Cannabis in food – healthy or just how much?

tyrant nutritionist and dietitian and founder of Foodwatch, “the most beneficial property of cannabis is probably the high content of omega-3 in its oil. However, the plant form of omega-3 is poorly absorbed (especially when compared to fish oil). ”

So, although the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for cardiovascular health are well documented, the results of published research on the impact of hemp oil on risk factors for the cardiovascular system are mixed.

Who should eat it?

Everyone might want to add cannabis to their food repertoire, but both Donaldson and Saxelby agree that cannabis seeds are a particularly good choice for people who follow a vegan diet.

“Cannabis expands the [vegan] list of protein-containing foods – especially since it can be used in a variety of forms (including seeds and flour),” Donaldson explains.

Saxelby points out that “cannabis does not contain soy, dairy and gluten, so it can also be useful for those with a related allergy or intolerance or allergy to other seeds (say flax seeds).”

But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to add a big bag of cannabis seeds to the cart the next time you go shopping.

“Cannabis products can help you achieve recommendations for daily intake of certain nutrients,” Donaldson says. “However, there are a number of other cheap foods on the market that will help you achieve a similar result, so it all depends on personal and taste preferences.”

Read more: Choosing a vegan

Which packaged food products offer the best value for cannabis?

If you still want to increase your cannabis intake, there is no shortage of products that boast cannabis seeds. However, be aware that the actual amount of cannabis in these products can vary greatly.

We took a snapshot of the offer in the supermarkets. The amount of hemp seed in the 20 products found ranged from 0.24 g per serving (The Collective Blueberry Hemp Kefir) to a heavier 11.9 g per serving (Tom & Luke Snackaballs Hemp Protein Triple Berry).

Most of these products contain a range of healthy ingredients, of which only one is cannabis. However, if cannabis is what appeals to you, the following products offer the best value for cannabis, as more than 8 g of cannabis seeds per serving costs less than 30 c per gram of cannabis:

Tom & Luke Snackaballs hemp protein triple berry (11.9 g hemp seeds per serving, $ 0.20 per gram of hemp)
Ground Garden Burger with Tofu and Hemp (8.8 g, $ 0.28)
For products whose cannabis content is significantly lower, it is possible that the supplement is just a marketing ploy to cash in on the “health halo” of so-called superfoods.

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How to cook with hemp oil and seeds

The most cost-effective way to incorporate cannabis into your diet is to buy hemp seeds and add them to your diet yourself. Hemp seeds cost between $ 0.04 and $ 0.08 per gram in the bags we rated, which is also beneficial to the cheapest of the packaged cannabis-containing products we rated in our clip.

You can also buy hemp as flake seeds (sold as ‘hemp hearts’), hemp flour, hemp oil, hemp milk and protein powder. Just keep in mind that most nutrients, like most ingredients, have more “wholeness,” more nutrients — especially in some of these forms, the fiber content will be lower than in whole hemp seeds.

The more the food remains “whole”, the more nutrients it retains

Cannabis tastes like nuts and can be used in a variety of ways, so you can only choose a form that matches the recipe you want to use.

A Google search will show endless recipes for cooking with cannabis, but some of Donaldson and Saxelby’s suggestions include:

Sprinkle some hemp or heart seeds over morning oats, muesli or fruit yoghurt
Mix smoothies with yogurt, strawberries and hemp protein powder
Sprinkle hemp seeds or hearts over the salad
Try hemp flour in baking recipes (to begin with, use ¼ hemp flour in combination with ¾ regular flour)
Add hemp seeds to the muesli recipe
Drizzle hemp oil over the salad or use in a pesto (not recommended for cooking due to the low smoking point, which means it burns at a low temperature).
Compared hemp, chia and flaxseed

Cannabis seems to follow the same path to superfood status as chia. So how similar are their nutritional offerings? How do they compare to flaxseed, which often sits nearby on supermarket shelves? And is one better for you than the other?

The graph below shows the breakdown, but briefly:

Hemp seeds are the protein weights of the group
Flax seeds have an advantage in omega-3 fatty acids
Chia seeds contain punch with fiber and are an important source of calcium
Nevertheless, they can be all beneficial supplements to your diet, as they offer a range of beneficial nutrients in varying amounts – it’s not just about choosing the healthiest ones.