Hemp seeds are gaining more and more popularity in a healthy diet.
These small, high-protein balls come in the form of shelled, unshelled or roasted seeds. Their interesting taste is a perfect complement to salads, dinners or even desserts, and the rich nutritional value qualifies hemp seeds to the category of superfoods.
What can you do with hemp seeds and why are they so valuable in our diet?
Check in this article.
Hemp seeds – a raw material with great potential
Hemp seeds resemble small, light (1000 seeds weigh 15-20 grams) nuts, 3-4 mm thick, surrounded by a brown-gray, thin shell. And from one hectare of plantation, you can collect about 1 ton of seeds. In addition to the appearance of peanuts, they also have a delicate, but very characteristic nutty flavor and aroma.
They are mainly used in the food and pharmaceutical industries, for the production of dietary supplements, mainly due to their composition.
They are a good ingredient in the diet of vegans and vegetarians due to the impressively high content of protein, as well as carbohydrates and fiber.
In addition, they have valuable minerals such as: calcium, zinc, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus.
The protein contained in hemp seeds provides the body with all essential amino acids, and one of the most characteristic proteins in hemp is edestin, which belongs to globulins.
It constitutes about 60-80% of the protein contained in the seeds, and the remaining part of the protein is albumin. In addition, the digestibility of hemp protein is impressive and definitely better than the digestibility of proteins of some cereals, nuts or legumes.
One serving of hemp seeds, or about 3 tablespoons, has about 166 calories but only 2.6 grams of carbohydrates. Almost half of the carbohydrates (about 1.2 grams) come from fiber. Only half a gram of carbohydrate comes from sugar.
Hemp seeds are usually available in 3 forms, as unshelled seeds, shelled seeds and roasted seeds. Regardless of which form we choose, they will be perfect as a snack between meals, as well as an addition to dishes, pastries or desserts.
They are perfect as an addition to baking bread, salads, smoothies, breakfast cereals or cookies. They will also be a good base for sauces, hummus and sandwich spreads.
The daily recommended dose of hemp seeds is no more than 3 tablespoons. It is best to store them in a tightly closed container, in a dry place, at a temperature of up to 20 degrees C, away from sunlight.
At Alba Hemp, we have shelled and roasted seeds that will become an excellent snack during the day to enrich your diet.
Hemp oil
Hemp seeds are not only a good snack that can be eaten raw or in dishes. From the seeds is also produced the well-known hemp oil, which is characterized by a high content of fatty acids, such as oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids in the best proportions, i.e. 3:1.
Hemp oil has a dark color and, like the seeds from which it was made, has an interesting, nutty flavor.
Hemp oil is often confused with CBD oil, but they are two different substances.
Hemp oil can be obtained in two ways:
-from seeds by cold pressing
-from hemp flowers (CBD oil) by extraction using various methods
Seed oil, i.e. is pressed at a low temperature – about 40 degrees C. It does not contain cannabinoids such as CBD or other phytochemicals.
Hemp oil, due to its structure and low smoke point, is not suitable for frying, it should only be used cold, as an addition to salads or dressings.
Hemp flower oil, on the other hand, contains a large amount of cannabinoids and terpenes, it can be taken in the form of CBD capsules, CBD oil.
Hemp seeds in the kitchen
In addition to standard seeds in their “natural” form, on the market we can find many products based on hemp seeds, which are perfect for culinary recipes.
We are talking about hemp flour, hemp plant milk or hemp butter.
Pastries and preserves made on the basis of products made from hemp seeds are nutritious and easily digestible, and excellent in taste!
All of them are happy owners of a large amount of protein and fiber, thanks to which they give a feeling of satiety, unlike standard products.
References:
Adda Bjarnadottir, MS, RDN (Ice)
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-health-benefits-of-hemp-seeds
September 11, 2018
Dan Brennan,
https://www.webmd.com/diet/hemp-seeds-good-for-you
September 29, 2020
Artykuł 4. Hemp seeds – what can you make from them pochodzi z serwisu Alba Hemp.