Hemp Seeds: Why They Are A Healthy Addition To Food
Americans are increasingly purchasing organic foods, and one of the fastest growing popular foods that leaves the market’s top shelves is hemp. It has been used for over 10,000 years as a rope, clothing, paper, housing material.
Beyond that, hemp seeds have been a perennial favorite super food for decades for its wide range of nutritional benefits, which boast of being a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and abundant minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. Another surprising example of a super food would be black strap molasses. You can also check an interesting article on Blackstrap Molasses here.
What Makes Hemp Seeds an Excellent Plant-Based Protein?
Hemp seeds have antioxidant effects and may reduce symptoms of numerous ailments and improve the health of your heart, skin, and joints. It is also a versatile ingredient that serves to add crunch, a nutty flavor, or creaminess to many organic recipes like smoothies, sprinkled on top of salads, baked into energy bars, and can even be turned into an alternative for milk.
However, it may be trendy in the fitness world, but many people are worried about its green alter-ego. Known as a cousin to marijuana, a psychoactive plant proven to have its medicinal benefits, does that mean hemp seeds can also make you high?
What are Hemp Proteins?
Hemp proteins come from hemp plants which are mainly grown for its fibers and nutritional value. In that regard, many are confused if hemp seeds have a direct link to marijuana and if it contains enough tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to trigger a psychotropic high. In essence, hemp and marijuana are, taxonomically speaking, the same plant.
They look and even smell the same. However, the main difference is that hemp plants contain no more than 0.3% THC, which is the hallucinogenic found in marijuana plants. Meanwhile, marijuana can provide levels of THC between as low as 5% for medicinal users to a whopping 35% meant to expand the mind of recreational users. It is considered a non-intoxicating form of cannabis and is legitimized by the Agricultural Act 2018.
Will Hemp Proteins Get You High?
Known to be marijuana’s kissing cousin, many people believe in the misconception that hemp can be as intoxicating as its green relative. The answer is simple: hemp seeds can’t make you high, but it can be healthy for you.
Considered more of a superfood than psychoactive, it contains virtually no THC to trigger your natural cannabinoid receptors in your brain, which is what’s responsible for the mind-flight and body-melting sensations marijuana plants are well-loved for.
It would also take you a large bag of hemp seeds before the minuscule traces of THC will be seen as positive in drug tests, so there’s no need to skip out on sprinkling it over your smoothie bowls if you have a drug test coming up.
Why Do People Think Hemp Seeds Get You High?
Hemp seeds are divided between being a must-have in healthy snacks and a no-no for people who believe it is connected to the reefer-madness of marijuana enthusiasts. This belief was rooted in the fact that hemp and marijuana come from the same source, which is the plant cannabis Sativa.
There is also a common misconception that hemp plants and CBD, an active compound of marijuana that is a medicinally beneficial and non-psychoactive counterpart of THC, works within the same boundaries and effects.
While CBD is derived from hemp plants, the calming effect of this particular cannabinoid cannot be considered the same as the actual ‘high’ feeling you get from marijuana. Either way, hemp seeds are not known to produce any of these sensations. Besides, it is also nationwide legal thanks to the passing of the Farm Bill last 2018.
If you are looking for CBD derived hemp products, get in touch with us today! We’re happy to help.