Hemp Food (Review for Manitoba Harvest)

 Lately, hemp has hit the market and will quickly become the newest health food trend. As someone with a passion for trying new healthy foods, and someone who's always up-to-date with the latest health food trends, I had to jump on the hemp food bandwagon. Special thanks to Manitoba Harvest for allowing me the opportunity to sample theirs -- a non-GMO hemp foods, which include Hemp Hearts (which are raw, shelled hemp seeds) and their variety of Hemp Protein powders.

I'm not kidding when I say hemp foods are a serious health food.  For instance, did you know that hemp has such a high nutritional value that it could be considered a super-food?

Here I'll be reviewing the samples I've been trying from Manitoba Harvest. I'll detail all of hemp's amazing health benefits, it's nutritional profile, ways to consume it, and even how it tastes (per my tongue's opinion.) Also in this review will be a comparison of hemp and other popular seeds such as chia to see which has the most bang for its buck.

So stick around and grab a bowl of your favorite snack food. Your stomach will thank you later, I promise. If you think you can handle reading about food without having something on-hand and ready to pack in, then more power to you, but don't say I didn't warn ya!

Let's start off with some specs on hemp seeds

- Hemp seeds do not contain THC like marijuana does.

- Hearty healthy.

Hemp Hearts

Aside from their interesting and satisfying flavor, hemp hearts (raw, shelled hemp seeds) contain 10 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams of omegas (hemp contains both omega-3's and omega 6's.)

About Manitoba Harvest (Company Info)

Manitoba Harvest has a "natural" version of Hemp Hearts and an organic one. Keep in mind the sample I was sent is the natural Hemp Hearts. All Manitoba Harvest products are Non-GMO Project Verified, and Manitoba Harvest is a "Certified B Corporation." Click the icon below to view their report.

 Other qualifications of Manitoba Harvest (you can click each icon to read about them)

Kosher Certificate

Health and other Benefits:

- Hemp is an amazing source of protein, fiber, omegas and essential fatty acids.

- Immune system health

- Improved and shinier skin, nails and hair.

- Hemp contains the "good bacteria" that's necessary for healthy digestion.

- Hemp contains chlorophyll, which helps the body maintain pH balance.

-Hemp contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. 

- May improve kidney function.

- Contributes to a healthy immune system.

-Can improve fatigue.

Taste

Hemp Hearts, just like Manitoba Harvest says, have a very nutty flavor. Very nutty, slightly grassy.  That is the best way to describe them. The texture is somewhat like that of a cashew, but softer, although I have bitten some rigid hull bits after tossing in a handful and crunching down. They're slick, somewhat waxy, creamy, and chewy. They take on a slight sticky-ness while being chewed.  The flavor of hemp seeds are kind of like that of a peanut, but with a stronger nutti-ness and a tiny hint of grass. The flavor is surprisingly really tasty with an extremely fresh taste to them. In fact, I like these Hemp Hearts so much that I prefer eating them alone, not mixing them in foods and drinks!

 I sometimes like to do what I call the "kid test" when I'm trying a healthy food that I'll be reviewing later. The "kid test" is where I get my nieces and nephews to try the food and get their opinion so that I can report back in my review giving you folks an idea of how kids might take to the food product.

The kid test on the Hemp Hearts? Passed! My 5 year old niece who's the most picky eater I know and isn't fond of new foods responded really well to the Hemp Hearts! After pouring her a handful to eat (straight from her palm), she came back asking for more! 

As for the teenagers, I think these will pass for most of those too. Pretty much as long as the kid likes nuts, they'll like these. My 16 year old nephew was fond of them in yogurt. 
 

Hemp Hearts Vs Chia and Flax Seeds:

Something I learned from Manitoba Harvest that I didn't know before is that a serving (30 grams) of Hemp Hearts contain more omegas and proteins yet less carbs than a same serving of chia and flax.

Hemp appears to trump even whey powder. It's more easily digested than whey, it may contain more nutrition than whey, and require less hemp to consume than whey in order to get the nutrition.

To learn more about Hemp Hearts, check out this interesting infographic by Manitoba Harvest:

Other possible effects of eating hemp seeds:

-Some people notice a reduction in "junk food" cravings. This is something I hope to experience as I continue to eat Manitoba Harvest's hemp foods.

How to Use:

 One serving = 2 tablespoons (30 grams)

Manitoba Harvest recommends about 1-2 servings of Hemp Hearts a day.

Hemp Protein Powders 

Firstly, I'd like to start with some facts/information about hemp protein.

Hemp protein comes from the hemp seed and contains essential fatty acids, and all essential amino acids -- 20 amino acids total. Aside from the amazing source of EFA's and amino acids, hemp seed protein also contains fiber.

-Hemp is a complete, plant-based protein.

Hemp protein helps the body repair and regenerate, and if you didn't already know it, essential fatty acids (omega 3 and 6) have a huge impact on our health on so many different levels that it'd take an entire post just to cover them. To name a few though, EFA's are important for our brain health, cardiovascular health, nervous, immune and reproductive system. They help repair and cell membranes and help regulate heart rate, fertility, blood clotting, inflammation and more.

Note the recipe found on the back of the sample packets. The Hemp Pro 70 has an "Orange Vitality" recipe, which only requires orange juice and the rest is Manitoba Harvest products, including the packet of Hemp Pro 70. So this could easily just be added alone to some orange (or other) fruit juice.

The Hemp Protein powders, as well as the Hemp Hearts can be added to many different dishes including yogurt, cereals, oatmeal (which is really good, in my opinion), smoothies, other beverages, and even on salads.

To learn which of Manitoba Harvests' protein products best fit your specific needs, go here. 

Hemp Pro 70

HempPro 70 - Contains 20 grams of protein per 30 gram serving. 

It's water soluble and happens to be one of the higher protein-containing options.

Can be used in smoothies or shakes and if you're like me, a whole bunch of other foods too like yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, salads, etc. Since the powder has such subtle flavor to it, it can be added to so many different dishes that I've been able to try it on new food every day for the last 5 days. Yet to find a dish I disliked with the powder in it. Most of the time, I don't ever even taste it in the foods I eat.

Note: All Hemp Pro powders are raw, cold-milled hemp protein powder. The Hemp Pro Fiber is USDA Organic.

Hemp Pro 50: 

HempPro 50 - a raw, cold-milled, wholefood hemp protein powder. Contains 15 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber per 30 gram serving.

Hemp Pro Fiber:

HempPro Fibre - Contains 13 grams of fiber per 30 gram serving, over half the daily recommended intake of fiber. USDA Organic!

Notice the recipe on the back of the sample packet of Hemp Pro Fiber --  "Tropical Smoothie Paradise," which includes pineapple, coconut milk, and the rest are Manitoba Harvest products, including the Hemp Pro Fiber. Pretty simple, even for someone like me. 

The Hemp Pro Fiber can be mixed  into a smoothie, or even for baking and desserts such as muffins and bread. Checkout Manitoba Harvests'  recipe section to find different ways to use the powdered stuff. 

Taste & Ways to Consume: 

As for the Hemp Pro powders, the taste obviously isn't going to be eat-from-the-pack delicious for most people, but I actually don't mind it at all. As someone who's been taking her wheatgrass powder by the scoop (dry, with nothing else but a swig of water), I find the Hemp Pro powders totally tolerable to eat straight from the pack, if you're on the go.

If I don't have a drink on hand or time to grab one, I'll just pour the Hemp Pro powders into my mouth. The powders are so fine and mild tasting that it goes down easily, much easier than wheatgrass, actually.

 The taste of the powders is very subtle. It has somewhat of a sweetness to it, which is helpful. It's not strong at all
and it's extremely hard to pin-point an exact flavor or similar food/taste/flavor to really describe this stuff since it really has a taste of its very own and doesn't resemble much of anything.

The Hemp Pro Fiber is far more earthy tasting than the other protein powders. Totally tolerable, if not kind of tasty, but it does differ from the slight sweetness and less earthy taste of the others.

Like I said, it has a similarity to wheatgrass powder, but mostly just because they're both a fine powder that has a somewhat grassy taste, but the Hemp Protein powders aren't nearly as grassy tasting as wheatgrass. On the other hand, they aren't very nutty in flavor like the Hemp Hearts. 

As far as taste in a drink goes, the powder is rarely very noticeable in a drink. I sometimes feel it in my mouth, but rarely taste it in yogurt or shakes. When I say "feel it," I just mean that when I don't bother to really mix well, I sometimes get a clump in my mouth, but nothing that isn't easily tolerated. 

The powders seem to mix pretty well in beverages. There isn't a lot of clumping or settling of the powder. Shakes and thicker beverages like  smoothies allow for even better mixing and hiding, if you like to pretend there's no protein powder within your tasty beverage.

How to Use:
Simply scoop 4 tablespoons (30 grams) of Hemp Pro powders into your drinks, smoothies, foods, etc. Or go my route and simply dump a few mouthfuls straight onto your tongue and follow with a drink of water. This is a super easy way to take the powder in a hurry, or on-the-go.

  

 Manitoba Harvest also has a free e-book download called "7 Days of Free Smoothies," if you'd like to get some smoothie ideas and find new ways to indulge in hemp smoothies. You have to subscribe to their Hemp eNews via email to get it. There will be a pop-up as soon as you land on their site allowing you the option to enter your e-mail in order to subscribe and receive this e-book.

Aside from their e-book, Manitoba Harvest also has a page full of recipes that you can use for inspiration and ideas. I actually loved the huge variety of awesome different recipes they had listed, especially the breakfast foods. All the recipes go great with their Hemp Hearts. Some of my favorite recipes listed on Manitoba Harvest's recipe page are the "mid-day pick-me-ups section." 

which include recipes where you can make your own hemp bars with fruits mixed in and granola and trail mixes all of which look delicious.

I love their granola bars recipes that are easy and pretty quick to make, and they don't require a whole lot of ingredients that you wouldn't typically have on hand already, or have to search hard to find. Most of the ingredients are either in my house already or can be found at virtually any store near me.

Most of their recipes are versatile and allow you to tweak them to your preferences. The soups are next on my list to try, and of course, soup is always versatile so you can add or subtract whatever ingredients you like pretty much.

Results:
 
 While noticeable results from using most any product like hemp protein aren't always... well, very noticeable, I have to admit, compared to other products I've used like Mila seeds and chia seeds, and even my daily scoop of wheatgrass, Manitoba Harvests' hemp food products definitely seem to have the upper hand. In fact, despite the ubiquitous claims we often read about wheatgrass having impeccable benefits for not only our entire health in general, but also for the digestive system, I actually hardly ever noticed anything as far as how I feel, my digestive stuff, etc while using wheatgrass. I've been using wheatgrass on an almost daily basis for a year or more now and only rarely did I ever experience any change at all digestive-wise. Never did my IBS change due to the use of only  wheatgrass products, either. Wheatgrass is often said to have super positive benefits on IBS and similar health issues, but for me, it hasn't touched it.

Aside from that, I've always held onto the hope that wheatgrass does have the many health benefits, long-term that we all have read about, so I continue to use it. I like wheatgrass if it does in fact do all those amazing things for our bodies, but I can't honestly say it's had a noticeable impact in the way I feel or how my stomach & digestive system react to it. Perhaps in the very beginning of using wheatrgass products I experienced changes, but no longer.

That aside, the same boring stuff can be said for my experiences with chia seeds. Never have I noticed any change that I could physically feel or see and nothing in the way of digestive system issues and IBS. Unlike with wheatgrass though, I don't believe I have much reason to continue using chia seeds since finding out that the hemp foods contain so much more of the healthy "stuff" (omegas). 

If you recall earlier in this review, Manitoba Harvest showed us the difference in how much omegas are present in their hemp foods compared to other foods like chia seeds. It simply makes more sense to me to use hemp (and less of it to get the nice amounts of omegas). You would have to take more of the other products just to get the same amounts of omegas you get in a serving of the Manitoba Harvest hemp foods, so for now, I am too impressed not to go with hemp!

Pricing:

At the time of this writing, the Hemp Hearts come in at a little over $1 an ounce, and the Hemp Pro powder (70) is $24.99 for the smallest available pack, which is 11 ounces. The various powder prices vary depending.

Update:

So far, I've eaten the Hemp Hearts and the Hemp Protein powders for around 4-6 days
 and while I haven't experienced any change in how I feel or anything, I have had pretty rough stomach cramping every single day until today, and I figured out why. Hemp protein has a side effect of stomach cramping and digestive problems for some people. I didn't even put it together until my significant other mentioned that he heard plant based protein was actually hard to digest for some people. When he said that, it kind of clicked that the only change in my diet or life I've had over the last week is using the hemp, and since I woke up today and the cramping was gone for the first time, I thought it must be the hemp. Then I came home and looked into that being a side effect and found an article on LiveStrong which mentions stomach cramping and digestive problems being a side effect of hemp protein, so I'm pretty sure that was the cause. I thought I'd add an update letting you all know that if you tend to have a sensitive digestive system, or have IBS or related issues like I do, you'll want to start very small with hemp.

The problem for me was that I was downing an entire sample pack a day, and I think that's just a tiny bit too much on my stomach/digestive system.

Just a tip for folks like me with these stomach/digestive issues that you might want to consider starting off easy so you don't end up with problems or cramping like me. Things that are supposed to be beneficial for the digestive system, for some reason, can often also cause irritation to those of us with problems like IBS, so it's a nuisance, but from now on, I'll just be sure I don't consume so much of the hemp and take it from there. I feel like the benefits are too great to just not take it at all, so I'll just go slow with it and find the right "dose" for me. Then I will report back on that for those of you who want to follow along.

Update #2:
It's been 4 days since I posted the above update regarding the stomach cramps I was getting from adding too much hemp into my diet too rapidly. I've been experimenting with small doses, gradually since then and have found that a bit less than half a packet of Hemp Pro seems to be a pretty good amount for me without causing any stomach/digestive side effects at all. So about 2 tablespoons of the powder every day and I do really well, no stomach cramping. I honestly don't know what I was thinking taking so much in one day anyways like I was. So, for those of you who might also have digestive issues (like IBS) of your own, you might want to try one tablespoon a day for a few days, then go up to two when you feel comfortable. If you're able to handle the 1-2 tablespoons just fine for 3-4 days, then it's probably safe to up it one more tablespoon.

Disclaimer: I am not a specialist, expert, professional or doctor of any kind. Content on this blog is not intended to be taken as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or advice of any sort. I'm simply sharing information about my own experiences and results from use of a product or activity in hopes of providing useful information to readers, not to be taken as a patient/medical adviser relationship. I am not responsible for what readers choose to do after viewing the content here. Furthermore, I do not hold an "exceptional" or other special relationship with any company mentioned on this site. I'm simply a consumer who worked with the company on a review that is in compliance with FTC's guidelines. That means, everything you read here is my own words, not anything of the company's. I was not provided with monetary compensation for my review. All information posted has been done so with complete honesty. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication ( I'm not responsible.) Readers who rely on the information in this blog to replace the advise of an appropriate health care provider assume all risks of such behavior.