Hemp Seed Nutrition By Silvia Wilson

"Canaries won't sing without it."
That was what the bird seed companies testified before the US Congress in 1937. Due to that testimonial sterilized hemp seeds were imported for use in commercial birdseed mix even though hemp itself was illegal. Hemp seed has remained a major component of commercial birdseed mix to this day. Most pet birds eat hemp seed before the other seeds it's often mixed with. Pets need it to maintain healthy skin and feathers; and so do wild birds. (The lack of hemp seed may be one of the factors contributing to the decrease of the North American songbird population.) Hemp seed is also good food for people.

A hemp seed is a nutritious nugget. The hull contains magnesium-rich chlorophyll, a valuable source of nutrition for people. The protein in hemp seed is very similar to the protein in human blood. It is therefore easy to digest. This is good news for vegetarians who are allergic to soy protein.

Nut butter made from it tastes similar to sunflower seeds and rivals peanut butter nutritionally without the risk of toxic substances produced by the fungi which grow on peanuts.

The oil of the hempseed is a rich source of the essential fatty acids - linoleic, linolenic and gamma linoleic. (omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) These EFA's are necessary for healthy skin, hair and immune systems. According to Udo Erasmus in Fats That Kill, Fats That Heal, hemp seed oil is perfectly balanced in the essential fatty acids, linoleic and linolenic.

Acre for acre, hemp is a more economical source of protein than livestock. It's possible to grow it without the use of pesticides and little or no fertilizer. Unlike like soybeans, hemp is resistant to UV-B light which makes it the hardier crop.
It is legal to import and sell hemp seed which has been sterilized but the quality of nutrition and the oil produced from it is diminished. To reap the full benefits of this nutritious nugget we need to have legal locally-grown hemp.

Silvia's Hemp Seed Treats

Ingredients
2 tbsp sucanat (organic cane sugar)
1 tbsp water
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1 cup hemp seeds
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chopped cashew nuts
Method
• Use a double boiler. In top pot mix first three ingredients until sucanat has dissolved
• Add brown rice syrup, seeds and nuts
• Mix well until seeds are coated with sweetener
• Pour into baking pan and press flat
• Refrigerate overnight
• Cut into squares before serving