To Show You How Bad Sugar Is
I’ve been on a healthy diet for the last few months…very little meat, dairy, sugar, processed food. Now when I eat anything very sugary, or very salty, I really feel ill. But one thing I haven’t been able to give up is molasses. I love it! Especially on vegan pumpkin waffles.
Sugar has been blamed for all kinds of things. First ,there are the obvious culprits…diabetes, heart disease, ADD. Then there’s the “Twinkie defense,” and, no worse, my 3:00 p.m. slumpies. Sugar is indeed a powerful addiction, but did you know that it, along with its byproduct, rum, was a major player in the slave trade?
I always thought sugar cane was found in the Americas, but it actually came from India and was brought to the Americas by the Europeans. The climate in the Caribbean proved perfect for sugar cane and, thus, the sugar cane plantation was born. Sugar cane, and its delicious byproduct, molasses, was used to make rum. The rum was sent to Africa to buy more slaves to be shipped to the Caribbean to make more sugar – creating the “triangle trade.” Read more at http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/history/hs_es_sugar.htm.
Now, what remains is the impact of slavery on the world. Sugar addiction and the obesity epidemic. And the fact that molasses is the best thing since sliced bread. My favorite is grandmas. And remember, black strap molasses has many important vitamins and minerals, so take a teaspoon every morning. No better way to start the day!
Oh, and if you’re looking for rum recipes, here are some good ones using Cruzan rum from the Virgin Islands . Our bartender at the Westin St. John made up a drink called a Silk Shark’s Fin…very good, but unfortunately he wouldn’t give up the recipe.
