Hemp For Food
Hemp seed is the most complete single food source for human nutrition. The seed contains all the essential amino acids and fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life, along with having high levels of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and trace elements.
The seeds can be eaten raw, ground into meal, pressed for oil, sprouted, made into hemp milk, prepared as tea, and used as flour in baking.
Approximately 44% of the seed weight is comprised of healthy edible oils, containing about 80% essential fatty acids including both omega 3 & 6. Hemp oil contains the highest amount of essential fatty acids in the plant kingdom. These essential oils are responsible for our immune responses and clear the arteries of cholesterol and plaque.
Protein is another major nutritional component of the Hemp seed, comprising 33% of the seed’s nutritional makeup. This makes it second to soy at 35%, but the type of protein in hemp seeds is much more easily digestible being primarily globular proteins.
The seeds can also be consumed as hemp grain and protein powder. Food products include cereals, frozen waffles, hemp tofu, and nut butters. Fresh Hemp leaves can also be consumed raw in salads or pressed for juice and neither the leaves, nor the seed, contain gluten.
