Hemp food products

• seeds (whole, peeled)
• hemp oil (cold-pressed)
• flour, pasta
• proteins
• hemp butter
• hemp milk
• hemp tea
• ...and many, many more

Whether they are whole, pounded, crushed, dried, cooked or peeled, hemp seeds make for an excellent culinary ingredient: for instance, from flour we can make bread and pastries; sprouts are used for sallads and soups; oil, well-known for being rich in unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E may be used for sallad dressings and such. Through the process of hydrogenation oil is turned to margarine; peeled seeds go beautifully with grains and fruits for making műslies. Even seed hulls that remain after seed pressing are a good addition to your diet, since their protein is used to make icecream and cheese.

Hempseed oil

Hempseed oil contains the highly coveted ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6 unsaturated fatty acids (that being 1:3) as well as having a considerable amount of the very beneficial GLA (gama linolenic acid) fatty acid which can be also found in breast milk. This special combination of fatty acids may be found only in hempseed oil. All in all it has much of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (a total of almost 90%) which is of extreme worth to a person's diet. It is also very rich with essential aminoacids (it contains 8 of 9 essential aminoacids), a high amount of vitamins belonging to the vitamin B family and vitamin E.

Hempseed oil fatty acid content
Hempseed oil contains about 50 to 70 percent of linolic (Omega 6) acid and around 15 to 25 percent of alphalinoleic acid (Omega 3). Ingesting even the small amount of 10 to 20 grams of hempseed oil is enough to fulfill your daily requirements for the above mentioned fatty acids.

• Allergies: the cluster of essential fatty acids that hempseed oil contains, helps with minimizing the syptoms of various allerigies
• Weight-loss: with its high content of gama linolenic acid hempseed oil provenly helps reduce body weight
• Cancer: it has been proven that GLA has a beneficial effect when it comes to fighting breast cancer. Multiple sources also state that it may be used with other types of cancer as well (regular use minimizes the risk of cancer in general)
• Acne: research has shown positive outcomes of treating inflamated skin with hempseed oil. In this regard it also helps reduce the inflamation of such ailnesses as atopic dermatitis, seboroic dermatitis and similar diseases.
• Diabetes: the high content of GLA has an empowering effect on a person's nervous system. It helps prevent many neurological conditions, caused by diabetes. Studies have also shown that the high content of CBD help alleviate symptoms caused by diabetes, in some cases reversing the condition entirely (diabetes type 2).
• High blood pressure, coronary diseases: Hempseed oil establishes homeostasis within the circulatory system (lowers blood pressure and prevents coronary diseases)
• The discomforts of menopause: Women have reported of significant improvements regarding syptoms of menopause and perimenopause.
• Eye conditions: It help with the so-called »dry eye syndrome« as well as its accompanying »dry mouth symptome«.
• Rheumatoid arthritis: GLA may reduce the swelling of joints, general swelling and helps restrain morning clumsiness
• Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD): Further study is required in the field of child behaviour although current recommendations suggest a diet rich with Omega-3, Omega-6 and GLA might be a step in the right direction.
• Alcoholism: Hempseed oil with a high content of GLA may supposedly minimize alcohol craving and prevent liver damage.
• Ulcer: Research has shown that GLA has antiulcerous qualities.

Hempseed oil has a beneficial effect with troubles caused by neurodermatisis, PMS, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetic neuropathy. Because of its relatively high content of Omega-3 fatty acids which actively intervene with the metabolism of cholesterol, hempseed oil also prevents early on-set trombosis and embolism.

The high content of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids along with a relatively high percent of phytosterols it is therefore thouroghly beneficial to the entire cardiovascular system. GLA has proven to be an effective source of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and active joint inflammation. Also, GLA and vitamin D, both found in hemp are equally beneficial for preventing and treating osteoporosis. And, as already mentioned, products with a high content of essential fatty acids help to improve many different skin conditions (inflammations, loss of epithelial moisture, itchyness, slow healing of wounds).

Source: Prim. Dr. Janez Tasič, Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Darrell L. Tanelian, Dr. Ronald R. Theimer, Dr. James Callaway

Hempseed protein powder

Hempseed protein powder is gaind by cold-pressing hemp seeds. Through this process oil is excreted. What remains is left to dry and then ground into protein powder wich stil contains all of the essential hemp seed ingridients, only concentrated in protein content (striped of the large part of fat and fiber). This makes it ideal for athletes, especially after work out (to be consumed as a supplement in shakes or other beverages). It may also be used as a meal supplement and is therefore recommended for those battling exess body weight. 

The main advantage of hemp protein powder is that it does not remain isolated from other nutrients but comes in accessable form (as nature intended) – along with other nutrients which apart from boosting muscle mass gain beneficially influence hair growth, skin health, eyes, the immune system and indigestion.

Many plant proteins are regarded as »imperfect« in the sense that they contain small ammounts of one or more of the eight essential aminoacids. This is somewhat misleading since all plant derived proteins contatin all of the essential aminoacids but in a large number of cases (i.e.grains, legumes) the quantity of one or more of there aminoacids does not meet the needs of an average diet intake, much less the one of an athlete.

Hemp proteins, on the other hand, do contain a satisfacoty ammount of each of the essential aminoacids and in a form that make them easily accesable to the body. Plant proteins get digested much easier compared to animal proteins – enzymes found in hemp protein powder help boost protein absorption and digestion and as a result less overall proteins need to be consumed, the rule of thumb being quality rather than quantity.

Apart from being indispensible when it comes to muscle tissue regeneration, hemp proteins are also wonderful for burning fat. Once proteins are absorbed into the blood stream they then provoke the release of hormones that enable a more efficient distribution of fat reserves – as a direct consequence we then notice better stamina and a more rapid loss of body fat (not forgetting to exercise regularly).

Of all known plant proteins hemp is thought to have the most alkaline effect on the body due to its high pH value. The preservation of ones alkaline body balance is of great importance since acidity has a negative effect on the entire human organism, sometimes shown as fatigue, loss of muscle mass and overall stamina.

Source: Brendan Brazier (professional »ironman« triathlon competitor): THRIVE: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life

Dried hemp leaves - hemp tea

• it improves the state of the immune system
• relieves chronic pain, brought on by certain inflammations (i.e. rheumatism)
• eliminates indegestion
• has an antiinflammatory and antistress effect
• rises energy levels
• contains antioxidants

Written by: Lina Habjanič, lina.habjanic@konopko.si and Alenka Zapušek, M.Sc., alenka.zapusek@konopko.si