Monday, July 23, 2012

Nutrition- Hemp and Coconut


We live in a "fat free" oriented culture where fat is thought of as something that is "fattening" and not good for us. But we have gone overboard in eliminating fats from our own diets, and sometimes also from the diets of our pets. There are some fats that have high nutritional value and elements not found elsewhere.  Here we tell you about three of these so you will understand why we include them in our products. 

Only Hemp seed oil contains Omega 6, Omega 3 and GLA (gamma linonlenic acid). Only Hemp seed oil contains 75-80% polyunsaturated fatty acids, the highest in the plant kingdom and unique among seed oils. Though flax oil is high in Omega 3, the perfect balance of hemp's EFAs allows your body to best digest the excellent properties in hemp oil. Hempseed is considered by leading researchers and medical doctors to be one of the most nutritious food sources on the planet. Shelled hempseed is packed with 33 percent pure digestible protein and is rich in iron and vitamin E as well as omega-3 and GLA. A recent report funded by the Canadian government states that hemp protein is comprised of 66 percent high-quality edistin protein, and that hempseed contains the highest percentage of this of any plant source. Hemp also contains three times the vitamin E contained in flax. Unlike soy, hemp is not genetically modified, and it doesn't contain the anti-nutritional qualities  commonly found in soy.

Because the human body produces no Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), it is important that EFAs be consumed on a regular basis. It is estimated that more than 90 percent of Americans take in too little of one of the most important EFAs--omega-3--which is found in flax, walnuts, deep-water fish, and hempseeds. EFAs are the "good fats" that doctors recommend as part of a healthy, balanced diet. The quality of omega-3 is vital, and can be diminished by oxygen, heat, and light. Thus consume the freshest seeds possible and store them in a dark, cold environment such as a refrigerator. Hemp seed oil has been dubbed, "Nature's most perfectly balanced oil" due to the fact that it contains the perfectly balanced 3:1 ratio of both the required essential fatty acids (EFAs) for long term human consumption.

Since the 1960s, coconut oil has been unfairly labeled as "unhealthy." The media reported studies of how tropical coconut oils were laden with artery-clogging fats. What wasn't reported was the fact that the coconut oil used in the studies was hydrogenated — not the virgin oil used for centuries as a staple food. We now know it's hydrogenation — artificially adding a hydrogen molecule to oils in order to make them shelf-stable — that's the problem, not coconut oil. Hydrogenated soy, corn, and canola oils — loaded with dangerous trans-fats and processed with toxic hexane solvents — are routinely added to packaged foods. Hydrogenation fattened corporate profits and American waistlines, and is now linked with diseases.

Why is it that baby formulas often include coconut oil as an ingredient? Because coconut is one of the most healthy super foods in the world. Coconut oil is cholesterol and trans fat-free, contains only 1% Omega-6 and is rich in medium-chain "good fats" that doctors recommend.

One of the good fats that comprises about 50% of coconut oil, is lauric acid. Lauric acid is a rare medium-chain fatty acid found in mother's milk that supports healthy metabolism and is now being studied for its anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial health-protecting properties. Some researchers predict that lauric acid will become as well known in health circles as Omega-3 is today. In fact, the Monsanto company has already developed a GMO canola oil variety that attempts to mimic coconut oil's  high percentage of lauric acid. As we learn about the downsides of consuming too many Omega-6 vegetable oils, coconut oil is making a comeback.

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