Barbara's Sharebook 

Yes, people, here's more that the powers-that-be that want to OUTLAW Hemp all over the world and establish absolute control over what we ingest; more that they haven't told you and won't, of course, tell your kids in school!

This is excerpted from an article in "Alternative Medicine", January 2008. It is very brief extractions from the longer article. The article includes recipes for "Rich chocolate hemp pudding" and "Spinach-hemp pesto" and "Omega-roasted vegetables" {with, "....the versatility of protein-packed hemp"}. Yum!

'Although there's no official definition separating marijuana from industrial hemp, the two plants are distant cousins; hemp foods contain no THC {tetrahydrocannabinol}, and consuming hemp products will not produce any psychoactive effects. Hempseed is to marijuana as poppy seeds are to opium. "It's legal to cultivate hemp in Canada, although it's currently illegal to grow it in the States," says Christine Volgyesi, president of Living Harvest, an Oregon-based hemp food distributor. "The US government does, however, allow the import of hemp products and ready-to-eat products manufactured from hemp."' [And how crazy is that??? Let's help our own farmers, too! BMT]

At the end of the article, is a list of "The Latest and Greatest Hemp Foods". {Don't know how much they had to pay the magazine to get on that list....! But anyway, it is a good list to get started on if you haven't encountered Hemp Foods up until now, and want to try some.}

Ruth's Hemp Foods {RUTHSHEMPFOODS.COM}: hemp protein powder; hemp salad dressing; hemp bars.

Manitoba Harvest {MANITOBAHARVEST.COM}: hemp milk; hempseed nut butter.

Living Harvest {LIVINGHARVEST.COM}: hemp milk; hemp protein powder; original, chocolate chili, and vanilla spice.

Nutiva {NUTIVA.COM}: hemp shake.

[A couple of those names sound familiar to me; I must've tried some Hemp Bars at Seattle Hempfest, from one or two of them. They were good! BMT]

The article and recipes are by Linda Melone, "a writer and personal trainer in Los Angeles".

The magazine is obviously a "popular"-type "alternative" magazine for the layperson; not for the medical or the "alternative" medical professions. Nevertheless, it contains the kind of specific medical and scientific information that ANYone who wants to be knowledgeable, can use.

There follow some more excerpts from the article, in the "Healing Foods" section: "HIP TO HEMP? A nutritional powerhouse comes in a tiny package."

'If you're a vegetarian, vegan, or simply trying to find meatless sources of good-quality protein, chances are you have a refrigerator stocked with soy milk and other soy products. But there's a new kid on the block: hempseed. Hemp gives soy a run for its money not only because of its high-quality protein, but because of its flavor and digestibility as well.

Hempseed, not to be confused with its psychoactive cousin, contains none of marijuana's THC and will not induce any type of "high" when consumed {or smoked, for that matter}. It will, however, provide a number of hard-to-find nutrients in a variety of tasty and highly digestible forms.

The edible portion, called the hempseed nut, constitutes the most basic form of hemp and resembles a sesame seed in size and appearance. Manufacturers grind and otherwise process hempseeds into various products: Cold-processed hempseed oil, hemp milk, hempseed flour, and hemp protein powder are the most popular. You my also come across hempseed nut butter and nutrition bars made from hempseed. The variety of forms makes it easy to incorporate hemp's many nutritional benefits into just about any meal.'

At 38 percent protein, the soybean rates higher, but the body can't use that protein as well as it can the hempseed's. "Although soy possesses a high-quality protein profile, it also contains trypsin inhibitors, which block the uptake of trypsin and other enzymes the body uses for protein digestion," says Place.

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Next to its protein value, hemp's essential-fatty-acid content wins points over almost all other oils. Hemp oil provides both types of essential amino acids, omega-6 linoleic acid {LA} and omega-3 linolenic acid {LNA}, and its proportion of these fatty acids is superior to other oils. Hemp's ideal 4-to-1 ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids beats canola {2-to-1} and soybean oil {7-to-1}. But here's the catch: "If hemp were the only source of dietary fat you ate, it would be perfect," says Vesanto Melina, RD, co-author of Becoming Vegan {Book Publishing Company, 2000} and Becoming Vegetarian {Book Publishing Company, 2000}. "But since most of us get too much omega-6 fatty acids [from foods like meat and corn oil], flaxseed oil actually goes a step further by helping to correct this imbalance with a ratio in the opposite direction: 1-to-4. It may be a better choice if your diet is already high in omega-6."

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Hemp protein powders run the gamut from the plain green standard version {the color comes from the chlorophyll in the seeds} to flavored varieties, and contain between 8 and 15 grams of protein a serving. "Hemp contains albumin protein, the same high-quality protein found in eggs," says Andrea Giancoli, RD, MPH, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and author of The Family Fork blog. "It also contains 65 percent edestin protein, a highly digestible protein with an amino acid composition closer to other complete sources of proteins like meat and milk." Without trypsin inhibitors like those found in soy, hemp's protein gets absorbed more readily by the body and should not cause the digestive issues associated with soy.

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Rich and creamy, with a nutty flavor, hemp milk may be the easiest way to introduce hemp into your diet. Hemp milk's gamma linolenic acid {GLA} content makes it a better choice than rice, soy, or almond milk, which contain none. "GLA is often clled the 'good omega-6'," says Place. This rare nutrient plays a role in the body's production of prostaglandins, hormone-like substances responsible for controlling blood pressure, contraction of smooth muscle, and inflammation. "It also seems to help premenstrual symptoms," Place adds.

....Hemp milk can replace cow's milk for any use.'

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Well, be SURE and tell all your vegetarian and vegan friends about this.... recruit them to our cause! MAKE GROWING HEMP LEGAL AGAIN IN THE UNITED STATES!!!!! Dammit! For so many reasons.......! BMT