{"id":20868,"date":"2020-06-18T10:00:15","date_gmt":"2020-06-18T17:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/?p=20868"},"modified":"2023-09-26T14:00:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T21:00:56","slug":"hemp-seeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/blog\/hemp-seeds\/","title":{"rendered":"All About Hemp Seeds \u2014 A Nutritionally Dense Superfood"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think of hemp and hemp seeds, what comes to mind? For a lot of people, it\u2019s marijuana. But the truth is, hemp \u2014 unlike its close cousin, marijuana \u2014 can\u2019t get you high. It lacks sufficient THC (short for tetrahydrocannabinol), the active, natural compound found in the cannabis plant that produces the dominant psychoactive effects of marijuana.<\/p>\n

While not a consciousness altering drug, hemp more than makes up for it through its sheer usefulness. Various parts of the plant are used as material for fibers, textiles, paper, insulation, cosmetic products, biodegradable plastics, food, and beverages. And it\u2019s been an important global crop for a long time. Even the US Declaration of Independence was drafted<\/a> on hemp paper!<\/p>\n

Until the Farm Bill of 2018<\/a>, it was illegal<\/a> to grow hemp in the United States, so most hemp seed and related hemp products were imported from Canada and other countries. As of today, cultivating hemp is legal<\/a> in all US states and Canada, with the exception of Idaho, Mississippi, and the District of Columbia (Washington DC).<\/p>\n

Hemp seeds may not be as popular as flaxseeds, chia seeds<\/a>, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds, but as you\u2019ll learn below, they\u2019re tremendously healthy and full of nutrition. And they\u2019re darn tasty, too!<\/p>\n

What is Hemp?<\/h2>\n
\"Hemp
iStock.com\/Stefan Tomic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.<\/i>) is a plant grown in the northern hemisphere, best known for its thin, somewhat spiky, green leaves (usually around seven<\/a> that fan out around the end of each stem). It takes approximately three to four months to mature before harvesting. And it is a dioecious plant<\/a>, which is a decidedly nerdy way of saying that there are both male and female hemp plants. And they need each other for the female to set seed.<\/p>\n

Hemp has a wide variety of uses. You can use the whole plant, including the fiber (from its stems), protein (from its seeds), and oils and smokable portions (from the leaves and flowers). Smokable hemp is a new addition to the CBD industry, as the leaves and flowers of the hemp plant are rich in non-psychoactive cannabidiol, a compound which has<\/a> many therapeutic properties.<\/p>\n

Hemp seeds are small with a slightly sweet and nutty flavor and are technically nuts. While the terms are often used interchangeably, hemp \u201chearts\u201d are hemp seeds that have had their shell removed, so they\u2019re easier to consume. Hemp hearts are round and have a whitish-green hue with a black center.<\/p>\n

Hemp is environmentally friendly, too. It grows in a variety of climates and types of soil, which is possible because of its hardiness. Hemp is resistant to drought and damage from UV rays<\/a>, as well as most pests. It\u2019s happy to grow tightly packed together, which allows it to shade out and outcompete most weeds. That means there\u2019s no point in using chemical pesticides<\/a> on most hemp crops. It\u2019s also a natural substitute for cotton and wood fiber, both of which take a heavy toll on the environment<\/a>. Hemp has a low lignin content<\/a>, which allows it to be pulped using fewer chemicals than wood. And a fully mature hemp plant may contain<\/a> half of its dry weight in seed, which is an impressively high yield.<\/p>\n

Is Hemp the Same as Marijuana?<\/h2>\n
\"Cannabis
iStock.com\/wut ti kit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hemp was a prominent<\/a> crop in the United States until 1937, when the Marihuana Tax Act (and no, that isn\u2019t a misspelling; historically, the H or a J spellings are used interchangeably<\/a> in US legislature) virtually destroyed the industry in North America. This was based on an erroneous fear that industrial hemp was the same as marijuana. The economic, environmental, and humanitarian<\/a> damage wrought over those years are profoundly tragic.<\/p>\n

While hemp is part of the same family<\/a> as marijuana \u2014 Cannabis sativa<\/i> \u2014 it\u2019s not the same as marijuana. To clarify, both hemp and marijuana are cannabis, but they differ in their THC content. In the United States and many other nations, marijuana is still a federally-controlled substance, though many states are loosening restrictions on its possession and use. This is, in large part, due to documented<\/a> value for medical uses in alleviating pain, nausea, and anxiety. Hemp has significantly lower THC levels and doesn\u2019t have the same psychoactive effect that marijuana does. In other words, you won\u2019t get high from consuming hemp or using hemp products.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s still illegal for individuals to grow or possess marijuana in most US states, the 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the Controlled Substance Act and recategorized it as an agricultural product, as it was prior to 1937. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp under certain restrictions, like not having a delta-9 THC concentration of over 0.3% on a dry weight basis. Marijuana, on the other hand, has a much wider range<\/a> of THC content, as high as 23%. But to be legally classified in the same boat as marijuana, hemp has to have a THC concentration of over 0.3%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hemp Seeds Nutritional Makeup<\/h2>\n
\"Hemp
iStock.com\/marekuliasz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hemp seeds are very nutrient-dense<\/a>. Just three tablespoons of hemp seeds, weighing in at 30 grams, offers the following nutritional composition<\/a>:<\/p>\n