Eat Non-US Grown Hemp for Better Health
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA 
on 09. 3.08
Image source: Manitoba Harvest
While the US is still the only developed nation where growing hemp is illegal, you can buy products manufactured with hemp here and this week I tried out some products by Manitoba Harvest, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I also served them up to my family for the official taste test - below are the results as well as a few 'recipe' ideas.
Hemp is a great source of complete proteins for vegetarians and non-vegetarians, as well as offers Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. Its grown with no pesticides and can be used for clothing, soaps, food, rope, shoes, wallets, you name it. In case you're wondering, Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods were recently analyzed by the US military, as were many other hemp foods and cosmetics, and found to not contain any amount of Tetra Hydrocannabinol(THC). The findings were published in the July/August 2008 issue of Journal of Analytical Toxicology.
The Hemp Taste Test
I tried the Chocolate Hemp Protein, which contains all 10 essential amino acids, in my cereal first by dumping a little in and not tasting it so I dumped some more in and this was too much - gave a very chalky taste to the cereal. I've since eaten it by dumping a little in and I get the benefits of hemp protein while still enjoying my Trader Joe's O's. My parents said they have blended the hemp protein in chocolate banana smoothies and in brownies (not those kind of brownies) and that its great.
As for the Hemp Nut Butter, it took a second to get over the color when I first opened the jar. When you think butter you think yellow, cream, or even brown like peanut butter. Hemp nut butter is none of the above - its green! It also has little dots from the hemp seeds. But, I tried it on toast and bagels and it was the same as putting peanut butter on a bagel. It has a very nutty flavor and you almost feel like you're getting some green leafy vegetables in the mix. Like many vegetarian foods, if you get past the idea of what something is "supposed" to taste like, the hemp nut butter is fine.
If you like spooning peanut butter straight out of the jar, then you will like hemp seed butter. Plus, you don't have to worry about the possible concerns over palm oil harvest and tropical forest destruction, because there is no palm oil in hemp nut butter.
The organic, non-GMO Hemp Seed Oil, home to 2500mgs of Omega 3's per serving, can be used in salads and even in drinks (though I didn't try it in any drinks). Its a lot like vegetable oil or an oil of that consistency but with the hemp flavor. It suggested to take 1-2 tablespoonfuls daily, so I tried that. I don't recommend it for the faint of heart, as the first thing I thought when I did it was "Don't do that." Unless you like drinking olive oil by the spoonful, I suggest you use it in food the same way you would olive oil. You can also cook with it under 350° F (176° C).
Hemp Bliss, (think soy milk but with hemp) was great in cereal or by itself. It is also the world's first certified organic hempmilk. I tried this in my cereal and couldn't tell a difference between hempmilk and soymilk. I drank it straight the same way that I would with soymilk and couldn't tell a difference. Though after downing the spoonful of hemp seed oil, I kind of had a bad aftertaste and had to lay off the hemp for awhile.
The Benefits of Hemp
Hemp has long been praised for its wide variety of uses and small eco-footprint. Edible hemp is high in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, which is a great alternative for vegetarians and vegans who can't get these Omega's from eating fish. Hemp is also a great source of complete protein, which is crucial for vegetarians and vegans. Most sources of protein don't contain enough of each of the 9 amino acids necessary for a complete protein, but hemp has all nine amino acids at high enough levels. In fact, the amino acids in hemp are similar to those found in our bloodstream so they are easily acquired and digested.
Hemp is never genetically modified, unlike soy, and it also requires no herbicides or pesticides to grow. Hemp protein powder can also be used in baking at a ratio of 25% hemp to 75% flour which is good for people concerned about a low-carb diet and the powder is also gluten-free. It is a very fast-growing plant, thus making it a sustainable source of paper-products, and uses less water during its growth as compared with cotton.
The Growth of Hemp
The owners of Manitoba Harvest Hemp were among the folks who helped re-legalize the growth of hemp in Canada in 1998. North Dakota and Vermont have very strict regulations which potentially would allow farmers to grow hemp but the programs have yet to get off the ground. The DEA threatens to crack down on these programs so farmers are afraid they will get their licenses revoked if they start to plant hemp. North Dakota farmers question why Canadian farmers are allowed to grow and manufacture hemp fiber and seed products and then export them to the US, while US farmers are denied the same advantages. Hmmm. Scientists have clearly shown that hemp and marijuana are two distinct plants (the DEA disagrees) and thus growing industrial hemp "has absolutely no use as a recreational drug."
Improved manufacturing, washing and decontamination habits have led to much lower and in some cases no concentrations of THC in commercially manufactured hemp products. When the Hemp Industries Association won its lawsuit against the DEA in 2004, stating that the DEA regulations can't ban hemp food products, Manitoba Harvest Hemp saw its sales grow by 1000%. The Manitoba Harvest facility is a 20,000 square foot kosher and certified organic manufacturing facility.
If you check out their website, Manitoba Harvest has a neat little slideshow on the hemp fields from growth to harvest as well as nutrition information and almost 100 recipes - including breads, desserts, even cole slaw. Each of the hemp food items can be ordered from your local health food store as well as from their website.
:ND Licensed Hemp Farmers File Appeal::Manitoba Harvest
More on the Politics of Hemp
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Its Not Easy Being a Hemp Farmer
North Dakota May Legalize Hemp Cultivation
Green Eyes On: Hemp, Revisited
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The number of amino acids which are essential is dependent both on age- the very young and very old have different needs from healthy adults- and on genetic history- many populations lack the metabolic ability to synthesize particular amino acids, or to do so in sufficient quantity. Nonetheless, the number for healthy adults is 8, no the 9 or 10 mentioned in the article above.
Just the fact that both 9 and 10 amino acids are mentioned as necessary for a complete protein should be enough to indicate some internal inconsistency. If hemp is a complete protein, great, but let's be more clear about what that entails in this case.
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Update from author:
I looked into this and actually, I worded it poorly. The website says that most sources of plant protein do contain all nine "essential" amino acids, just are missing one or more at levels that are "insufficient for human needs." I took this to mean that hemp has all nine essential amino acids, which is true, but when I checked with Manitoba, hemp actually has 10 amino acids. The nine essential ones, plus one more.
Hi Kristin and Treehugger!
THANK YOU for highlighting us in your article. We wanted to supplement your great info with a discount for all your readers. Read on....
At the Manitoba Harvest webstore (http://www.manitobaharvest.com/cartshop/productlist.asp), your readers can learn all about our products and purchase with a special Treehugger discount.
From now until Dec 31st, 2008, any reader can use the code 'treehugger08' at checkout and get 15% OFF their order. Great news: we ship to you for FREE on purchases over $99.99 and if the interest is in small bulk quantities (like 5 pound pails), everyone pays wholesale pricing already. You now pay 15% below wholesale.
How do we do this? Manitoba Harvest is the only hemp food brand that grows, manufacturers, packages and ships all its own products. We produce fresh hemp foods 5 days a week, 24 hours a day to ensure we can bring you the freshest hemp foods on the market.
Enjoy!
~Manitoba Harvest
Great article. I wish we could grow hemp in the states to help the farmers:
http://www.mydailypeace.com/2008/08/13/hempsters-plant-the-seed/
The feds aren't so much worried that hemp contains THC, more that marijuana will be hidden in hemp fields. But considering they can't find the plants growing in my back yard without any hemp camo, I think they are just babies that feel like their territory is being stepped upon and their work would be reduced to "worthless." Same thing happened when the speed limits were raised to 65 mph. All the law (traffic) enforcement agencies were butt-hurt, saying "anyone going 66 will get a ticket whine-whine-whine."
Innacurate.
The only type of Hemp you cannot grow is Cannabis Sativa, all other types do not contain THC and are used mainly for the clothing, cosmetic and construction industries, among others.
This use in the food industry is new to me and is surely residual on overall production total.
Do not spread the idea that there is only one type of hemp that makes my clients giggle every time that I mention it for its excellent thermal and environmental performance as a light, bug-proof insulation material...
(no you do not get high if your house burns down)
You ought to look into why hemp was made illegal in the first place. The reason is because Big Money didn't want it because it directly competed with their products: paper, cotton, plastics...
it wasn't just big money *(a la Hearst, DuPont et al) it was also blatant racism and yellow journalism. but yea.. moments after the Marijuana tax Act (what made it illegal) was signed, DuPont patented nylon... neat coincidents...
and the malarkey that one can hide pot plants in a hemp field is insane. Even George Washington knew you have to separate the male and female plants.... so if you were going to plant your sensimilia in the middle of a hemp field (as opposed to the middle of a corn field) you would end up with low THC useless plants that you can't use for rope, can't use for clothes and cant smoke. thats just the DEA's old wifes tale
but all that being said, on to ManitobeeHemp! Yall's got great taste. I really love the stuff EXCEPT tetra packs suck! They are not recyclable in most places and really, cant you use milk cartons? or glass? or even HDPE like orange juice? something that can be recycled? twould be sooooo much nicer and hempful for the planet
For the record, although growing hemp is not illegal in Canada it does require a licence to grow which must be renewed on a yearly basis. You can see the FAQ on the gov't site here.