My personal trainer suggested I try a smothie with hemp seeds. Now I know marajuana is "all natural" but so is tree bark and I don't think we all need to eat some tree bark. So I decided to research it before ingesting these so called "Hemp Seeds". Turns out they are not marajuana seeds. Marijuana and hemp both come from the same SPECIES of plant, Cannabis sativa L., but from DIFFERENT VARIETIES of Cannabis, just as Chihuahuas and St. Bernards are different breeds of dogs. It will not get you high any more than a turkey can fly. OK, so that's different enough for me. Also I am very excited about all the benifits of hemp seeds;
- They contain all 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) our bodies cannot produce.
- They contain a high protein percentage of the simple proteins that strengthen immunity and fend off toxins.
- Eating hemp seeds in any form could aid, if not heal, people suffering from immune deficiency diseases. This conclusion is supported by the fact that hemp seed has been used to treat nutritional deficiencies brought on by tuberculosis, a severe nutrition blocking disease that causes the body to waste away.
- Nature's highest botanical source of essential fatty acid, with more essential fatty acid than flax or any other nut or seed oil.
- A perfect 3:1 ratio of Omega-6 Linoleic Acid and Omega-3 Linolenic Acid - for cardiovascular health and general strengthening of the immune system.
- A superior vegetarian source of protein considered easily digestible.
- A rich source of phytonutrients, the disease-protective element of plants with benefits protecting your immunity, bloodstream, tissues, cells, skin, organs and mitochondria.
- The richest known source of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids.
I couldn't contain my excitment I started sharing it with my co-workers and friends. Well that don't go well. Jokes galore and worries that I would lose my job and that I would be asked to take a drug test.
Then I read US farmers are not allow to grow it. (insert red flag here) That makes me a little nervous. I read on and found "Hemp is actually categorized with marijuana as part of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 and is therefore illegal to grow in the US."
Nutiva is a well know brand of hemp seeds and at their website I found the answers to my buring questions;
Q. Are hemp foods legal to import, buy and consume in the United States?
A. Yes. The case HIA v DEA established that hemp foods are exempt from control in the Controlled Substances Act. An excellent overview of the case can be found on the Vote Hemp web site on their DEA Hemp Food Rules page.
Q. If I recently consumed hemp foods, could I fail a drug test?
A. If the only source of the psychoactive THC in your body is from hemp foods, produced from Canadian grown hemp seeds and eaten in reasonable quantities, it is virtually impossible to fail a drug test by ingesting hemp foods due to the fact that THC levels in our products are barely measurable.
Well I always say I would rather be safe than sorry, but if you feel a little wild and want to give it a try here is my trainer's recipe;
Hemp protein shake
4 Tablespoons of hemp protein
3-4 cups of unsweetened almond or coconut milk
2 cups of frozen berries
1/2 banana (mine will be frozen because then it will be ice cream like texture :)
add stevia until sweet
And if you want to know more The Body Ecology Diet site has an article discussing hemp here.
