Healthy fat, lots of protein. Hemp seeds are a natural superfood for athletes. That’s why you should try them.
Hemp is one of the oldest valuable plants in the world. The plant was already used thousands of years ago to make paper, ropes, and clothing. But the seeds of the hemp plant are also helpful and can even be eaten. They are now considered a natural superfood with health-promoting properties.
Good to know: cannabis seeds don’t get you high. Only the dried flowers of the female hemp plant contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), a psychoactive ingredient. Due to the intoxicating effect, the consumption of flowers in marijuana is prohibited and is one of the forbidden addictive substances according to the Narcotics Act. However, this does not apply to hemp seeds, as these naturally do not contain THC.
Hemp seeds even have numerous health benefits, similar to nuts. With their crunchy bite and exciting taste, they add variety to your diet and can help with muscle building, for example.
How Do Hemp Seeds Taste, And What Can I Use Them For?
They are slightly larger than flaxseed and come in two varieties: peeled and unpeeled. Unpeeled hemp seeds have a relatively rigid, crunchy shell that contains a lot of fiber. If you soak the seeds, they will be softer and more digestible. In the case of the peeled seeds, on the other hand, the peel (and thus also the fiber) has been removed, which increases the calorie content, as well as the content of fat and protein.
Both variants have a slightly tart and nutty taste, making them a good fit for home-baked bread. If you roast the seeds in a pan, the nutty flavor becomes even more intense. However, they are also suitable as a topping for your muesli, and the peeled seeds can even be eaten pure.
What Are Hemp Seeds Good For?
The little nuts of the hemp plant are real nutrient bombs with many vitamins and minerals. Here’s why you should give cannabis seeds a chance:
Make Your Muscles Grow
If you want to build muscle, you should sprinkle the tiny seeds over your muesli in the morning. With a protein content of around 20 percent, they can help you meet your daily protein needs. In addition, the protein is easy to digest and can be converted particularly well into the body’s protein.
During exercise, you lose many minerals through intense sweating, which you should restore to your body as quickly as possible. Instead of drinking a protein shake, you can eat hemp seeds with some quarks after your workout. This combination makes your muscles grow and lets you get fit faster. Hemp seeds are considered to be suitable suppliers of magnesium, potassium, and calcium. All three nutrients are needed for good muscle and heart function. If your body lacks just one of these minerals, your muscles can no longer function properly.
Make You Mentally And Physically Fit
Hemp seeds contain a lot of fat in the form of omega-3 fatty acids, a healthy unsaturated fatty acid that performs vital functions in your metabolism. If you regularly incorporate hemp seeds into your diet, you contribute to maintaining normal blood pressure and normal heart function.
As a component of the cell membrane, omega-3 is essential for the brain, which consists mainly of fat (60 percent of the dry matter consists of fatty acids). Omega-3 positively affects memory performance and ensures that you are cognitively fit longer, as studies have shown. At the same time, due to their antioxidant properties, hemp seeds can counteract inflammation in the body.
Support Healthy Digestion
One reason why you should always buy unpeeled hemp seeds is the fiber they contain. These indigestible food components swell up in the gastrointestinal tract, leaving you feeling full longer – perfect if you want to lose a few pounds.
At the same time, fiber serves as a source of nutrition for the good intestinal bacteria that play an essential role in the immune system. Due to their high fiber content, hemp seeds also ensure smooth digestion and help with sluggish digestion.
Suitable For Special Diets
Low carb, vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free – many forms of nutrition are about avoiding certain nutrients or ingredients in food. While you save carbohydrates on a low-carb diet, which is often used to lose weight, you do without animal foods in a vegan lifestyle.
If you are then still sensitive to gluten or lactose, the choice of foods you can eat becomes smaller and smaller. Fortunately, you can safely buy hemp seeds because they fit into all of the diets mentioned above. They are vegan, gluten-free, and lactose-free and only contain around 3 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams.
How Many Cannabis Seeds Can I Eat Per Day?
Due to their high fat and energy density, you should not consume more than 30 grams of hemp seeds per day. You can compare hemp seeds to nuts, which you should be eating about a handful of each day.
What Do I Have To Look Out For With Hemp Seeds?
Even if hemp seeds do not naturally contain THC, they can contact THC-containing components of the hemp plant during harvest and processing, which can slightly increase the THC content. However, there are some methods by which the content can be controlled and reduced. A too high THC content is especially the case with hemp teas or dietary supplements, as reported by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment.
If you like the crunchy consistency of the seeds, you can choose the unpeeled version, which contains more healthy fiber than the peeled version.
If you are looking for a bit of variety in your diet, you should try hemp seeds. Their slightly bitter, nutty taste is a delicious alternative to nuts or flax seeds. Plus: Hemp seeds convince with numerous positive effects on your general physical and mental fitness.
ALSO READ: THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF FLAXSEED ON HEALTH AND HOW TO PROPERLY CONSUME THEM
