Saturday, May 5, 2007

Hemp Seeds- A Vegan Powerhouse


In doing some research on hemp seeds I discovered some pretty remarkable things. Hemp seeds are known as being the most nutritionally complete food in the world. Unlike any other food in the plant kingdom, hemp seeds contain every essential amino acid & essential fatty acid our bodies need

What is special about the fatty acids in hemp seeds, is the fact that they are in perfect ratios of each other as well. This makes hemp seeds the absolute best source to get our necessary fats.

As a pregnant woman, I can see how crucial it is to make sure the baby is supplied with the necessary building blocks of growth (amino acids) as well as the resources needed to bulk up and get a nice bit of body fat (fatty acids).

When people discover that I am vegan, they immediately ask me: "Where do you get your protein?" There is obviously no lack of protein in a diet that includes hemp seeds on a regular basis.

The protein in hemp seeds are globulin edestin form, which means it can be utilized very well by the body in a raw form and does not need to be cooked at all. This is great news for raw foodists who never cook anything they eat.

Some people want a low-fat diet, but it is crucial to understand the difference between good fats and bad fats. It is best to avoid trans fats and saturated fats where possible, but it is important to get good fats in our diets or else we start to lose a lot of our vitality and health.

It is best if 1/3 of the fats we eat are EFA (Essential Fatty Acids). Adding some hemp to your meals is a great way to make sure this is done. The fat found in the oil in hemp seeds consists of 54.4% Omega-6, 18.3% Omega-3 and 2-5% GLA.

This is a great resource for vegan body builders and athletes because hemp seeds are up to 40% pure protein. This makes it a much better source than animal based whey protein, which is very unhealthy. On top of that, hemp actually tastes good!

On a side note: hemp seeds do not contain any THC, so you will not get high by consuming it.

I usually add my hemp seeds to a smoothie with bananas and ice. It makes it taste like a nice vegan milk shake and fills me up quite nicely.

You can eat your daily hemp seeds in many different varieties such as:
Organic Shelled Hempseed
Organic Hemp Oil
Organic Hemp Protein Powder
Hemp Seed Oil Capsules

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