Here are some of Nutiva’s hemp protein options and ideas of how to implement hemp protein into your daily diet this year:

Shelled Hemp Seeds – Pure, raw shelled hemp seeds ready for eating that go great with cereal, yogurt, soups, salads, and more.  A crunchy protein packed addition to your diet.

Raw Protein Powder – The choice of Athletes and smootie-makers everywhere, Nutiva’s raw organic hemp protein powder provides all the protein you need.  There is also a high-protein option and a high-fiber option as well, so you’ve got options depending on your diet.

Hemp Oil – Cook with hemp oil, or pour some over your salads and veggies for an extra protein kick and enhanced flavor.  The fatty acids in hemp protein help digestion as well as all the nutritional benefits of eating hemp.

More Products for Those on the Go – If you want a quick protein boost, Nutiva also has delicious hempseed bars.  Their chocolate hemp bar is tasty and nutritious.  Hempshakes are easy, quick and delicious as well.  Packs of organic hemp protein in different flavors, ready for quick and easy shakes!

And to top it all off, all Nutiva hemp products are all USDA Certified Organic.  So rest assured that the protein benefits are not only nutritious, they’re also free of preservatives and pesky additives.

Top Selling Nutiva Products

Fruit Medley Hemp Protein Smoothie Recipe

Blend the assorted fruits with the milk, begin adding the powder as the texture becomes smooth. For non-dairy, you can also replace milk with orange juice.

Hemp Fruit Blast Protein Smoothie Recipe

Blend together banana, milk, ice, hemp protein, and yogurt. It will become slushy. Add the strawberries and blueberries and blend. Blend the fruit last for the best taste! The berries give it plenty of antioxidants – pick and choose your own portions of fruit if you prefer.

Hemp High Protein Smoothie Recipe

Blend the almonds, raisins, banana, hemp protein powder, soy milk, and ice cubes until a smooth texture is formed. Make sure to blend well unless you like almond chunks! Ots of protein in here along with healthy fats. Add more raisins for extra sweetness.

Simple Hemp Protein Smoothie

Mix the ingredients, blend, and drink.

Banana Berry Splash – Hemp Protein Smoothie

Mix the ingredients, blend, and drink.

Blueberry Hemp Smoothie

Mix the ingredients, blend, and drink.

Peanut Butter Hemp Smoothie

Mix the ingredients, blend, and drink.

Peanut Butter Banana Hemp Smoothie

Hemp Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie

Mix the ingredients, blend, and drink.

In fact, I would like to argue that moving to hemp protein is one of the best things you can do for your overall health if you’re currently taking whey protein supplements.

Summary:
Whey protein is an affordable, abundant protein source sold in giant colorful tubs in every health food store, featuring serious-looking muscle bound men and women or featuring some flashy “science” art.  Whey has been touted as the best protein source for athletes, bodybuilders, and there is definitely no shortage of brands, flavors, types, and claims on these food supplements.

However, whey protein is by far not the most efficient and effective protein source.  In fact, more recent studies have shown that consuming large amounts of whey protein (which is recommended during training) is not readily digestible by the human body and can create bloating and increase your waistline.  The more you consume, the more it will build up.  You’ll find that most people you talk to have differing opinions about Whey.

Also, many whey protein supplements are loaded with artificial flavors and sweeteners to cover up the natural taste, adding more unnatural chemicals to your body in bulk quantities.

With any training regimen, more is not always the best – in fact, more efficient proteins and proteins with the right amount of amino acids and essential fatty acids is going to get you much further without the bloating and artificial sweeteners that most Whey protein sources are going to give you.

Look, our bodies are designed over 200,000 years to digest whole NATURAL foods from the Earth – and not the synthetic, processed, or artificial proteins and flavors designed in labs.  Since protein supplements are considered a “food” they are not managed by the FDA and therefore can make any claims they want about the benefits of using their products.  Any “science” is applied a measure and then used to market them, even if the claims are weak at best for overall health.

Shouldn’t you treat your body with adequate supply of soluble, digestable protein from whole foods like all natural hemp?  Your body deserves nothing less.

Pros:

• You’ll need less: Since there are no fillers and additives and it provides the 8 essential amino acids and fatty acids, you’ll need much less hemp protein than whey protein for equal benefit.
• It’s more soluble: Hemp protein won’t sludge your system, bloat you, or make you feel uncomfortable. Your body can immediately recognize and digest natural, whole hemp protein.
• Fiber Content: Hemp protein contains fiber, and some supplements (such as Manitoba Harvest and Nutiva) have hemp protein powders with even more natural fiber to aid in digestion. Natural hemp also has friendly bacteria that aid in digestion – decreasing bloating to keep you looking lean. Each serving of hemp protein gives you 1/3 your daily value of fiber.
• It’s organic whole food, non-GMO with complete proteins: You’re digesting the same nutrition that the human body has recognized for those 200,000 years, all the way back down the food chain.
• Bad Breath: You’ll have less bad breath that many of the whey counterparts give you, either due to their Dairy content or the artificial additives that give you nasty burps or smelly breath while you’re working out, or even through the night.
• Plant-Based Protein: Hemp seed protein has natural plant chlorophyll and alkalizes to maintain Ph balance in your body. It’s also loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Cons:

• Taste: If you’re used to sweetened protein powders, you may find the nutty plant
  flavor of organic hempseed protein a bit of a shock. Nutiva makes natural flavored hemp shapes now that make the taste better, and you can also make your own hemp shake recipes.
• Cost: It is more expensive than its whey counterparts. Whey protein is clearly much cheaper.
• Shelf Life: As soon as you open it, dig in. Since its straight organic protein, you’ll want to take it down before the product goes stale and diminishes its health benefits.

Pros:

• It’s cheap: Whey protein is a cheap option and the market is highly competitive, so there’s no shortage of inexpensive whey.
• It’s widely available: walk into any health food store and you’ll find tub after tub of options in Whey protein. Which ones are the best? If you can find them, the ones that contain as whole protein as possible and no artificial flavorings or sweeteners.
• Heavily Researched: Without entirely dogging Whey protein, there is a lot of research to back up the benefits of Whey protein that work. So, do your research before purchasing any Whey supplements.

Cons:

• Heavily processsed: Most whey protein products you’ll find are heavily processed proteins to make them cheaper, more attractive, longer shelf life, and taste better.
• Less Absorption: Whey proteins will generally have less absorption than hemp protein.
• Bloating: For many people, ingesting bulk quantities of whey protein can cause bloating, gas, and loss of appetite.
• You’ll take more: There’s a reason why Whey Protein is sold in giant tubs – often, you’re taking in huge scoops daily. Keep in mind that taking “More” is not always better if its not absoring as quickly.

In conclusion, for weightlifters:

If you’re currently taking Whey protein for bodybuilding, I challenge you to try hemp protein. If you’ve pleateaued and you’ve already changed up your workout and remain on the same diet, I highly recommend seeing if Hemp Protein powder is the answer you need to continue seeing results.

I would recommend the hemp protein by Manitoba Harvest for bodybuilding, since it contains the MOST Omega 3′s and Omega 6′s along with a full 15g of soluble plant protein every serving. See our Hemp Protein Powder Comparison for a full comparison and best prices on Hemp Protein.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ — The Hemp Industries Association (HIA), a trade association made up of hundreds of hemp businesses, is pleased that Living Harvest Foods and Nutiva (both companies are full business members of the HIA) have been named to Inc. Magazine’s 500/5000 List. Living Harvest Foods of Portland, OR was ranked No. 961 on the over all list with 318.2% growth and 2008 revenue of $4.4 million and was ranked No. 20 in the Food & Beverage category. Santa Paula, CA based Nutiva was ranked No. 2,174 on the over all list with 145.2% growth and 2008 revenue of $6.5 million and was ranked No. 52 in the Food & Beverage category.

Founded in 2002, Living Harvest became industry pioneers with the launch of the world’s first hemp protein powder and stayed ahead of the curve with the subsequent launches of the first whole food blends in 2005 and the world’s first Hempmilk in 2007. In 2009, Living Harvest added Tempt, the first line of non-dairy frozen desserts made with Hempmilk in the United States, to their growing repertoire of hemp foods.

“Pioneering a variety of hemp foods over the years and launching innovative new products such as our Tempt Hempmilk and frozen dessert line is the key to our exceptional growth,” said Hans Fastre, CEO of Living Harvest Foods. “Our placement on the list of fastest growing companies in the U.S., as well our placement as the number 20 food and beverage company, is a testimony to the future of hemp foods.”

Founded in 1999 by John W. Roulac, Nutiva is America’s number one brand of nutritious organic hemp foods and extra-virgin coconut oil. Nutiva is dedicated to a healthy and sustainable world, demonstrating its mission to nourish people and planet by using nourishing organic ingredients, enriching the soil, and supporting worthy causes.

“Nutiva’s vision is to replace our country’s overreliance on corn, soy, and dairy products with healthier hemp protein and coconut superfoods,” explains Roulac.

“Nutiva is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this month and we are proud to be named one of the fastest growing companies in America by Inc. Magazine.”

Earlier this year the HIA released final estimates of the size of the U.S. retail market for hemp food and body care products in 2008. Data supporting the estimates show that retail sales of hemp food and body care products in the U.S. have continued to set records in 2008. Strong sales of popular hemp items like non-dairy milk, shelled hemp seed, soaps and lotions have occurred against the backdrop of state-licensed hemp farmers in North Dakota fighting a high stakes legal battle against the DEA to grow hemp for U.S. manufacturers.

“The HIA is confident that the total North American hemp food and body care market over the last year accounted for $100-120 million in retail sales,” comments Eric Steenstra, HIA Executive Director. “We expect double-digit growth of the hemp food sector to continue in 2009, as consumer interest about
green healthy products grows,” says Steenstra.

SOURCE: Hemp Industries Association

There are a number of reasons that hemp protein is not only a great protein supplement for body building, but also possibly the better choice over other protein supplements:

• The most notable benefit of using hemp protein is that it contains all 20 amino acids which include 10 of the essential amino acids. These amino acids come together to form proteins, it is these proteins that allow the body to gain muscle mass more efficiently and repair it when it has been strained during a workout. It can possibly be effective both pre and post workout for this reason. This is also the reason hemp protein is considered to be a complete protein on its own, without having anything added to it. This ensures that everything being ingested is natural, and healthy for the body.
• Hemp protein also includes essential fatty acids (EFA’s) that aid in the repair of muscles. These fatty acids include omega-3 and omega-6. The ratio of these EFA’s are incomparable to any other EFA supplements available and can also reduce cholesterol, heart problems, and high blood pressure.
• Two thirds of hemp protein is made of edistin which is a blood protein. Hemp is the only supplement where this can be found. Edistin improves the immune system, and allows nutrients to enter the blood stream and digest into the body faster.
• Hemp protein may not be quite as available as some other protein supplements such as whey or soy, however as a plant protein, it is not processed like whey and does not contain estrogen-like compounds that are found in soy. Also, neither whey nor soy contain edestin and can benefit the immune system the way hemp can.
• Other great facts about hemp protein are that it includes a high fiber content to aid in metabolism, and it is a good source of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Other protein supplements may be easier to get a hold of or cheaper to buy, but none can benefit your bodybuilding and overall health like hemp protein.

Hemp protein most importantly contains all nine of the life essential amino acids that our bodies require: Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Valine, Histidine. Although it is not the only plant protein with this quality, it has this and much more that make it stand out and above other plant proteins. Hemp protein contains an almost perfect balance of essential fatty acids (EFA’s) Omega-3 and -6, a high content of fiber, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.

Breakdown of Hemp Protein Nutrients

1) Branched Chain Amino Acids- These amino acids are found in all hemp protein and help to contribute towards a fast acting metabolism which can help increase and maintain muscle mass, while also helping muscles repair after strenuous work. For this reason, hemp protein and hemp protein powders are ideal for athletes and bodybuilders who want to focus on building and maintaining muscle mass before and even after a workout. Plenty of these amino acids can be found in hemp protein.

2) Ideal balance of Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s)- Hemp protein contains two of the good fats our bodies need: Omega-6 and omega-3. These unsaturated fats are essential to health. The best part about hemp protein is the ratio of these fats it contains. An ideal balance according to health agencies is about 4 to 1. However, in hemp this ration is even better at a ratio of 3:1. This is a quick way to improve any scarcity of these two EFA’s in your own body.

3) Edistine and Albumin- Hemp protein is the only plant protein that provides these two blood proteins which not only allow the other nutrients of hemp protein powder to digest and enter into the body faster, but help create antibodies to improve the immune system.

Hemp protein also includes a high source of fiber as well as a source of calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, zinc, and manganese. On top of all this it is very natural meaning gluten free and soy free.

Many people argue that hemp protein is a complete protein all on its own, however many hemp protein powders may contain other additives to enhance nutritional value. Just make sure that the label states the hemp is not genetically modified (non-GMO) and hemp could possibly be one of the best sources of protein and nutrients available to you.

Hemp protein is most beneficial for:

• Vegetable-centered diets- Some people choose to stray away from including meat or even any animal based food products in their diet, such as vegetarians or vegans. Hemp protein is a great plant alternative for this group of people because it replaces the protein they are not getting from foods such as meat and eggs. Not only is hemp a plant, it can be easily ingested in a raw and natural form.
• Athletes and bodybuilders- For athletes and bodybuilders it is the goal to ingest enough protein that will allow them to keep their muscles in the best shape possible. Protein helps muscles build stronger at a faster pace. Most athletes take protein before and after a workout to ensure healthy strong muscles before, and muscle repair for strain after. Hemp can help wonders for this goal because it contains the correct amino acids as well as fatty acids that will allow for muscles to work and grow effectively. The other nutritional benefits for the blood only help protein enter into the body quicker. Hemp protein is a great supplement for this group of people.
• Weight loss goals- Not only is hemp protein helpful for maintaining a healthy diet which can increase weight loss, but it is extremely high in fiber content. Fiber can help increase the metabolism which can only add to the increase of metabolism from daily exercise. Also hemp protein is a blood protein so it will help even out the blood sugar and decrease hunger pangs.
• Dairy Allergies- Hemp protein is a great source of protein straight from a plant, with no trace of dairy whatsoever but loaded with solid protein and fiber.
• Senior Citizens- Hemp protein can do nothing but help improve health for senior citizens and allow their bodies to work and feel better for longer. The protein can help keep muscle mass from deteriorating too fast as bodies grow older, and more muscle mass can also protect bones from bone loss.

In any case hemp seed protein is beneficial to everyone because it is a complete protein, full of fiber, very natural, and not genetically modified like so many other supplements now days.  With 8 of the essential amino acids needed for life, omegas-3, -6, and -9, as well as other nutritional content, hemp protein is full of well balanced nutrients for a healthier, longer, and happier life.

• You Won’t Lose your Existing Muscles – For anyone who’s lifestyle includes building muscle mass everyday, a constant worry is that switching protein powders, or adding a hemp protein powder supplement to your everyday nutrition intake will cause your body to react differently to a work out regimen. With hemp protein there is no need to be concerned about losing your already existing muscles. There is even a chance that because hemp protein is a complete protein it can help build muscle mass especially when combined with other beneficial supplements.

• Very Consistent Quality of Protein – because of the perfect balance of EFA’s (essential fatty acids) Omegas 3, 6, and 9, hemp protein is a sure way to get a great blend of benefiting nutrients to supplement your health and improve your body.

• It Won’t Make You Feel Fat – Many times with a protein supplement there is a chance of protein causing you to feel extremely full as if you are bigger than you really are, making you uncomfortable and definitely not feeling up to a great workout. Because hemp protein is a natural plant protein and not genetically modified or processed like animal proteins it also makes the body feel more natural during intake and digestion. No need to feel fat!

• Your Breath Won’t Smell Bad – Lets face it, no one wants to smell your breath after gulping down any kind of protein supplement or shake. A dairy-based protein supplement does nothing for your breath. However, with hemp protein powders the plant based protein is natural and leaves no lingering digesting taste or smell in your mouth.

• No Additives or Artificial Ingredients – Most often hemp protein comes in its natural plant form: unprocessed, not genetically modified (non-GMO), and nothing added in that will cancel out all of the nutrition you are taking in with the hemp protein. With hemp protein there are no worries about ingesting anything harmful or unnatural for your body.

• Aids Your Digestion – One great benefit of hemp protein is the fiber content which allows your body to easily take in and digest the nutrients of the powder, not to mention take in the nutrients a lot faster.  In addition, fiber naturally cleans out your body from the inside to keep you feeling anything but full or bloated.

As long as you are observant and mindful of the hemp protein powder you purchase, you will gain much more from hemp than you would not taking it at all.

Because hemp protein powders come from a plant, there is a chance that has been genetically modified. The easiest way to make sure that the plant crop has not been modified to repel pesticides is to look on the label of the hemp protein you are purchasing and check to see if it is non-GMO. All products are required to label themselves whether they are genetically modified (GMO) or not. Stick with non-GMO hemp protein, offering numerous advantages and benefits to your body you might miss out on with any other.

Hemp protein has a nutty plant vegetable flavor to it – slightly nuttier than flax. An organic, raw hemp protein powder is straight hemp – kosher, soy, and gluten free. If you like greens, you will love hemp protein.

Note – if you’ve been eating sweet, sugar-laden or chemically sweetened protein supplements all your life, it’s very natural to eat earthy, natural hemp protein. If you fall into this category, don’t worry, there are things you can do to improve the taste of your hemp protein.

1) You’ll quickly find when you make your first hemp protein smoothie or shake that the hemp protein is gritty unless it sits for a couple minutes. Instead of gulping it down immediately, wait a couple minutes after your drink is mixed and it will nice and thick with a frothy top.

2) Find a flavored hemp protein. Some brands carry hemp protein powders in chocolate and vanilla flavors as well.

3) Learn to enjoy the natural flavor of hemp seed based proteins. Hemp protein is a highly natural, highly effective raw protein source that will aid in your working out and is an alternative to the over-priced, and over-processed proteins that most stores carry.

4) If you absolutely can’t drink it without a sweet mixture, then you’ll find hemp protein mixes well with orange juice, fruits, and other vegetables to disguise the flavor. Make your own smoothie recipes with nutritious hemp protein!

Another benefit of eating hemp protein is that you’ll quickly notice that unlike dairy protein supplements, hemp protein will not cause bad breath or encourage halitosis. This is likely due to its natural plant nature and good fibers that aid in your digestion.