Hemp. Now before your mind starts imagining people in dreadlocks smoking a “cigarette” which leaves them both happy and hungry, please read on.
To give you a very simple explanation: In Medieval Europe, hemp meant fibre, but in the 1930s the US Bureau of Narcotics started using it to describe all forms of Cannabis or what is commonly now today as marijuana. This is when people started getting confused; There are not only botanical differences in the Cannabis plants, but also differences in the way they are used. (Read this) Hemp, or a variety of Cannabis sativa, is a plant that is grown for it’s fibres and seeds and not for smoking and getting high. The fibres have long been used for making rope, fabric, paper and animal bedding. The seeds are used for making oil, hemp milk, consumed like any other seeds and are also ground into a powder or flour.
However it is that you use or consume hemp, you don’t have to worry about failing a drug test. Hemp has very minimal traces (if any) of THC , which is the psychoactive substance found in marijuana. Just like you wouldn’t worry about eating poppy seeds you shouldn’t worry about eating hemp. But unfortunately its legality is disputed from one country or state to another, seems a bit silly and over-reactive. I can tell you from personal experience that I’ve never felt “funny” after consuming hemp flour or seeds. I have found the taste to be deliciously nutty and you can’t beat all of the health benefits! The flour is a wonderful gluten, wheat and grain free ingredient to experiment and cook/bake with. The seeds have added a crunchy topping to my morning muesli as well as a nutty taste to steak sauce and smoothies.
I’d like to now share some facts and recipes with you so that you may, perhaps, give hemp a taste and reap its health benefits. If you have any doubts, you should contact your physician first.
Health Benefits and Facts
• Considered to be one of the most nutritious plants, hemp contains all essential amino acids; This makes it a fantastic source of protein.
• Hemp is loaded with fibre, magnesium, phytosterols, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, niacin and thiamin.
• A good source of Vitamin E and therefore an antioxidant, which are recommended for cancer prevention.
• Hemp seeds are a wonderful source of omega-6 and omega-3. The omega-3 is good for cardiovascular health and the omega-6 helps brain function, bone health and regulate your metabolism, among many other things.
• It is an anti-inflammatory and also help improve circulation. (If you suffer from RA or Arthritis make sure to check into this.)
• The high protein and fibre content means they will leave you feeling full longer. Additionally this helps slow digestion and therefore prevents blood sugar spikes. (This is a good thing for diabetics and people who suffer from hypoglycaemia.)
• Hemps seeds are believed to aid in reducing blood cholesterol and lower blood pressure.
• Hemp oil is a very popular ingredient in high-end cosmetics because it helps promote cell growth for softer and smoother skin. Additionally it is used for treating dry skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
• When hulled, the seeds are called hemp hearts.
• It is perfectly safe to eat hemp seeds with the outer shell still attached
• Hemp flour is gluten-free
How To Use Hemp Flour and Hemp Seeds
• Hemp Milk: Melissa of My Whole Food Life likes to grind the seeds to make her own hemp milk — it’s super easy too!
• Chocolate Coconut Paleo Crack: Charmian, The Messy Baker, and her sister developed these tasty snacks using hemp hearts.
• Healthy Power Muffins (Gluten-Free and Vegan): Alisa of Go Dairy Free uses hemp hearts for her energising muffin recipe.
• Vegan Quinoa-Flax-Hemp Granola Bars w/ Walnuts & Apricots: Heather of Girlichef adds hemp hearts to her healthy granola bars.
• Protein Packed Monster Breakfast Cookies: Megan of Allergy Free Alaska takes the guilt out of eating cookies for breakfast with her grain, egg and nut free recipe. ( Uses hemp seeds)
• Spicy Cilantro and Hemp Seed Sauce by me
I also like to add them to my muesli for an extra nutty crunch.
•Spinach, Pepper and Hemp Bread: Ceri of Natural Kitchen Adventures uses hemp flour to bake a delicious looking gluten-free bread.
• Divine Hemp Chocolate Brownie: Shauna of Eating with S.O.L.E has us brownie lovers covered with her hemp flour using recipe.
• Homemade Protein Bars by Yummy Mummy Kitchen (recipe uses hemp seeds)
• Hemp Hummus by PETA (recipe uses hemp seeds)
•Blueberry Hemp Smoothie by This Rawsome Vegan (recipe uses hemp seeds)
• Hemp Tofu Scramble Breakfast Pizza Topped with Hash Brown Potatoes by Vegan Richa (recipe uses hemp tofu)
• Apple, Kale & Hemp Seed Green Smoothie by In Pursuit of More (recipe uses hemp hearts)
• Pesto-Coated Carrot and Parsnip Fettuccini by Almost All The Truth (recipe uses hemp oil)
• Pumpkin Coconut Flour Pancakes – Low Carb and Gluten-Free by All Day I Dream About Food (recipe uses hemp protein powder)
• Peanut Butter & Hemp Seed Dog Treats by Free People Blog
• Gluten-Free, Vegan Hemp Bread by Nourishing Meals
• Low Carb & Gluten Free Pizza Crust by I Breathe I’m Hungry
Manitoba Harvest has tons of recipes for using hemp flour, hearts, protein powder and hemp oil. You can also purchase organic and non-GMO hemp products from them.
How about you, have you cooked or baked with either hemp flour or seeds?
P.S.
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I remember you had a post a while ago about hemp, and that’s the first time that I learned about “eating hemp”! Thank you for teaching us the health benefit. It’s always fun to learn something new!
My pleasure, Nami! I hope you give them a try sometime.
Have never heard of hemp and with all the benefits it sounds like worth trying. Thanks for sharing all the info.
But now you have and maybe you can give them a try?:) Thanks!
An interesting article! Indeed, hemp is very healthy…
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you Rosa!
Thanks for adding my bread. Made so long ago I’d forgotten about it. Hemp flour was a really interesting product to work with. I struggled to find the perfect use for it, but I”m sure there are some great recipes out there – I will peruse through your list!
Hi Ceri! Your bread looks delicious, it’s a pleasure including it. Enjoy the recipes and hope you find some inspiration.:)
I’ve long been a fan of hemp seeds and their health benefits…and now I need to try making some hemp flour. Fantastic write-up, Nancy…and so many recipes to try. Thanks so much for including one of mine! :)
Hi Heather! I loved your recipe and glad to hear you’ve long been a fan. I can’t wait to see your homemade hemp flour:)
Thanks so much for including my hemp milk in your roundup! All the others look great as well. :)
Thank you Melissa, I can’t wait to give your recipe a try.
Great and informative post!
Thanks!:)
This is something totally new to me and , at first glance, very interesting. It’s going into my ‘special folder’ for slow nighttime reading after work! Thanks for all the info!!
Thanks Eha, enjoy reading it later and hope you give hemp a try sometime.
Good information Nancy! I do have RA and need to try some of these recipes.
Hi Sandra! You should also look into blueberries, they have great anti-inflammatory properties.
Yup, happy and hungry was my first thought when I saw the title of this post. ;-) I’ve never cooked with hemp, nor eaten it (well, there were those brownies a long, long time ago!). This is so interesting – great post. Thanks.
Lol!Thank you John:)
I’ve hemp clothing before, but I have never cooked with hemp. Thanks for such an informative post! Definitely need to test out this new ingredient.
I have never owned hemp, would love to now that I’ve learned all of this. Enjoy MJ!:)
I love to use hemp seeds in crackers and smoothies, it adds such a nice nuttiness.
A very interesting article. I’m trying to find out if i can substitute hemp flour for wheat flour in some of my favorite recipes. I’ve heard it goes well in chocolate cakes. Can you tell me what the proportions would be for swapping? One to one, or is hemp flour more ‘absorbant’ than wheat flour?
Thanks!
Hi Catherine,
Thank you! I’m sorry I haven’t experimented enough with hemp flour to let you know what the correct proportions would be. I tend to combine it with other non-wheat flours.
I have roasted hemp seeds then ground them in my mini whizzer and mixed them with equal part of brown rice flour to make breading for chicken to use in Chinese chicken salad. Very happy with the outcome. I usually fry the chicken in coconut oil, but I just got an air fryer, so I will be trying that next time.