by Paul Benhaim, Hemp Foods Australia Pty Ltd,

TAGS: organic, omega 3, omega 6, EPA, DHA, GLA, mercury, cannabinoids, epilepsy

As decades of unjustified prohibition and persecution continue to lose their grip, Hemp is rapidly re-gaining the popularity it has held for millenniums as a primary and sustainable source of life’s necessities. From a nutritional standpoint, the leaves, flowers and seeds of Hemp Plants provide essential organic nutrition that cannot be obtained elsewhere. Interest in the oil from the flowers and seeds is at an all time high and showing no sign of slowing down.

Necessary Nutrients

Hemp Seeds are incredibly nutrient dense. Besides containing arguably the highest quality Protein that exists in concentrations that exceed that of most other food sources, Hemp Seeds rule the world when it comes to Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids like Omega 3, 6 and others. These are the special oils the body uses for detoxification, building brain cells, hormones, neurotransmitters and many other systems and functions in the body not to mention resisting and reversing Obesity.

As a source of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Hemp Seeds contain:

• 11% more than Sacha Inchi Seeds

• 62% more than Flax Seeds

• 96% more than Chia Seeds

• 104% more than Fish Oil

• 460% more than Whole Fish

Hemp Seeds also contain Vitamins D3, E and A, cholesterol-fighting Phytosterols and are one of only a few sources of Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) an essential fatty acid thought to be responsible for much of the anti-inflammatory properties that make Hemp Seed Oil popular with people suffering Arthritis and Eczema.

EPA and DHA - Non-Essential? Among the different compounds found in fish oil are Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA). A number of claims are made about these fats. Firstly that you cannot get them from plants. Guess where the fish get them from? Plants! Marine algae produce the Omega Oils that fish eat and incorporate into their fat supplies. Fish do not make Omega oils themselves. If they don’t eat algae they must eat other fish that have eaten algae.

The second claim is that EPA and DHA are essential to the diet. Is this true? EPA and DHA are Omega 3 fatty acid metabolites, they are not “essential” fatty acids. The term “essential” actually only applies to Alpha Linolenic Acid (Omega 3) and Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) which are essential fats found abundantly in Hemp seeds that your body cannot manufacture itself. Guess what that means - your body can and does manufacture EPA and DHA itself. How much

can the body manufacture? According to research “as much as it needs” as long as you consume enough fresh Alpha Linolenic Acid and Linoleic Acid in the ratio which is naturally found only in Hemp Seeds and Walnuts.

Various studies have measured combined EPA and DHA conversion rates in humans at up to 30%. Factors that can increase and optimise conversion include an adequate dietary intake of Magnesium. And what is the world’s richest natural source of Magnesium? Dark Chocolate? No - Hemp contains twice as much Magnesium as Dark Chocolate. For most people a tablespoon of Hemp Seed Oil can satisfy their daily EPA and DHA requirements.

Heating, Bleaching, Industrial Solvents, Mercury, PCBs and Dioxins - Is Fish Oil A Health Food? - A Major Public Health Concern 

In the last 200 years Mercury levels increased 300% in surface water and 250% in deep sea water according to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. The World Health Organisation report “Exposure to Mercury: A Major Public Health Concern” states that the main source of human exposure to mercury is eating fish. The World Health Organisation goes on to say that exposure toMercury is a known cause of Epilepsy among other health catastrophes.

Since 1980, randomised double-blind placebo-controlled human trials with CBD, one of the cannabinoids found in Hemp leaves and flowers has shown that CBD successfully stops and prevents epileptic seizures and is safe even when consumed in amounts 5000% higher than what is necessary to achieve seizure control. Joint research by teams of scientists from USA and Europe revealed that 97% of all human exposure to Cancer causing Dioxins comes from eating meat, dairy and fish. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the main source of human exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) is eating fish and that it can result in neurological and developmental retardation as well as increased cancer risk.

Mothers and Children Beware

A 2013 study of 13 of the top selling Children’s Fish Oil supplements in USA revealed that 100% of them contained PCBs regardless of what kind of fish the oil came from and the method used to extract the oil including molecular distillation.

Cold Pressed?

It is well known that heat can render Omega oils toxic. According to Nordic Naturals, one of the world’s largest fish oil producers “all fish oil, regardless of the kind of manufacturing processused...always requires the use of heat”

Oceans Running Out Of Fish?

The argument over whether or not we should be eating fish may end up being decided for us. According to the United Nations [http://www.fao.org/newsroom/common/ecg/1000505/en/stocks.pdf ], over 70% of the world’s fish are now “fully exploited or depleted” to such an extent that stocks of all species currently fished for food are predicted to collapse by 2048. Hemp on the other hand merely needs to be replanted each year to supply the world’s essential nutrition needs sustainably.

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