Here’s a wonderful hot breakfast recipe idea, especially for those chilly winter months.  This cereal recipe includes Organic Coconut Oil, and Hempseeds, and comes to us from one of our Nutiva Recipe Club members.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Nutiva Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Cream of Buckwheat
1/8 tsp. Celtic or Pink Crystal Salt
and/or any other flavoring spices that you like (Cumin, Fennel, Curry, etc)
1 1/4 Cups Water
Chopped Greens of Choice
Raw or Toasted Nutiva Hempseed for Garnish and Protein
Chopped Parsley/Cilantro Mix for Garnish and to Include Some “Raw”

Directions

1. Melt Coconut Oil in saucepan. Add any spices of choice and cook until they sizzle, don’t let burn.

2. Add Salt, Cream of Buckwheat, and Water.

3. Put a couple of handfuls of chopped greens (Chard, Kale, Beet Tops, etc) on top of the Buckwheat. Cook a few minutes until done.

4. Add additional Salt if needed and a few grinds of Black Pepper.

5. Top with Hempseed and Chopped Herbs.

You can also try a variation of this recipe by sprinkling some Chia Seeds on top before you serve, for an extra shot of fiber, protein, minerals, omega-3, and antioxidants.

Recipe Credit: Sharon Engel, California.

Here’s a quick, healthy and yummy hemp-based salad dressing recipe.  Organic, Vegan, and completely awesome.

Enjoy!

1 part Nutiva Organic Cold-Pressed Hemp Oil
1 part Olive Oil
1 part Vinegar or Lemon Juice

Directions: Blend ingredients and add soy sauce, sea salt, and or dried herbs for flavoring.
Also consider adding tahini to make it a more creamy dressing.

Optional: Sprinkle Nutiva Organic Shelled Hempseed over your salad.

Here’s a great organic, Vegan recipe which utilizes Nutiva’s Delicious and Nutritious Hempseeds. Great, healthy, organic food is easy to prepare, and makes all the difference in a healthy lifestyle. Thanks to Ivy Larson at CleanCuisine for this great recipe!

• 2-3 whole garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon organic Worcestershire (such as Annie’s Naturals)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (such as Costco’s Kirkland brand)
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds (such as organic Nutiva brand)
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Note: Dressing will keep in refrigerator for 3 to 4 days if stored in a covered container.

Thanks to Nutiva fan Ivy Larsen for submitting this

Here’s a YouTube clip of the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 extra large (or 3 regular) red peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
½ C hemp seeds
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tsp Braggs liquid aminos
Black pepper to taste
2/3 C water (or to taste – this will depend on how thick or thin you like your soup)

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. You may want to begin with ½ cup water and adjust based on texture as you go along.

We found this excellent article on Hemp nutrition benefits and nutritional value over at the Nourishing Gourmet.com. Enjoy!

Author Credit: Kim Harris

What do you think of when I say “hemp”? I think of marijuana and hippy homeless young women selling homemade hemp bracelets on the streets. However, hemp is appearing everywhere now in the form of hemp milk, hemp seed, hemp protein powder, etc. I decided it was time to look into the matter and see what all of the hype was about.

(I will do a food tasting review of hemp at the bottom of this page, but in case you can’t wait to find out, hemp seeds taste great-a little like pine nuts).

Benefits

Hemp is a high protein seed containing all nine of the essential amino acids (like flax). It also has high amounts of fatty acids and fiber as well as containing vitamin E and trace minerals. It has a balanced ratio of omega 3 to 6 fats at around a three to one ratio. This won’t help correct your omega balance if it’s off, but it gives you the right balance to start with.

Further the protein content of the hemp seed is supposed to be very digestible. Many people noted their personal experience of finding that hemp seed protein did not cause bloating or gas, like some of their whey, or other protein shakes did.

And, get this, unlike soy which has super high amounts of phytic acid (that anti-nutrient that prevents us from absorbing minerals), hemp seed doesn’t contain phytic acid. At the very least, this makes hemp seed a step up from soy.

The Body Ecology Diet site has an article discussing hemp here.

It contains a list of benefits including what I mentioned above plus including some others as well.

Hemp contains:

* All 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) our bodies cannot produce.
* A high protein percentage of the simple proteins that strengthen immunity and fend off toxins.
* Eating hemp seeds in any form could aid, if not heal, people suffering from immune deficiency diseases. This conclusion is supported by the fact that hemp seed has been used to treat nutritional deficiencies brought on by tuberculosis, a severe nutrition blocking disease that causes the body to waste away.3
* Nature’s highest botanical source of essential fatty acid, with more essential fatty acid than flax or any other nut or seed oil.
* A perfect 3:1 ratio of Omega-6 Linoleic Acid and Omega-3 Linolenic Acid – for cardiovascular health and general strengthening of the immune system.
* A superior vegetarian source of protein considered easily digestible.
* A rich source of phytonutrients, the disease-protective element of plants with benefits protecting your immunity, bloodstream, tissues, cells, skin, organs and mitochondria.
* The richest known source of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids

This isn’t the end! Continue reading this article on hemp nutritional value and nutrition benefits at the NourishingGourmet.com.

This article by Kim Hopkins on Examiner.com notes that hemp foods in their pure state (such as in Nutiva hemp products) do NOT contain the most common food allergens such as peanuts, milk, wheat, soy, and seafood, but do deliver a powerhouse of nutritional value.

Hemp is an easily digestible, gluten-free protein. It has an overall protein content of 34.6 g/100 g, with a low carbohydrate content. Of the shelled hemp seed carbohydrate, 6% is in the form of fiber. The fiber content of hemp seed flour is 40%, which is the highest of all commercial flour grains.

In addition to containing the basic human nutrient groups, hemp foods have a high content of antioxidants (92.1 mg/100g). The high content of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids make hemp foods beneficial to cardiovascular health (the chart compares hemp milk to soy, rice, and almond alternatives – click on it to see a clearer image). Additionally, hemp seed contains a wide variety of other vitamins and minerals.

Continue Reading >>

On this interview John explains:

• Why hemp foods are becoming so popular
• Why hemp and coconut oil can be considered super foods
• The problem with soy products
• The biggest contributor to health problems in the US
• and much more…

Listen to the podcast

From the Holistic Health site:

An interview with John Roulac, Founder and CEO of Nutiva, purveyors of organic hemp and coconut foods, include hemp oil, hemp protein powder, hemp seeds, Hempshakes and coconut oil (a great, healthy alternative to butter!). For more information and an exclusive 20% discount on any purchase, use code HOLISTIC at checkout on www.Nutiva.com.

Growing Hemp Food and Body Care Sales is Good News for Canadian Hemp Seed and Oil Producers

WASHINGTON, April 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Hemp Industries Association (HIA), a trade association consisting of hundreds of hemp businesses, has just released final estimates of the size of the U.S. retail market for hemp food and body care products in 2008. Data supporting the estimates show that retail sales of hemp food and body care products in the U.S. have continued to set records in 2008.

Strong sales of popular hemp items like non-dairy milk, shelled hemp seed, soaps and lotions have occurred against the backdrop of state-licensed hemp farmers in North Dakota fighting a high stakes legal battle against the DEA to grow hemp for U.S. manufacturers. The new sales data validate U.S. farmers’ position that they are being shut out of the lucrative hemp market that Canadian farmers have cashed in on for over a decade now.

The sales data, collected by the market research firm SPINS, were obtained from natural and conventional food retailers, excluding Whole Foods Market and other establishments not providing sales data – and thus underestimate actual sales by a factor of at least three.

According to the SPINS data, hemp grocery sales grew in the sampled stores by 42% over the previous year ending December 27, 2008, or
$2.56 million, to a total of $8.64 million. The SPINS data also show that sales of hemp body care products grew by 19%, or $3.00 million, over the previous year to a total of $19.12 million. Finally, according to SPINS, combined hemp food, body care and vitamin product sales grew by 22%, or $6.11 million, over the previous year to a total of $33.51 million.

Due to significant sales excluded from the SPINS data, such as The Body Shop, Whole Foods Market and restaurants, as well as the fact that many unreported leading mass-market brands of suntan lotion and sunscreen products include hemp oil, the HIA estimates the total retail value of North American hemp food, vitamin and body care product sales to be in the range of $100-120 million for 2008.

“Farmers who want to grow hemp to support the steady double-digit growth are mad as ever about being shut out by our backward federal government,” says David Bronner, who makes Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps and uses hemp oil in all his top-selling products. “The HIA is confident that the total North American hemp food and body care market over the last year accounted for $100-120 million in retail sales,” adds Bronner, who also chairs the HIA Food and Oil Committee.

“We expect double-digit growth in the hemp food sector to continue through 2009, as consumer interest in ‘green’ healthy products grows,” comments Eric Steenstra, HIA Executive Director. “It is amazing that the growth of the sector is as strong as it is, given the stigma of hemp being the only food crop not legal to grow in the U.S.”

A federal bill was introduced in Congress earlier this month that, if passed into law, would remove restrictions on the cultivation of non-psychoactive industrial hemp. The chief sponsors of HR 1866, “The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009,” Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA) and Ron Paul (R-TX), were joined by nine other U.S. House members from both sides of the aisle. More information on the bill can be found at: http://www.VoteHemp.com/legislation.

The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) represents the interests of the hemp industry and encourages the research and development of new hemp products. More information about hemp’s many uses and hemp advocacy may be found at www.HempIndustries.org and www.VoteHemp.com.

SOURCE Hemp Industries Association

Copyright (c) 1996-2009 PR Newswire Association LLC.

Although consumption of fish is widely touted by medical and nutrition experts as good for the heart and overall health, in large part due to its content of essential fatty acids, more and more medical studies are raising concerns due to toxic levels of mercury in fish.  Both USA Today and the San Francisco Chronicle featured this in November 2002 articles that highlighted yet another scientific study warning of the dangers of mercury in fish.  The good news is that there is a healthy alternative to provide the essential fatty acids and other key nutrients recommended by leading medical experts that is becoming widely available in the U.S.: Organic Hemp Oil.

A fish mercury study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, demonstrates the occurrence of dangerous human mercury blood concentrations associated with fish consumption.  “We found that if people eat fish, the mercury (level in their blood) goes up.  They stop eating the fish, the mercury goes down,” said the author of the study, Dr. Jane Hightower, a doctor of internal medicine at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.  The subjects of the study were eating a diet high in canned tuna, salmon, swordfish, sea bass, halibut and tuna steaks.  A CNN article recently reported that some fish, such as “farm-raised” fish, often contain significantly higher levels of toxins than wild fish.

Mercury pollution is an emerging environment and health problem caused by many man-made sources including coal-burning power plants and waste incinerator emissions. Mercury accumulates in the food chain, with large fish typically containing the highest amounts.  Mercury can harm the human brain and the entire nervous system, contributing to behavioral problems and impairments of the immune and reproductive systems and cardiovascular disease.  Federal agencies have been warning pregnant women to reduce ingestion of fish due to the potential for toxic contamination that may impair development of the baby’s brain functions.  With the federal government blocking regulations to reduce toxic emissions from power plants, this health crisis will only increase in importance to Americans.

The study results have created a serious dilemma for medical experts that have supported fish consumption as a key component of a healthy diet.  The findings highlight the need for toxin-free alternative foods that can substitute for the nutrient profile of fish.  “Organic hemp oil is a clean and healthy fish alternative for consumers concerned about the high level of mercury and other toxic contaminants in fish,” notes John W. Roulac, Founder and President of Nutiva, America’s leading hemp food brand.  “Hemp oil’s essential fatty acid profile is closer to fish oil than any other vegetable oil,” he adds. Nutiva uses certified organic, non-GMO Canadian hempseed that is grown without the use of harsh pesticides and herbicides, and therefore is free of dangerous chemical residues ( http://www.nutiva.com ).

Why “EFAs” Found in Hemp & Fish Are So Important For the  Modern Diet

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are components of fat that humans need to be healthy, however, our bodies can’t produce them and therefore they must be obtained through the diet.  EFAs come in 2 families, called omega-6 and omega-3.  Medical professionals including the renowned Dr. Andrew Weil recommend hemp oil due to its ideal omega-6 to omega-3 EFA ratio.  In the respected book Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, nutrition expert Udo Erasmus states, “The best-balanced plant source of EFA’s is hemp seed oil.”  While health officials with the World Health Organization, Canada, Japan and Sweden recommend a 4:1 ratio, hemp oil’s 3:1 ratio is the closest of any naturally occurring oil.

It is estimated that 90% of Americans do not consume enough omega-3, known as the “good fats” doctors recommend as part of a balanced diet.  Hemp oil is one of the few seed oils containing significant quantities (20%) of alpha-linolenic acid, an important omega-3 EFA. Hemp oil is also the source of a rare super omega-3 EFA called stearidonic acid (SDA) that is the “first metabolite” in the omega-3 family and therefore easy for the body to process. Omega-6 EFAs are frequently added to foods through the use of common vegetable oils like corn, sunflower, and safflower, however, many people are unable to properly utilize omega-6 oils because enzymes needed to metabolize these oils are hampered by stress, environmental toxicity or aging. Hemp oil is a unique plant source of the rare and valuable super omega-6 EFA called gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) that is easy for the body to process and it bypasses the enzymatic blocks to allow proper omega-6 utilization.  GLA is the key regulator of T-lymphocyte functions in the immune system and is involved in cell metabolism and growth.

There are other vegetable-based alternatives that also deliver EFAs. Flax oil is widely recognized as a valuable nutritional supplement, primarily because it contains more than 50% omega-3.  But unlike hemp, it has somewhat overpowering taste, and does not contain the valuable rare fats GLA and SDA. Hemp oil is more stable and has double the shelf life of flax oil. Hemp’s emerald green oil has a “nutty” flavor and is great for use in salad dressings, pasta, veggies, sauces, dips and smoothies.

A Taste of Nature – Healthy Hemp Oil Recipes

Creamy Organic Hemp Oil Salad Dressings

2 tablespoons Nutiva hemp oil
2 tablespoons of Nutiva coconut oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tahini (raw sesame butter)
2 tablespoons  vinegar
1 tablespoon miso
1/8 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
dash of celtic sea salt

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a glass jar, stir and serve on salads, vegetables and grains.  Store any remaining dressing in the refrigerator.  Also consider adding cayenne pepper, and or lemon juice.

Hemp / Almond Pesto

1/2 cup  Nutiva shelled hempseeds
2/3 cup sliced almonds
1 bunch basil leaves
3 tablespoons hemp oil
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions: Crush seeds, almonds, basil, hemp oil, and olive oil to a paste with a pestle in a mortar.  Heat pesto in a pot, being careful not to over-cook it.  Remove from stove, mix in hemp oil and dash of
sea salt, and then serve. Consider adding finely cut tomato cubes to add a refreshing taste and color.

Turkish Yogurt Sauce

1 cup yogurt
3 tablespoons Nutiva hemp oil
1 clove garlic
dash of celtic sea salt
dash freshly ground pepper

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix.  Serve with spinach, kale or cucumbers over rice.

For more recipe ideas, please see Hemp Foods & Oils for Health, a book by Leson, Pless w/Roulac and or visit www.nutiva.com

John W. Roulac is the Founder and President of Nutiva, the leading American hemp foods brand.  Nutiva’s guiding principle, “Nourishing People & Planet” is based on the cycle of healthy food stewardship sustaining the soil; using organic ingredients; maintaining a clean processing operation; ensuring nutritional value; and supporting causes that keep the cycle spinning.  Nutiva donates 1% of sales to groups that promote sustainable agriculture.  Roulac is recognized as a hemp authority and has authored three best-selling books, Backyard Composting (900,000 sold), Industrial Hemp, and Hemp Horizons, and is the co-author of Hemp Foods & Oils for Health.

Health Ranger Show #47: Podcast Interview with Nutiva Founder /CEO John W Roulac with Mike Adams “the Health Ranger” about hemp protein, hemp seeds, hemp oils, coconut oil and other whole food products produced by Nutiva.

NaturalNews.com is in the top 3500 most visited web sites in the USA.

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