Hemp is a very versatile plant, that can be used for many things from building houses, to fuel our body with healthy, balanced, nutritious food. Hemp seeds have been part of the human diet for thousands of years and for a good reason.
CBD hemp seeds are extremely nutritious and provide a list of benefits to the human body. They have antioxidant properties that may help to alleviate the symptoms of illnesses and are also beneficial for heart, skin, and joint health.
Could this be one of the best foods for us to eat? Let’s find it out…
Balanced Food
Amino acids and proteins
The human body not only needs 21 amino acids to survive, but we need them in the right balance as well. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Proteins are the building blocks of all the cells and body tissue in our body.
Out of the 21 amino acids, 8 must be obtained from food sources as the body cannot produce them internally. These are called essential amino acids.
There are another 2, that can be produced internally if all 8 essential amino acids are present. These are called conditionally essential amino acids.
Hemp seed contains ALL amino acids, all 8 essential amino acids, and the 2 conditionally essential amino acids.
Even though this is pretty impressive, there are other plant seeds that contain all the amino acids, such as Chia seed.
Where hemp seed stands out is the balance.
Several experts claim that hemp contains the ideal ratio of globulin and albumin proteins in a highly digestible format.
Hemp proteins contain approximately 65% edestin and 35% albumin. This is very similar to the protein ratio of human blood.
Having the proteins available for the body in the right ratio contributes to a strong immune system.
Fatty acids
On top of that, hemp seeds also strike a balance with fatty acids. These nutritious seeds contain a 3:1 ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids are important to help the body to reduce inflammation. This is beneficial as more and more conditions, from diabetes to Alzheimer’s and much more are linked to inflammation.
Most people eat fish or take fish oil tablets to get omega fatty acids. Fish themselves have to eat plankton and other forms of plant life to get omega-3. It is not something they produce internally. It is way easier to get omega fatty acids from hemp seed than from fish oil.
Fibre
Fiber is essential to our wellbeing and hemp seeds are a great source of it.
Most western people don’t consume enough fibre. That trend leads to heart disease and even diabetes and more. Hemp seeds include up to 15% fibre and that is a great boost to your daily fibre intake indeed. The 15% fibre contains both soluble and insoluble fibre. The later promotes digestive health by helping to remove toxins from your body.
Hemp seeds help you to feel full longer and act as an appetite suppressant.
Vitamins
Hemp seeds are packed with vitamins as well. These vitamins include:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B1
- B2
- B3
- B6
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
Minerals
Eating this superfood also provides you with sufficient quantities of zinc, iron, and magnesium, three of the most common metals and minerals causing mineral deficiency diseases.
On the top of those 3, seeds also contain potassium, phosphorus, calcium, iodine and manganese.
How Do You Eat Hemp Seed?
Hemp seeds taste good as far as I am concerned. They have a mild nutty taste, that isn’t too dominant or strong. They are great for people with nut allergies.
It can be added to any breakfast, to yoghurt, to smoothies and even just eat it on its own.
You can eat them raw or toasted.
Hemp milk is also a common way of ensuring a healthy daily intake of hemp. Just like milk made of almonds and oats and so on, it is also possible to make milk out of hemp seeds. The milk can be used as an alternative to dairy milk.
How to Store Them?
Once you opened the packaging, it should last up to 12 months in the freezer or even in the refrigerator. Even without refrigeration, it should last up to 4 months after opening.
Hemp Seeds Won’t Get You ‘High’
Seeds contain very minimal amounts of the psychoactive cannabinoid, called THC, so seeds won’t get you ‘high’.
Also, hemp seed is produced by hemp plants and not marijuana. The difference is that hemp varieties contain less than 0.3% THC. Cannabis flowers contain easily 10% and some strains up to 25% THC.
You would have to manage to eat about a 1000 servings of hemp seed to get even close to the amount of THC that could get you high. Even then, the THC that may be present in the seed in traces, is THCa. The cannabinoids, such as THC are in their acid form at room temperature. THCa is non-psychoactive. It needs to be heated up to at least to 80 to a 100 degrees Celsius to turn into THC and be able to get you high.
Not sure if it is a good news, or a bad news, however hemp seeds won’t get you high, ever.
No THC Means Hemp Seeds are Legal to Buy and Consume, right?
Well, yes and no. Let me explain…
If you live in the United States, Canada, UK, Europe or anywhere other than Australia and New Zealand, you are perfectly fine.
Your countries have acknowledged the above-listed health benefits of hemp seeds and you can 100% legally buy hemp seed and consume it.
If you live in Australia and New Zealand, this is a different story as of now. Considering all the benefits you have just read, it is rather outrageous however, these two countries don’t allow hemp seed sales for human consumption.
Watch this video to find out all the details:
On Promoting Health and Wellness
Hemp seeds are very nutritious and excellent for your health. You could literally eat hemp seeds only and you would still have a balanced diet.
You can buy them in health food stores and these days in most supermarkets. Adding hemp seeds to your food, combined with regular exercise could do a great deal to your health and fitness.
Please let us know below what you think of hemp seeds
and what personal experience you might have with eating this superfood.
I have a bachelor degree of Agricultural Science and have studied plant production for 8 years. Meanwhile, I learned so much about plants that it was hard to miss the outstanding (quite incredible) qualities of this hugely versatile plant.
After university I went on to build a career and recently I had the opportunity to return to this most passionate area of my life and have been writing about a wide variety of topics on Cannabis and Hemp.
- Nimbin Medican – Educating Australians About Medical Cannabis - January 28, 2020
- Pill Testing and Roadside Drug Testing – When is it Appropriate to Test for Drugs? - August 2, 2019
- The Australian Cannabis Summit in Review - July 16, 2019
