Live, Run

73.  TLT Sandwiches by 101 Cookbooks

74.  Gluten Free Veggie Burger by Whole Health Designs

75.  Vegan Pot Pie by Curvy Gals

76.  Brussels Sprout Pizza by Simply Seeking Life

77.  Avocado Pesto Pasta by Landry Fuller

78.  Rice Soba Noodles with Tea Spice Veggies by I Wanna Cookie

79.  Quinoa Grilled Vegetable Salad by Monica Delgado Chaffee

Side Dish

80.  Grilled Summer Vegetables by Your Wellness Tree

81.  Spicy Jicama “Fries” by 2Good2beRaw 

82.  Summer Squash Saute by Integrative Nutrition

83.  Sautéed Summer Squash, Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Basil by Andrea Beaman

84.  Vegan Stuffed Red Peppers by Becky’s Kitchen

85.  Sweet and Spicy Kale Chips by Get Healthy with Lindsay

86.  Spicy Asian Cabbage Slaw by Chef in my own mind

 

Dessert

87.  Detox Blonde Macaroons by Healthy Hoggin

88.  Rawberry Rhubarb Pie by Me Amoeba

89.  Banana Peanut Butter “Ice Cream” by Lemons and Loafers

90.  Healthy Jell-O by Becoming Raw

91.  Healthy Popsicle by Becoming Raw

92.  Ricotta Millet Pudding by Lottie and Doof

93.  Blackberry, Honey and Yogurt Pops by Lottie and Doof

94.  Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp by Clean and Delicious

95.  Strawberry Mango sorbet Popsicles by Live a Delicious Life

96.  Coconut Pudding by Edna Michaeli

97.  Awesome Raw Coconut-Almond Fudge by Aamina Barbara Arnoth

98.  Heather’s Maple Squash Muffins by I Wanna Cookie

99.  Coconut Cherry Chia Bomb by Maureen O’Neal

100. Tropical Mango Banana Sherbert by Delicious Nutrition

Need more summer recipe inspiration? Check out these recipes from IIN!

Kale, Cabbage and Avocado Salad With Fresh Oranges

One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6, 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K.  Kale is also a good source of minerals, like copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.

Kale works very well in a multitude of cooked dishes: from soups to stews. Fresh, however, its nutrients are  preserved a lot better. I like the combination of kale with citrus flavors.

Ingredients:

2 bunches of kale, stems removed

2 oranges, sectioned

1 small red onion, diced

1 small avocado, sliced thin

1 medium cucumber, sliced

1 celery stalk, diced

1/2 cup red cabbage, chopped thinly

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tbsp salt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Wash kale thoroughly, then add apple cider vinegar, and cover the leaves with water. Soak for 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with fresh water. Spin the leaves dry.

Return to bowl, drizzle with 1/2 cup olive oil, then sprinkle on the salt. Use your hands to rub the olive oil and salt into all the crevices of the kale leaves. Leave for 10 minutes.   Add all other ingredients to the kale. Chop the orange sections into small cubes and put those on top of the salad.
Toss well and serve.

Food Cravings, Simplified

• dizziness
• irritability
• craving for sweets
• craving for caffeine
• tiredness
• fatigue
• inability to focus
• constant hunger

All of these are possible warning signs about the fact that your diet is not working for you. If, within two hours of eating a meal you are hungry, tired and craving sweets and/or caffeine, you can almost be 100% sure that your meal was not perfectly balanced and tailored to your needs at the moment. These needs can vary from person to person and from time to time.  Some of us require more protein, while some thrive on a vegan diet, some prefer crunchy foods and others would do well on a diet based on smoothies and juices.

My first solutions for any of the aforementioned problems are: more protein and more nutrients.

Usually when we consume processed foods, devoid of healthy nutrients, we constantly feel tired. For example, if you had a slice of white bread with some strawberry jam for breakfast and some coffee with it, how soon afterwards would you feel exhausted and need that second cup of java? That’s right, pretty soon. And you would feel tired until lunch.  Try an apple, a bowl of whole grain oatmeal and a hard-boiled egg instead of your toast with jam and see if you have noticed any difference in your energy level. The latter is an example of a balanced breakfast, which is high in nutrients, yet low in sugar.

If you had a salad for lunch and that salad included only vegetables, you are likely to want a chocolate bar an hour later.  Protein deficiency is probably to blame for your chocolate cravings in this case. Try to eat your salad with some nuts, seeds or tofu or chicken and include 1/2 a palm-sized serving of whole grains with it, and see if you’ll want that chocolate bar, after all.

And… the more junk we eat , the more junk we want, because junk foods and processed sugary foods contribute to nutritional imbalance, which, in turn, creates more food cravings. There is no way around whole and natural food consumption, if you’d like to stop food cravings.

Chia Bread

Here’s what I am  doing tonight: baking Chia Bread, using this interesting recipe, from Bittersweet Blog. I am hoping for some healthy and yummy loaves.

How To Cook Leafy Green Vegetables

I hear this question at least once a day: “How do you cook kale?,” or “What do you do with Swiss chard?” Here are some simple, delicious and healthy options for your dinner.

1. Salad

Leafy green vegetables are low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals. Here’s a list of green leafy vegetables to use in your salad:

• alfalfa
• asparagus
• baby spinach
• basil
• beetroot leaves
• carrot tops
• celery
• chickweed
• Chinese cabbage (bok choi)
• clover
• collard greens
• coriander (cilantro)
• dandelion
• dill
• endive – escarole, frisee
• fennel
• green lettuce
• green cabbage
• kale – curly leaf, plain leaf , and cavolo nero (black)
• lambsquarters
• lamb’s lettuce (corn salad)
• common mallow (malva sylvestris)
• miner’s lettuce (Montia perfoliata)
• mint – peppermint and spearmint
• mustard greens including mizuna
• nettles
• parsley – flat and curly leaf
• plantain
• purslane
• radish leaves
• red lettuce
• rocket (arugula)
• romaine lettuce
• sunflower sprouts
• swiss chard – red and green varieties

If, however, you’d like to incorporate those greens in more ways than one, you can try doing a few different things with them.

2. Green Smoothie

Pick green leaf of the day. I like kale for its calcium content, coupled with some mint for flavor. Add some lemon juice and a banana and blend with some ice cubes. You just made yourself the healthiest mojito on the planet! To keep things simple, just add some green leaves to any smoothie you make.

3. Soup

Add some green leaves to any soup you are making. add the leaves about 3-5 minutes before the end of your cooking time. I like to add kale ( take the leaves off the sticks,) chard and beetroot leaves to my soups. If you boil a cubed beet with its leaves, add some root vegetables and some cabbage, you’ve just made a vegetarian version of a Russian borscht. I Americanize mine by adding sweet potato to it:  this way it tastes sweet enough for my two year old.

4. Kale chips. See my recipe here.

5. Add green leaves to stir-fries. Even if you ordered Chinese for the night, you can still make it healthier, by stir-frying some greens in extra virgin olive oil and adding those to virtually any Chinese dish.

6. Add greens to grains. If brown rice is for dinner tonight, you can dice some collard greens and add those to the pot where you are making the rice. If you are going this route, don’t overdo on the amount of the greens and put them in 5 minutes before the grain is cooked.

7. Just cook your greens! Separate kale leaves from the stalks (or take Chard and simply chop it, stalks included.) Chop the leaves finely. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of Bragg’s sauce to large, heated skillet. Heat oil; add strips of greens. Cook and stir over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes until wilted and tender (older leaves may take slightly longer). I like to add garlic (the more the merrier) towards the end of the cooking process.

8. Cook your greens in sesame oil. Same as number 7, but use roasted sesame oil. Sprinkle the final dish with roasted sesame seeds and a some orange juice. Sesame seed is exceptionally rich in calcium.

9. Juice your greens. Add an apple to your green juice and it would taste much better.

10. Add the greens to your burger or soy burger patties. Make sure the greens are diced.

11. Add the greens to mashed potatoes. Chop the leaves very finely and follow advice #7, minus Bragg’s. Mix the green mix with the mashed potatoes. I also like to add some wasabi powder to this potato mix, in order to make it throughly green.

12. Simply steam your greens in a  bit of water. In such case,a  few drops of extra virgin olive oil, some lemon juice and a tiny bit of parmesan cheese go a long way, as far as flavor. And so does garlic.

13. Add your greens to sweet dishes. To make a perfectly balanced vegetarian plate, add a bitter green dish to any sweet potato  or squash dish you are making. Somehow, the combination of the sweet flavor with the bitter flavor is very satisfying even to tohse who wouldn’t ordinarily try the green leafy veggies.

Can you think of any other interesting ways of using greens?

Easy and Natural Weight Loss System

The subject of weight loss has gotten to be nauseatingly boring. It’s everywhere. It’s bursting with plans , solutions and of course, products. Yet people don’t seem to figure out how to lose weight safely and keep it off for good.

So, I decided to give you my simple “healthy mama” way of losing weight. It doesn’t require you to buy any new products ( well, maybe some groceries) and it is remarkable unscientific. All it asks you to do is listen to you body and listen well.  And your body will never ask you for candy ( your brain will, so learn to distinguish between the two.) A lot of my clients have shed dozens of pounds and kept the weight off, using  my method. Here’s the plan:

Exercise for at least 45 minutes a day, 6 days a week. There is really no way around it. Humans aren’t meant to sit on chairs all day -this is how we get old, sick and obese. If you don’t have time to exercise, make time. Wake up an hour earlier. Don’t watch TV: most of it is full of pizza commercials, anyway. Go to bed an hour later, but do exercise! You can go for a brisk walk, a jog, go to the gym or do one of my YogaPulse yoga DVDs.  Get your body moving often.

Now, the diet part. Cut out everything man-made. Eat only natural, unprocessed foods. Before it goes into your mouth, ask yourself: “Did it grow on Earth?” For example, whole grains grown on earth. Crackers do not. Even whole wheat crackers. If you choose to eat meat, limit yourmeat or fish portion to a palm-size amount: even a big strong man or a growing teenager does not need more than that at a time. Limit meat consumption to three times a week. The rest should constitute of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes and grains. Limit nut and seed consumption to one palm-size amount a day, since they contain a lot of fat. Limit your legumes to one palm-size amount a day as well. Use only high-quality, cold-processed oils for dressings and sauces.  Drink only pure water. And….

Here’s the most important part:

Make sure that 60% -70% of your diet is made up of green vegetables.

The percentage correlates with how fast you want to lose the weight. If you need it off for your bikini time next weekend, keep it at 70%, I you have a few weeks to spare, 60% would do just fine. Green vegetables are exceptionally high in vitamins and minerals and also are exceptionally low in calories. If you dislike their taste, steam your green veggies, sprinkle them with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Add some sea salt. Or, juice your greens, but keep in mind that in this case, your green juice should constitute 60-70% of your diet: plain and simple.

Good luck for your upcoming bikini season! Let me know how this system works for you.

Image: Ambro

Sunscreen Safety and Seven Types of Food to Protect Against Sun Damage

Recently I read this piece about sunscreen safety.  Apparently, typical sunscreens we cover ourselves and our kids with contain one more of these potential dangerous chemicals:

• Para amino benzoic acid
• Octyl salicyclate
• Avobenzone
• Oxybenzone
• Cinoxate
• Padimate O
• Dioxybenzone
• Phenylbenzimidazole
• Homosalate
• Sulisobenzone
• Menthyl anthranilate
• Trolamine salicyclate
• Octocrylene

Dioxybenzone and oxybenzone are some of the most powerful free radical generators known to man. Other chemicals on this list have been connected to things like  cancer and hormonal imbalance.

I have been using Kiss My Face Sunscreeen for a few years. I love how light this cream is and how easily it absorbs into the skin, without leaving a typical white residue. I also like how it gives me and my family great sun protection without the dangerous chemicals. It is available in a spray bottle, as a cream or even as a sunblock stick.

What else can be done to protect the skin agains harmful UV-rays?

Nutrition helps, like it does with everything else.

Antioxidant-rich foods have been linked to good sun-protection of the skin. As pesticide residue can deplete the body’s antioxidant supplies,  it’s always better to choose certified organic foods.

1. Green tea’s  epigallocatechins directly block DNA damage from UV light, which has been demonstrated in studies involving human skin cells.

2. Moderate amounts of sunlight are helpful, as they provide us with vitamin D. A good buildup of this vitamin is essential, if you’d like to avoid sunburn. Dr. Mercola recommends staying in the sun until the skin turns light pink (for Caucasian skin.)

3. Phytonutrients lycopene in tomatoes and phenols in olive oil have been linked to better sun protection by a German study.

 Vitamin C, vitamin E and the mineral selenium all are good antioxidants that protect the skin against sun damage.

4. For vitamin C, try kiwis, oranges, bell peppers, broccoli, papaya,  and strawberries.

5. For vitamin E, try  sunflower seeds, almonds, olives, egg yolks and dark green leafy vegetables.

6. For selenium, try  mushrooms and fish.  Buying wild-caught fish is better,  because pesticide and antibiotic residues in farmed fish deplete the body’s antioxidant supplies.

7. Limonene and ellagic acid are other sun-protective nutrients. Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons and limes,  are rich in limonene and berries, such as blueberries and rasberries are rich in ellagic acid.

Health Benefits Of Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap molasses is the dark liquid byproduct of the process of refining sugar cane into table sugar.

Blackstrap molasses is made from the third boiling of the sugar syrup.  It is the concentrated byproduct left over after the sugar’s sucrose has been crystallized.  Blackstrap molasses is very high in many important minerals, such as iron, cooper, manganese, magnesium, calcium and potassium. It also contains vitamin B 6. Just 2 teaspoons of blackstrap molasses provides 13.3% of the daily recommended value for iron and 11.8% of the daily value for calcium.

I use blackstrap molasses in baking, as it makes a nice substitute for sugar. I add it to roasted vegetables. When I eat yogurt (which is not often,) I add a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses to it. I like to give a teaspoon to my kid, when he is craving something sweet.  Sometimes, I put it on a piece of toast for him, which makes a pretty good breakfast. A teaspoon of blackstrap molasses also works, when mixed in with a bowl of oatmeal. I used to take two tablespoons of blackstrap molasses a day when I was pregnant.

Look for  unsulphured, preferably organic,  blackstrap molasses, because it has a cleaner taste and is free of the chemical that many are sensitive to.