In this review, I would like to share with you a product that is gaining a lot of popularity lately with a lot of people, but especially in the raw, vegan and vegetarian communities. This product is hemp seeds and hemp protein.

The product I am going to tell you about today comes from Manitoba Harvest and it is their Hemp Protein Powder.

I found this product early on this year – 2009 – after having researched and read a lot about the amazing properties of hemp as a food. So I ventured to my local health food store to see what I could find and this product seemed to stand out.

To begin with, a lot of people still have many misconceptions when it comes to the hemp plant. It is not unusual for people to associate it with the marijuana drug. Although both hemp and marijuana come from the same plant biologically speaking, there are big differences. The drug associated with marijuana is mainly found in the leaves of the female plants, who are not fertilized, and not in the seeds that are used for food.

As for the company, Manitoba Harvest is a Canadian, farmer owned company that was established in 1998. I am quite pleased with the company itself as they operate an organic and kosher certified facility, as well as adhere to good manufacturing practices.

I bought the product with the intention of using it in smoothies for the amazing benefits of the omega 3 fatty acids and having another source of a complete protein in my diet, among many other nutritional benefits that hemp is known for.

The hemp protein powder comes as a dark olive (brownish-green) powder. One serving is equal to 4 tablespoons and the product is described as having a “gourmet nutty flavor”.

Well let me tell you, I am all for how this product is grown and the amazing nutritional benefits, but the taste is where it loses me. In fact, I am just going to go out and say it, I used to love smoothies, especially green smoothies until I added this product to them. I know that different people have different taste buds out there, but I found using this product a really unpleasant experience. Aside from the change in taste, I also did not enjoy the grainy texture that it left the smoothie with.

At the beginning I put up with it, thinking it was all for a good cause. And I mean don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t horrible, but like I said it wasn’t enjoyable either. So I tried adding less of the powder, but it was still not the same. So I suffered a little, that is until I discovered that there existed the actual hulled hemp seeds.

If you are used to drinking protein powders in your diet, then perhaps you won’t mind this product, but for others I would highly recommend trying the hulled hemp seeds instead. You can sprinkle them on salads or blend them beautifully in smoothies. On top of that they have barely no taste, and the taste they do have is delicious. You can get those from Manitoba Harvest as well, or other hulled hemp seed manufacturers.

Ingredients

  • Hemp protein powder (50% protein by weight)

Nutritional Information

(per 4 Tbsp/30g serving)

  • 134 Calories
  • 6 g Fat
  • 0.6g Saturated Fat
  • 4.5g Polyunsaturated Fat (3.3g omega-6, 1.2g omega-3)
  • 0.9g Monounsaturated
  • 15 g Protein
  • 5 g Carbohydrate
  • 1 g Sugar
  • 4 g Fiber
  • 15 mg Sodium
  • 0 mg Cholesterol

Vitamins & Minerals

  • 0% Vitamin A
  • 1% Vitamin C
  • 0 % Calcium
  • 4 % Iron

Amino Acid Profile (per 30g)

  • Alanine 685mg
  • Arginine 1897mg
  • Aspartic Acid 1574mg
  • Cystine 259mg
  • Glutamic Acid 2663mg
  • Glycine 693mg
  • Histidine 434mg
  • Isoleucine 1051mg
  • Leucine 1051mg
  • Lysine 617mg
  • Methionine 350mg
  • Phenylalanine 701mg
  • Proline 647mg
  • Serine 777mg
  • Threonine 529mg
  • Tryptophan 186mg
  • Tyrosine 491mg
  • Valine 773mg

Packaging

The powder comes in smaller 454g/16oz and larger 908g/32oz containers. The containers are dark to shield the product from light damage and are #2 recyclable plastic jars, with screw on caps.

Price (as of this posting)

  • Around $17.00 CDN fro the 454g/16oz size
  • Around $30.00 CDN for the 908g/32oz size
  • $11.99US for the 454g/16oz size from Amazon.com

Availability

The Good

  • Excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids
  • Excellent complete protein source
  • No additives
  • No preservatives
  • Pesticide Free
  • Gluten free
  • Hexane free
  • Cold milled
  • Fair Price

The Bad

  • Taste will not be suitable/pleasant for everyone
  • Texture in smoothies or similar mixes will not be suitable for everyone
  • Not certified organic