Eating Hempseeds?

February 26, 2008 in balancing act, diet, Food, health
Tags: dieatary fats, dietary fibre, hefu, hemp milk, hemp oil, hemp protein, hemp seeds, hemp tofu, Legal, minerals, nutritional value, vitamins

Industrial hemp does not have psyoactive qualities like its narcotic cousin. It is mainly cultivated for its fiber and has some other excellent qualities too. It is not illegal (at least in the most of the world – althugh cultivation is illegal in US; in EU and Canada licence for cultivation is needed) as it is not narcotic.

The hemp seeds are the best known source of vegetable proteins (22,5 % all the essential proteins) even better than soy (or even egg whites) and they contain plenty of polysaturated omega-3 fatty acids in excellent balance whit omega-6 (1:3,5 in average) and in much better balanced than soy (1:7). About 30% of the seeds are fats, of which most of these. The seeds also contain plenty of fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E as well as calcium and iron. They contain about 35 % dietary fiber.

There are several products made of hemp seeds available including hemp flour, the hemp seed oil and hemp seed protein (like soy-protein). Also milk can be maid (like soy-milk). In one cup of the milk there is 46 % of daily calcium and 43 % of daily phosphorus, which makes it an excellent substitute to cows-milk, much better than soy milk in fact. It has none of phytates, which interfer the assimilation of essential minerals, like soy does.  

Also so called hemp tofu can be made of this protein rich milk. This hemp-tofu or hemp-cheese is also known as hefu.

Read more:

Hemp Hearts Natures Power Food by Roger Snow