The concept of doing a Q&A on the blog hadn’t occurred to me until my friend Darcy pretty much spoon fed me the idea on Facebook making his status: “Question for Emily’s blog question of the week: Any ideas on how to make hemp powder tolerable in smoothies, etc. (I assume you have a question of the week feature)”. Well sure enough, I didn’t have a question of the week feature. But it sure enough is a good idea! By all means, keep them coming.

So… can hemp powder be made tolerable?

I will use the phrase that all public figures know to use when they don’t have an answer: “Good question”

Hemp powder, in this case, I assume to mean Hemp Protein Powder? Hemp Protein Powder is produced when whole hemp seeds are cold-pressed to expel the oil, leaving behind a dry “cake.” This cake is then milled at low temperatures to remove some of the fibre and produce a concentrated form of protein. If you’ve never had Hemp Protein Powder before, keep that image of a “dry cake” in your head for a visual. Its quite grainy in texture and kind of, in my mind, tastes like dirt.

Hemp seeds are a pretty big deal though. They are one of those much talked about foods these days that are known for the healthy oils they contain and the fact that they are a complete source of protein – Vegetarians/vegans take note. In fact, hemp contains more of the beneficial amino acids than proteins such as milk, eggs or meat, and contain almost seven times more omega-3 fatty acids than fish.

So it’s no wonder the protein powder is making waves on the market – especially amongst vegans who are often struggling to up their protein intake. Having been a vegan for over four years, and having tried every vegan protein powder on the market, I can definitely sympathize with the question: How do you make hemp protein powder tolerable? My answer? – You’d have to easily disguise it. Perhaps with some oil and something you can really sink your teeth into rather than reaching for the closest smoothie to wash it down. And I’ve got just the concotion for you!

Introducing…hemp seeds.

Radical, I know. But doesn’t it seem a bit odd that a perfectly good food is then stripped down – oil and fibre (all good!) extracted to be packed separately -

just so that we can try and disguise the dirt-like-thing-that-remains by adding sugars (natural or otherwise)…eg. Smoothies ? After many years of exploring healthy vegan nutrition, I have come to be a firm believer in whole foods. The health food industry’s ruses to get people to spend more money on more processed foods that are packaged and labeled as “quintessential for good health” have become increasingly apparent. And ironic.

Hemp Protein Powder (1 oz)

So all sarcasm and venting aside, I really do think the complex protein powder question can be turned on its head and be answered with the simple phrase, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. Shelled hemp seeds can find symbiosis in so many kinds of foods, while their protein powder cousins get left forlorn in cupboards, occasionally concealed in smoothies or granola.

Just for comparison’s sake, I thought I’d attach the nutritional info for each. Looks like there’s about 2X the protein in the protein powder, less than half the fat, more carbohydrates and basically the same number of calories. But also note that with the reduced fat, you’re getting less of the Essential Fatty Acids that hemp is known for (Omega 3 & 6). And for the vegans out there, aren’t you taking an oil supplement high in EFA’s anyway? Hemp seeds could be a 2-in-1, are cheaper, can be purchased in bulk, use less packaging…and if you wanted, you can throw them in a smoothie :)

Emily’s Favourite Ways to Use Hemp Seeds:

Shelled Hemp Seeds (1 oz)

1. On cereal / granola
2. In smoothies
3. In muffins or cookies
4. Ground in a food processor to make Hemp Butter
5. Eating it by the spoonful
6. In salad dressings (blended to make it creamy)
7. Blended with dates and cacao and rolled/pressed into raw food cookies
8. Blended with water and strained to make Hemp Milk
9. Sprinkled onto salads with other toasted nuts/seeds
10. In ChocoSol‘s Hemp Butter Cups (think Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups but with hemp)

While I don’t endorse any “brand” of hemp seed, the website for Manitoba Harvest has a lot of info about nutritional benefits and ways to use hemp products. If you’re in the Toronto area, the aforementioned ChocoSol sells locally grown shelled hemp seeds by the pound at various farmers’ markets.