Eating a balanced diet with lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats is a great way to make your heart very happy. Good nutrition combined with regular exercise will help keep your blood pressure down and your cholesterol levels in check, two significant factors when it comes to decreasing your risk for heart disease.
Whole Hemp Seed Nutrition Facts
One easy way to boost your personal nutrition score up a few notches is by eating more heart-healthy hemp seed food products. Hemp, the non-psychoactive cousin of cannabis, is loaded with nutrients that make your heart happy. The “superstar” of this show is the unsaturated “good” fats, especially, the Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids which are found in the naturally “perfect” ratio known to have the most health benefits for humans.
Studies suggest eating more hemp seed food products may help to:
- Reduce “bad” cholesterol levels
- Decrease the risk of blood clots
- Reduce inflammation
- Lower the risk of developing certain cancers
- Promote fat burning rather than fat storage
Looking for some easy ways to add more hemp to your diet? It’s likely that your neighborhood grocery store, natural foods market, or local co-op may already have a variety of hemp seed foods available! Look for cold-pressed hemp seed oils, hemp seed milk, hemp protein powders, and good old fashioned, hulled hemp seeds. Be sure to choose organic varieties if possible.
Using Hemp Seed Food Products to Reap the Health Benefits
Keep these best practices in mind when incorporating hemp seed food products into your diet:
- For the most nutritional benefits, look for cold-pressed, unrefined hemp seed oil
- Hemp seed oil is best when used cold or over low-medium heat, as it has a semi-low smoke point of 330 degrees F (about 10 degrees higher than olive oil), making it less than ideal for cooking over high heat
- Hemp seed oil can be used as salad dressing or in dips like hummus; drizzled over mashed potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, or grilled vegetables; or added to basically any recipe that calls for olive oil
- Hemp protein powder and hemp milk make great additions to smoothies, milkshakes, hot cereals, or creamy soups
- Hemp seeds by themselves are delicious on top of salads, soups, or yogurt; they can be added to your favorite muffin or baked good recipe; and with their naturally rich, nutty flavor, you may choose to simply eat a handful of hemp seeds all on their own!
Making small, sustainable changes towards a healthier lifestyle, such as including more heart-healthy hemp seed foods in your daily diet, may not only help prevent heart disease but can help keep any current damage to your heart in check. In honor of your heart, why not make it a goal to try and include plenty of heart-healthy foods with hemp in your meals?
As a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant, Jessica has a unique perspective on the nutritional benefits of cannabis.
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