Hemp seeds are edible and used in a growing number of products today. The seed contains all of the essential amino acids and a significant amount of protein, second to the soybean. Unlike soy, which has high amounts of phytic acid, hemp seed contains none. Phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that prevents the body from absorbing nutrients, such as calcium absorption in intestine. Due to its rich source of phytonutrients, hemp seeds have known to help with immunity deficiency diseases like tuberculosis. It is also the richest known source of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids.
Hemp seeds are usually found in health food stores and are used in many packaged products. Natural hemp seed comes in two forms: whole and hulled. Whole hemp seed contains shells. It is crunchy, has lots of fiber, and is an excellent source of minerals. The benefits of the added fiber from the shell significantly outweigh the detracting factors, such as it getting easily stuck to your teeth. You can also use the hull of the hemp seed to gently cleanse your colon and flush toxins from your intestinal tract. Hulled hemp seed (also known as hemp hearts, shelled hemp seeds, and hemp nuts) does not contain shells. Although it lacks the nutritional benefits of the shell, hulled hemp seed was created to make eating hemp seeds more appealing and easier to eat since many people are not used to eating whole hemp seeds. It has the consistency of course flour and can be used for baking, or mixing into any meal. It can also be used as toppings or just eaten by the spoonful.