You may have heard quite a bit about Hemp lately – and for good reason. It is an important cousin to medicinal cannabis that provides all of your nutritional needs in one hand and the other has the potential to clothe us, provide our housing and fuel! Just so you know, hemp has legal limits of THC and CBD, both of which are extremely low and will not make you high or get picked up by a police drug test!
Hemp seeds contain oil, protein and fibre that contains essential fatty acids, plant cholesterol, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Let’s take a closer look at the three key components.
- Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids need to be eaten in foods like hemp seed oil – it’s the only way to get them into your body. Two of the most important ones are Omega 3 and 6 and can be found in our hemp seed oil. You may have heard of Omega 3 before from its presence in fish oil - thought to be the answer to our heart problems – but a recent scientific study found that it provides zero health benefits (Journal of the American Medical Association). What is omega-3 good for then? Well, in combination with omega-6, it is really important for reducing inflammation in our joints, tendons and muscles.
- Vitamin E
Hemp seed oil contains a high amount of Vitamin E that works tirelessly in our immune system and through the cells of our body to keep it safe from free radicals and therefore helping us stay healthy. It’s also great for our skin.
- Plant Cholesterol
There are two types of cholesterol- bad (HDL) and good (LDL). Hemp seed oil contains only the good cholesterol which is great for a heathy cardiovascular system. But is also has an amazing ability to get prevent bad cholesterol from ever coming into our bodies by preventing its absorption during the digestion process!
- Protein
Hemp seed protein has excellent nutritional value and superior digestibility compared to other sources of protein and it contains every amino acid – the building blocks of proteins – that our bodies require. New research has also found that specific sections of hemp seed protein may have the ability to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Fibre
Both soluble and insoluble fibre are present in hemp seeds. The types of fibres are not well understood but our research has shown that there is a high % of insoluble fibre that act as a powerful prebiotic capable of healing your gut leading to reduce stress, improved bowel function, weight loss and improved immune function.
In conclusion, hemp seeds are packed full of amazing goodness that can heal, protect and nourish our bodies.
References
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/7/1935