Hemp’s nutritional facts

Today, modern society tends to break down prejudices towards cannabis and are willing to try the increasingly broader range of hemp-derived products that are being manufactured, commercialized and therefore made available to consumers. Cannabis seeds is a product that has indeed gained numerous followers and can now be easily found in traditional and online stores. These seeds are generating great interest for both lovers and connoisseurs. Regular consumers even secure their supplies and production from controlled crops; others become seed selectors or collectors. Also, there are those who decide to start in the cannabis culture and become familiar with this ancestral plant and its multiple properties using hemp seeds.

We must first consider the particularly diverse legal framework that has developed within the European countries based on the overall tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC) content, one of the first and most-studied phytocannabinoids, and the most abundant compound in the plant. When this THC value does not exceed 0.3%, or 0.2% in some countries, we are then talking about hemp. Strains over this level are considered to be cannabis or marijuana and a controlled and restricted substance. Both are technically the same species derived from the same plant, the Cannabis sativa. Seeds from this last variety have very distinctive features: they are small and elliptical in shape, with an average size of 2 mm x 4 mm x 2 mm (width x length x height) and a bright olive-green tone shield that covers the white inner pulp.

The plant has highly beneficial properties and all its parts can be utilized, from roots to leaves, and from stem to flowers. Also, hemp seeds have countless benefits and properties that have been studied and validated by science in several research studies. The most notable among these are:

• They are a good natural source of energy as they are exceptionally rich in essential fatty acids, which can help improve physical performance and concentration and boost our body productivity, and can be the perfect healthy alternative to energy stimulants, sugar or caffeine.
• They are a natural source of high-quality protein as they provide our body with plant-based proteins that contain the nine essential amino acids that we can only obtain from external food sources since our body is unable to naturally produce it. This supplement improves calcium absorption, keeps our brain active and facilitates muscle recovery, among many other benefits.
• They are a natural source of dietary fiber: 80% of the fiber that makes up the seeds is insoluble, and the remaining 20% is soluble. This supply of fiber eases intestinal transit and digestion, being a great natural alternative to combat digestive problems such as constipation, gas or abdominal pain.
• They are a great source of minerals and vitamins, including vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that helps keep the immune system strong, and also favors acute tissue healing and regulate cell metabolism.
• They are a source of healthy fats: natural fats favor muscle tissue regeneration, providing cells with energy and reducing recovery times, and boost our body’s ability to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K.

All these health and therapeutic benefits, as well as its nutritional properties and potential, make cannabis seeds the perfect alternative natural dietary supplement, and highly-valuable plant-based source of amino acids, proteins, fiber and essential fatty acids, generally safe with a very low incidence of allergic reactions and hardly any side effects or contraindications.