Why You Should Be Eating More Hemp Seeds Every Single Day!

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Hemp plants are one of the earliest known domesticated plants. Humans have been cultivating hemp plants for at least 12,000 years! Hemp is a relative of marijuana but isn’t the same thing. Hemp has no psychoactive compounds. (This means that it won’t get you high, sorry.)

Hemp is an amazing plant that can be used as wax, resin, oil, made into paper, or fuel. The seeds from this plant are a super source of nutrition.

The leading producer of hemp products, including seeds, is France, which produces about 70 percent of all hemp in the world. Second is China. There are more than 30 countries which produce industrial hemp including Australia, Canada, Chile, Finland, Germany, Poland, Japan, Spain, and Turkey.

Hemp seeds are a terrific alternative to dairy products as they contain tons of nutritional benefits but none of the irritating protein that is in regular cow’s milk. You can even use hemp seeds as a super food for vegans!

Want to know more? Keep reading and find out the best reasons why you must add hemp seeds into your diet today!

1. Improve Digestion

One of the best ways to improve your digestive health is to add plenty of fiber. Whole hemp seeds are a terrific source of both insoluble and soluble fiber. First, be aware that shelled hemp seeds (sometimes called hemp hearts) actually have very little fiber so be certain to consume whole hemp seeds if you want improve your digestion. Consuming soluble fiber creates a gel-like compound in the digestive tract, which is a valuable source of nutrients for the good bacteria which can regulate cholesterol levels and reduces blood sugar spikes.

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2. Super Nutritious

Although we call them seeds, they are actually nuts. Hemp seeds have a slightly nutty flavor that most people find addicting. Hemp seeds are about 30 percent fat and are rich in both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, as well as gamma-linolenic acid, which has tons of health benefits. If you are interested in protein, then hemp seeds are an excellent choice, because more than a 1/4 of their total calorie count comes from high quality protein. That is far more than flax seeds or chia seeds with a mere 16 to 18 percent protein! Hemp seeds also contain calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

3. Reduce the Symptoms of Menopause and PMS

As much as 80 percent of women suffer from some type of PMS or menopause problems. Most PMS symptoms are due to a sensitivity to the hormone prolactin. The gamma linolenic acid found in hemp seeds reduces the effects of prolactin, which can help to decrease PMS symptoms. The GLA in hemp seeds have indicated that hemp seeds can also reduce the symptoms of menopause such as irritability, breast pain, and depression. Although scientists don’t completely understand how GLA works for menopause, but numerous studies and testimonials show that it is effective in reducing symptoms.

4. Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease

The biggest killer in the world is heart disease. The good news is that hemp seeds reduce the risk of heart disease through an amino acid called arginine. Arginine produces nitric oxide, which causes blood vessels to relax and dilate. This leads to lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of heart disease. One study found that those who consumed hemp seeds or hemp seed oil had lower blood pressure levels and a lower risk of blood clot formation.

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5. Help with Skin Problems

The balance of omega-6 fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids is very important to the body. Studies have shown that hemp seed oil helped persons affected with eczema and psoriasis. This is because hemp seeds are terrific sources of essential fatty acids and polyunsaturated fats. They also have a 3 to 1 ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids, which is considered to be the perfect balance. Omega-6 is known to regulate inflammation and immunity, which might explain why it helps with skin issues. Omega-3 fatty acids are also known for reducing inflammatory problems and the immune system function. These two essential fatty acids can help with all types of skin problems. Ask your doctor if eating hemp seeds might help with yours.

6. A Plant Based Protein

Hemp seeds are so high in protein that, by weight, they are right up there with lamb and beef. Two or three tablespoons of hemp seeds have about 11 grams of protein! Hemp seeds contain all 9 essential amino acids – that is why they are complete sources of protein, which is by the way is hard to come by in the plant world as most plants lack the amino acid lysine. Hemp seeds do not only have high amounts of the essential amino acids cysteine and methionine, but these tasty seeds also have high levels of glutamic acid and arginine. Our bodies can digest hemp protein very easily as well, in fact, better than many other legumes, nuts, and grains.

Hemp seeds are a very, very old food, but their popularity is just being discovered in America. Hemp seed shells do contain extremely small amounts of THC (the same ingredient in marijuana). If you are regularly drug tested, you might want to avoid whole hemp seeds and consume only hemp seed hearts.

You hear the word “superfood” tossed around quite a bit, but hemp seeds are perhaps one of the few foods on this planet that actually deserve the label.

Add hemp seeds to your baked goods by tossing a handful of hemp seeds into your batter. Salads are also turned into super salads by simply sprinkling a few tablespoons of hemp seeds into them. Your morning smoothie will never be the same after you add some hemp seeds to them.

Adding hemp seeds to your diet is easy and they are terribly addicting. Most people find that eating them right out of the bag is more addicting than potato chips!

References:

www.link.springer.com

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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