Apple Molasses Oat Bake & Iron Knowledge Bomb
Iron is an essential mineral that the body needs for growth & development.
It is needed to make hemoglobin and myoglobin. Hemoglobin is in your red blood cells and carries oxygen to your body’s tissues, while myoglobin is what holds oxygen in your muscles. Because oxygen is essential to every part of your body, including your cognitive function, it is important to be diligent about consuming iron-rich foods.
There are two main types of iron. Heme iron and non-heme iron.
Iron found in animal products like meat or seafood is called heme iron.
Non-heme iron is found in plant foods like molasses, pine nuts, algae/seaweed/spirulina, spinach, edamame/tofu/tempeh, lentils, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, oats, and dark leafy greens. To help your body absorb plant-based iron, pair it with foods high in Vitamin C. Putting something like a lemon squeeze, citrus fruits, broccoli, tomatoes, or bell peppers with your iron-rich foods, will help make the iron more bioavailable.
My favorite plant-based iron source is molasses. Not only is it easy to use, and find, but it does have some great health benefits.
Women need more iron in their diet, especially when menstruating. Molasses not only can supplement for lack of iron but can help relieve symptoms of PMS. During menstruation, it is common to have lower iron than usual, which can lead to low energy and bad moods. This is because your mood is reliant on hormones such as serotonin and dopamine, which cannot be properly balanced without enough oxygen. By finding ways to incorporate molasses, you can help boost the oxygen in your body and relieve these symptoms naturally.
Along with relieving PMS, molasses can combat stress and anxiety through its B vitamins, calcium, and magnesium.
B6, found in molasses, also helps raise serotonin levels in your brain. Serotonin is an important hormone that controls mood, prevents pain and fatigue. All of which can be great for fighting stress.
This is the molasses I use in my kitchen.
Adding molasses to recipes is easy. Use it as you would honey or sweetener. It’s sweet and adds a rich, chewy element to dishes. I add molasses to oatmeal, cookies, & salad dressings. Try it for yourself! And make my Apple Molasses Oatmeal Bake.
Apple Molasses Oat Bake
Prep ahead and have breakfast ready for the week! This is a high fiber and high protein breakfast that will keep you full for hours.
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
2 cups oatmeal, I use Bob’s Red Mill organic rolled oats
2 cups plant milk, I used almond milk
2 tbsp molasses
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 apples (1 apple diced, & 1 thinly sliced to layer on top)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.
In a large mixing bowl, mash your bananas.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Grease a glass or metal rectangle baking dish and add oat mixture.
Layer thinly sliced apples on top & sprinkle cinnamon on top.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Watch my reel on Instagram for a visual!
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, be sure to tag @AKFunctionalNutrition on Instagram!