Hemp for Food

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There are many uses of hemp as a food. It can be eaten raw, pressed to produce hempseed oil, made into milk, tea, seed butter, hemp tofu, frozen waffles, flour, cake mixes or protein powders. Hemp can also be used in baking or added to cereals, smoothies, ice cream and other food recipes. There are many benefits of consuming hemp for food:

Complete proteins

Hemp seeds, which contain protein levels of 25%-31%, are second to soybeans that have 35% proteins. However, the protein found in hemp seeds is more digestible by humans, as they have the same structures as the proteins in the blood. Soy protein, on the other hand, is quite difficult to assimilate or digest. This makes hemp seeds the best vegetable source of easily digestible complete proteins.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) and amino acids

Hemp oil has the highest levels of essential fatty acids and provides the recommended amino acids for human consumption. It has approximately 60% Omega-6 and 20% Omega-3. This makes up the perfect ratio of 3 to 1 that is recommended by nutrition experts for human intake. Hemp nut contains all EFA including SDA (stearidonic acid) and super Omega-6 or GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) that are rare in other key oils. PMS, arthritis, diabetes, and neurodermatitis can be treated using these EFAs. There are many other benefits of EFAs in hemp foods:

  • They control hormone levels, normalize stomach acid, help the muscles of body organs to contract, break down cholesterol, regulate blood pressure, maintain normal body temperature and aid in fat metabolism and transportation. They also facilitate brain development and improve its functioning.
  • EFAs improve the body’s immune system and fight against viral infections. As such, hemp can help HIV and cancer patients to strengthen their immune systems, thus making them healthier.
  • Cardiovascular health can also be aided by EFAs in hemp foods. They also improve one’s reproductive system and help in infant development. They should therefore be consumed by pregnant women.