Ah, hemp seeds.. I’ve been a fan for a while love the versatility of them when used in recipes. Hemp seeds may be eaten shelled, raw, toasted, plain or flavored. The seeds are also be pressed for oil, which results in seed cake that can be ground into flour and protein powder. From seed to oil, protein powders and flour, it is becoming easy to incorporate hemp into any meal or recipe for a healthy addition.
If you’re looking for nutritional backup – hemp seeds have a near perfect balance of the 2 essential fatty acids, omega 6 and omega 3 (at 3:1), plus iron, vitamin E and all the essential amino acids, hemp seeds are said to be the most nutritionally complete food source in the world (not a bad rap huh!). Not only that, but hemp seeds are one of the most outstanding food sources for magnesium. Just 28g of hemp seeds contains a whopping 192mg of magnesium – that’s nearly 50% of your RDA!
Proteins are considered complete when they contain all 9 essential amino acids in a sufficient quantity and ratio to meet the body’s protein requirements. This makes hemp seeds perfect for vegans, vegetarians or anyone who is looking to reduce the meat content of their diet. Hemp seed protein can supply all the protein requirements without the bad fats in meat and without the stomach upset from soy.
With a complete collection of amino acids, hemp seeds are ultimately the best digestibility of any vegetable protein, with the added bonus of essential fatty acids, lacking the items found in soy that cause gas, hemp is truly the perfect vegetable source for a high protein food.
So if you haven’t cottoned on to the idea that hemp is something we all should be incorporating into our every day – you should!
From hemp seeds to hemp flour, hemp protein powder and hemp oil – there are plenty of ways to utilise hemp and reap the benefits. Hemp is still in infancy in Australia and it’s only been since November 12 2017, that changes to the Food Standards Code permit the sale of low-psychoactive hemp seed as a food in Australia (I was stocking up each time I visited the states til now!) FYI – In order to be considered a food ingredient hemp seed has to contain less than 0.5% of the psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It’s called low-THC hemp.
A family friend has plugged away in the industry for quite some time now, patiently waiting for Australia to catch up (it has been an interesting process to observe) . Ananda Food is an Australian hemp company In 1999, Ananda began growing industrial hemp in Tasmania with the expectation that the law would one day allow the use of hemp seed products as food. That day has finally arrived. Ananda Food is one of the largest Australian-owned hemp seed producers in Australia, being the only commercial-scale producer of premium food-grade hemp seed oil made from industrial hemp grown in Australia.
Anyways, to put all this info to good use – its more important to know how to use hemp in your diet. I love adding the seeds to my morning smoothie with a shot of hemp protein powder. The flour is great for baking and the oil is yummy on summer salads.
White Chocolate and Hemp Seed Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup hemp flour (rice flour can also be used for a GF option)
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup Ananda hemp seeds
1/4 cup white choc buttons (optional)
1/2 tbs baking flour
1/2 tbs baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp brewers yeast (optional but great for digestion)
1/4 cup softened pure butter
1/2 cup rice malt syrup
1 tbsp vanilla paste
1 egg
How to Make
-
In a large bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, coconut, chia and hemp seed, baking powder, baking soda, brewers yeast and salt in bowl.
-
Stir until combined
-
In a separate bowl beat the butter, then add the rice malt syrup and vanilla paste – beat until well combined. Add egg and continue to combine.
-
Gradually add the flour mixture into butter mixture, continually stirring to ensure coverage. Add the choc chips and continue to make sure ingredients are well combined and thoroughly mixed through.
-
Using an ice cream scoop and tablespoon – place even sized portions on a grease proof oven tray and flatten with fork
-
Bake at 160 degree for 12-15 mins. They will harden as they cool
- Store in an airtight container
