Benefits of Raw Sugar Or Molasses
Raw sugar is made from sugarcane. Occasionally, it is considered as brown sugar. However, there are differences between raw sugar and brown sugar. Brown sugar is refined white sugar added with molasses while raw sugar is just unrefined sugar.
In the traditional way of producing sugar, after sugarcane is harvested, it is grated and juiced. The sugarcane juice will be filtered to remove any dirt or fiber. The pure juice is then boiled with low heat for about 5 to 6 hours. In the boiling process, it has to be stirred frequently and the water content will be evaporating slowly. So the mixture become thick and concentrated. When it is cool, it becomes solid and this is raw sugar. Color of the sugar is proportional to the boiling time. The longer the boiling time is, the darker the color of the sugar.
Recently natural or organic food has become very popular. As most of us are concerned about our well being, more and more natural food is now being studied and used in many aspects. In Chinese medicine, raw sugar is believed able to improve blood circulation, blood cell production, improve appetite and enhance digestion. The glucose contained in it can be adsorbed by human body almost instantaneously and replenish your energy at once.
Women are encouraged to have sugar drinks during or after their menstrual cycle daily before lunch. This will also help to ease the menstrual cramp that one experienced. For mothers who have just given birth to their child, it can also improve uterine contraction and recovery after birth and improve milk secretion. For one with a cold, drinking it with ginger will effectively ease the symptoms. To prepare a sugar ginger drink, just add 30g of ginger slices in boiling water and boil for 10 minutes in low heat. After that, add in 20g of sugar and stir slowly until it is melted. And also for those with constipation problems, this will be a simple and fast remedy to improve digestion.
Beside the medical benefits of it, now we also discover the cosmetic effects of raw sugar and find that it is used in many top cosmetic products. As we know, pigmentation in skin is caused by melanin in skin cells. Molasses is able to deplete melanin into the lymphatic system and finally out of the human body. Molasses also act as an antioxidant agent and increases the repairing rate of skin cells in the dermis layer. With the whitening and antioxidant effects, it is now one of the popular ingredients in many cosmetic products. We can use it to ease the swelling caused by bee stings by applying molasses on the swelling. Also we can improve skin irritation caused by dehydration by adding in some sugar to water used for bathing.
Raw Sugar has many benefits to offer as a food or as a cosmetic. To consider our well being, raw sugar will always be my first choice for sweetener. What about you now?
Joanne T.
To learn more about healthy diets, please visit http://www.101lowfatrecipes.com/.
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