HEMP
A Powerful Superfood!
Start asking passersbys where they get their Omega-3 fatty acids and you’ll gain an insight into the root causes behind many cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases hat pervade the U.S. population. As operations manager for a Hemp seed snacks company, this subject comes up a lot. The deficit of good fats and an ever-flowing abundance of junky oils and animal fats is so common to American diets. We are lucky to be gaining a clearer understanding of how nutritional imbalances like these affect our health and physiology. The imperative of restoring healthy fat intake becomes even more urgent when we see obese individuals having a tough time or hear from people who don’t really know what fats they’re eating.
An easy place any label reader can start is to look out for, and limit, shelf-stable/mostly GMO groceries heavy on canola, corn, soybean, cottonseed oils. Replacing these with healthier fats from whole-food nuts/seeds, avocados, and using Hemp seed oil as a proportion of salad dressing, can profoundly nourish inter-cellular synaptic and metabolic functioning. The Essential Omega Fatty Acids enable our bodies to carry out necessary processes. But for those of us eating animal products every day, we do so at our own peril. Consider the artery hardening and weight gaining, saturated fats, cholesterol, and the fat-soluble persistent pollutants (i.e. dioxin, mercury) that come with animal fats. This won’t support our brains, skin, or digestive health in any of the ways that Omega-3s can.
In my experience turning vegetarian, eliminating animal fats was the most noticeable step to help in feeling clearer and lighter on my feet. Attitude and alertness improved and even my emotional life felt richer. That’s just after getting rid of meat. Ditching dairy while incorporating Hemp seed and more nuts facilitated a real transformation. My evolution in fat intake positively affected my body weight (lost 20lbs), metabolism, and mental clarity.
Taking the nutritional empowerment another step for the community, I established Plant Kingdom Hemp seed Bakery in Akron, Ohio in 2008. Demonstrating that Hemp seed holds extensive appeal is exciting and challenging. Some have needed a great deal of information to begin considering making use of Hemp seeds. “Will I fail a
drug test?” they’ll ask. No, see www.testpledge.com. “It looks like bird food!” Birds also fly and are being killed by pesticides… But seriously, we don’t blend our ingredients into a date-pastey glob like some energy bars. The seeds and grains remain intact. It’s about creating pleasant and distinctive mouth-sensations like crispy, chewy fruity, nut buttery gooey, and snappy-crunchy (whole hemp seed products).
Only having a few moments with people passing Plant Kingdom’s vending table, I’m quick to dispense with the FAQs, common misunderstandings around Hemp, hesitations, and not-even-funny jokes about getting stoned.“Keep it serious” I tell myself. After all, the Drug Enforcement Agency’s prohibition on Hemp is no laughing matter. It’s an insult to our efforts to make ethical resource choices and has criminalized our own free will to determine a traditional relationship with the land.
But the bright side is getting brighter every day! Over ten states have legalized Industrial Hemp farming at the State level. Increased exposure through Whole Foods, Dr Oz, and more mainstream media, has made Plant Kingdom’s work much more brisk. Now when we’re out vending at a North East Ohio farmers market or neighborhood festival, most people have an idea of what we’re talking about: whole foods, plant protein, super-food energy, that’s sustainable to grow and can prevent over-fishing by replacing fish oil supplements for Omegas! With no intoxicating potential!
For more information about Plant Kingdom visit www.plantkingdombakery.com, like “plant kingdom” on Facebook, and visit one of our vegan retail locations in Akron or Lyndhurst, Ohio. Conac [email protected] for wholesale ordering info.
For information about bringing Hemp farming to Ohio, see www.ohiorightsgroup.org and volunteer or Votehemp.com