Plainsman1963

Fill 'er up with unleaded hemp
07-12-06 | ContraCostaTimes.Com

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew it. It pumps up your protein and fiber. It has so much omega-3, it blows salmon out of the water. And no, it doesn't make you stoned. Say howdy to hemp.

Hemp comes from the same plant as marijuana, but it's processed without pot's mind-altering THCs (tetrahydrocannabinols). The Drug Enforcement Agency lifted its ban on hemp in 2004, and now it's in everything from waffles to smoothies. I have sampled widely, and at no time have I been reduced to giggles or left gazing in wonder at my hands.

Here are a half-dozen favorites. They haven't made it to most supermarkets yet, but you can find them at Whole Foods, Wild Oats and other natural foods stores:

• Lifestream Hemp Plus Frozen Waffles (11 ounces, $2.99) start the day hempily with 1,500 big milligrams of omega-3, that excellent essential fatty acid. They're light, crisp and pleasantly seedy, and bake up in a flash. Made with organic whole grains, 1 serving (2 waffles) has 210 calories, 9 fat grams, 5 grams each of fiber and sugar and 6 protein grams.

• Nature's Path Organic Hemp Plus Granola (11.5 ounces, $3.39) has 60 mg omega-3 per 1/2 cup serving. It's lighter and less cloying than many granolas, with 140 calories, 5 g fat, 5 g sugar and 3 g each of fiber and protein.

• French Meadow's Healthy Hemp Sprouted Bread (24 ounces, $4.99) is dense with hemp, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, flax, millet, quinoa and amaranth. Each seedy slice has a slight sourdough tang and offers 860 mg omega-3, 92 calories, 2 g fat, 5 g fiber, 2 g sugar and 7 g protein.

• Sambazon Protein Warrior Chocolate Smoothie (10.5 ounces, $3.49) is super thick with hemp protein powder, and delivers 100 mg omega-3, 3 g fiber and 7.5 g protein per 8-ounce serving. Dagoba organic cocoa makes it lusciously chocolately, and acai provides an antioxidant boost. It packs 215 calories per serving, with 6 g fat and 27 g sugar.

• Manitoba Harvest Hemp Protein Powder (16 ounces, $14.99) is perfect to blend into a smoothie. Manitoba Harvest also makes my favorite way to hemp -- Hemp Seed Nuts (8 ounces, $8.99). These tiny seed kernels add buttery brilliance to salad, pasta, veggies and yogurt. A quarter cup has 2,000 mg omega-3, 160 calories, 10 g each of fat and sodium, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar and 11 huge protein grams.

All this, and hemp won't mess up your workplace drug test, either. Awesome, dude.

krad

Interesting.

pyrogarrett

thats great and all, but i truly like hemp for one reason. hemp rolling papers!

__________________
:spark: