Get Hip to Hemp

by Vera Tweed

If human beings could cultivate only one plant, hemp would be a smart choice. It can supply the raw materials to build homes, make furniture, created decorative accessories and clothing, a produce a variety of foods. It can also add a touch of luxury in lotions and creams, keeping our skin soft.

The seeds or "nuts' of the hemp plant are the source of various hemp foods and hemp milk. Hemp nuts are rich in healthful fats and protein, and a good source of fiber.

Hemp is also good for the planet. Unlike most plants that are commercially cultivated, hemp is grown without pesticides because it is naturally resilient. And rather than depleting soil, hemp has a revitalizing effect. Agriculture Canada, that country's cousin to our USDA, estimates that per acre, hemp yields four times as much paper as trees and more digestible protein than any other food source. And it takes only three to four months for the plant to mature, making it an extremely sustainable commodity.

Can you get high on hemp?

No. Industrial hemp, the plant used to make food, fabric, and other commodities comes from the same botanical family as marijuana, but is a different plant and does not contain THC, the psychoactive ingredient in the drug.

Well-balanced nutrition

We need an optimum balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fats. The optimum ratio is somewhere between 2:1 and 5:1. In hemp nuts. the ratio is approximately 3:1, in the optimum range. Hemp oil also contains this beneficial ratio Hemp protein is easily digested and contains well-balanced amounts of all essential amino acids for older children and adults. (It isn't a complete protein for children under 5.)

How to Benefit from Hemp

Here are some ways to enjoy hemp:

• Eat the nuts as a snack or add them to salads or cereal.

• Eat hemp butter like nut butters.

• Drizzle hemp oil on salads or vegetables after cooking.

• Add plain or flavored hemp protein powder to smoothies or sprinkle an unflavored version on raw vegetables or salads.

• Drink hemp milk.

• Bake with hemp flour.

For recipes using hemp foods, visit www.manitobaharvest.com and www.livingharvest.com.

OC

Note: LNH has no business relationships nor endorses specific products relevant to this information.

Our Government's War on Food Freedom

OC with Mike Adams, acclaimed speaker, writer and all around Health Ranger at the Health Freedom Expo '10, Long Beach, CA

Mike Adams wrote an excellent article about how our freedoms for healthful products are being infringed upon by US government agencies, while they freely allow potentially hazardous and toxic products for retail consumption. Learn more here:

http://www.naturalnews.com/029178_raw_milk_food_freedom.html

Food co-ops have been raided all over the country --- the most recent was in June at Rawesome in Venice, California (see July 3rd blog).

Question: To what end?

The government says it's okay to eat our way to disease and death by making low quality food choices, but since when is it NOT okay to make high quality food choices and live well and healthfully? Why are we being penalized? Raided? Having our rights and freedoms taken away from us?

What's really happening in US government when it comes to our health freedoms? Click the link above and read Mike's article, then decide: Should government really be making your food shopping list?

When you think about it, this picture is like an impressionist painting --- up close, it's blurred, but stand back and you can see the image quite clearly.

OC

Enzymes: Essential to Healthy Digestion

Enzymes are in every living cell. They are chemical substances throughout the digestive tract which break up food and help it absorb into the blood.  Enzymes promote a healthy digestive system which slows the aging process and stimulates energy.  Enzymes are essential nutrients, yet they are removed from our food supply in order to create a long shelf life for processed food (prepared) products. 

Many health problem occur when enzymes (essential nutrients) are withheld either due to poor quality of food or poor digestion. Some foods digest differently throughout the digestive tract. Proper food combining works with the enzyme-matching process.  Too often, quality fresh foods are consumed, only to rot in the system due to the fact that health-giving enzymes are destroyed due to overcooking, eating too many varieties together and combining foods that have competitive digestive needs, such as fruits and vegetables.

Possible Deficiency Signs:

• Digestive problems

• Lack of energy

• Flatulence, stomach bloating

• Toxic conditions

Foods High in Enzymes:

• Fresh raw foods*

• Sprouted grains and seeds

• Papaya

• Pineapple

Clinical Uses of Enzymes:

• Digestive Disorders

* - Raw foods are considered those which are completely uncooked, or cooked at a temperature of less than 118 degrees fahrenheit.

LNH