When it comes to emergency preparedness food saving and storage it’s important to have a variety of different proteins stocked up including meats, nuts and plant based proteins. It would be unhealthy long term to only have meat protein on hand. This article is going to cover two really amazing plant based proteins that provide healthy usable complete protein.
The first plant based protein I’m going to cover is Hemp.
Nutritional Benefits of Hemp
Hemp is amazing! Hemp protein provides a well-balanced array of the 10 essential amino acids essential for the human body. Hemp Protein (derived from whole hemp seeds) can supply any diet with a vegetarian source of essential fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber, chlorophyll and a complete, balanced gluten-free source of the essential amino acids.
Hemp protein supplies a high amount of each of the essential amino acids the human body needs. Hemp protein is a quality source of the amino acids arginine and histidine, both of which are important for growth during childhood, and of the sulphur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine, both of which are needed in the production of vital enzymes. Hemp protein also contains relatively high levels of the branched-chain amino acids that are crucial in the repair and growth of lean body mass, making a hemp protein shake after a workout a worthwhile investment.
Almost two-thirds of hemp protein is made up of edestin, a globulin protein found only in hemp seeds. This makes hemp the superior source for this protein in the plant kingdom.
Edestin is a type of plant protein that is similar to protein found in the human body, and thus is perfectly suited to aid in meeting the body’s cellular needs such as DNA repair. Since much of hemp’s protein resembles that found in human blood, hemp protein is very easily digested and assimilated. In addition, another one-third of hemp’s protein is albumin, another high quality globulin protein also found in egg whites.
Hemp Protein Powder is produced when whole hemp seeds are cold-pressed to expel the oil, leaving behind a dry “cake.” This cake is then milled at low temperatures to remove some of the fiber and produce a concentrated form of protein.
When purchasing a hemp protein powder you should be looking for a brand that supplies at least 50% protein by weight, supplying 15 grams of protein per 30 gram serving.
While hemp protein powder may contain more total fat than many other protein powders available today, it should be stressed that almost all of this fat comes from the essential polyunsaturated fatty acids omega-6 and omega-3. Hemp has what is considered to be an optimal three-to-one balance of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids. It is this ratio that is believed to be ideal in promoting long-term well-being by decreasing the likelihood of developing heart disease, diabetes and depression.
Importantly, the fat present in hemp is also one of the few food sources of the fatty acid known as gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLA is showing promise in helping the fight against chronic diseases.
Hemp Protein Powder contains no additives or preservatives. While many protein powders use artificial flavoring, Hemp Protein Powder’s natural nutty flavor is all the flavor needed.
The shelf life of hemp protein powder and shelled whole hemp seeds are 12 months in unopened packages and stored properly in moderate temperatures. Once opened they will remain good in the refrigerator for 2 months.
Here’s My Personal Hemp Protein Shake Recipe:
Fill blender with 16 oz of water
Add 3 level Tablespoons Organic Hemp Seeds (11 grams protein, 2000 mgs Omega 3)
Blend until you get a nut milk consistency. Then you can start adding the other ingredients.
NOTE: If you have a Blendtec or a Vitamix you don’t have to make the milk part first but with a regular blender you need to do this part first before adding any other ingredients.
4 Tbsp. Hemp Protein Powder (50% protein) - Hemp protein powder comes in different levels of protein and I use the 50% protein one. This will give you 15 grams protein. The higher the protein the less omega 3′s and the higher the omega 3′s the less protein. The 50% one is right in the middle and has 1200 mg of Omega 3 per serving.
1 Heaping Tbsp. of Organic Raw Cacao Powder – (approx. 2.5 grams of protein and 3.5 grams of fiber), raw cacao powder is also super high in antioxidants – more than either red wine or blueberries – and also super high in magnesium, which supports about 300 different body functions, and it also has theobromin which is linked to increasing serotonin levels and making you happier. You can easily find it online and often in health food stores as well.
1 Level Tbsp. Maca Root – A super food of the Incas in Peru (works with the endocrine system and adrenals so you have sustained energy throughout the day…especially useful if you don’t drink coffee.) Also has the full spectrum of amino acids, fiber and other vital nutrients. It’s very high in potassium…just two teaspoons has 2050 mgs!
For more info visit www.macaroot.com (word of caution though….in my experience it’s a little bit like natural Viagra. If you take too much your libido will be through the roof and unless you have an outlet, like a partner for example, it will be a little uncomfortable with all that sexual energy piling up….so just take it easy with the maca root.) It’s also much cheaper to buy it in bulk… here’s where I get it in bulk: Bulk Maca Root
Either 1/2 of a Banana or 1/4 of an Avocado – (for help emulsifying the shake….otherwise the hemp powder will sink to the bottom of the glass like mud and the banana or avocado helps keep it suspended in the shake….too much banana makes the shake too thick so I’ve found that 1/3 – 1/2 works perfect depending on whether you’re using fresh or frozen bananas….just experiment and find what consistency you like.
My personal preference is the avocado …it emulsifies extremely well and gives an amazing creamy texture to the shake. Believe it or not avocado tastes great in this shake and goes well with the other ingredients….just be sure to use one that hasn’t been stored in the same container as onions!
1/3-1/2 cup Organic Blueberries – High in antioxidants and gives a nice taste to the shake.
1/4 cup Dried Goji Berries – (sometimes also called Wolfberries and if they come from the famous Ningxia province in China then they are called Ningxia Wolfberries)
Soak the goji berries/wolfberries in filtered purified water overnight or at least a couple of hours to reconstitute them. If you put them into the shake dry they soak up too much liquid and make the shake too thick so I have found it’s best to soak them first…plus soaking them activates the enzymes in the seeds inside the goji berries. Reconstituted they make about 1/3 cup.
Goji berries/wolfberries are a nutritional superfood. They are the highest anti-oxidant fruit known. They also have more calcium than broccoli, more potassium than bananas and more fiber than prunes and are said to be a liver tonic and help with eyesight among many other things.
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon Stevia – If you use the raw cacao powder you will definitely need to add a little sweetener. I add a little stevia to taste…about 1/4 teaspoon if you use banana and 1/2 teaspoon if you use avocado as an emulsifier. Stevia is quite sweet so you wouldn’t want to use more than this amount.
By the way stevia should be green…like this: 
NOT white! The white stuff I’m not sure what it is exactly but it has an extremely unpleasant aftertaste unlike real stevia which is nice and has no unpleasant aftertaste. You can also grow stevia in your garden or patio container garden. It grows much like mint and fresh stevia leaves are great too. I use one sprig in place of 1/4 teaspoon.
I also add a scoop of something called NanoGreens – (2.5 grams of protein) which is supposedly equal to 10 servings of greens and brightly colored fruits and vegetables. It does have soy lecithin in it but when I emailed the company and got a reply back from Dr. John Maher, Director Education and Research BioPharma Scientific, Inc., he informed me that soy lecithin does not contain any isoflavones/phytoestrogens. The nano greens actually taste great and are organic and non gmo. So here’s the link for the NanoGreens.
1/2 cup of Lite Coconut Milk (Trader Joe’s actually has a good brand with no guar gum added…theirs is just coconut milk and water…with no preservatives either so this is a good one to use but any brand without added guar gum or preservatives will do)
1/4 teaspoon of Vanilla Powder. – (this is just sun cured vanilla bean powder NOT processed with alcohol)
So you get 31+ grams of protein, 10-13 grams of fiber (including the banana or avocado and the maca root in addition to the hemp and cacao powder), a whopping 3250 mgs of omega 3, it’s also non-dairy, raw, vegan, organic, non-gmo, super high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, lots of greens and just plain tastes amazing and wakes you right up in a good healthy way!
It’s a LOT of shake but keep in mind most of it is actually the 16 oz. of water…If you want to split it in half and drink the second part of the shake as a second meal of the day you can do that too but if you use less water to make the shake it’s too thick and gritty tasting.
Rice Protein Powder
Rice protein powder is a high quality, low carbohydrate, gluten free, plant based protein that is made from raw sprouted brown rice and is one of the most hypo-allergenic forms of protein available and is easily digestible too. One serving of rice protein contains an astounding 26 grams of highly bio-available protein that has a full spectrum of amino acids!
It’s nearly tasteless so you can put it into a lot of things like oatmeal, protein shakes, juices, baked goods, soups and more and you will barely know it’s there.
For Organic Rice Protein Powder CLICK HERE
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Thank you so much for talking about hemp! It is truly one of the most nutritious substances on Earth and I love consuming it myself. I’d never heard of NanoGreens before but I looked into it quite a bit after seeing you use it. They have a wide variety of offerings, including NanoReds (which features fruit more than vegetables), NanoPro, and a few others. You are into some really healthy stuff, that’s awesome!
Food storage is important to have because you never know what could happen. I don’t think there will be a major war that will deprive the world of food, but there have been so many natural disasters that I want to be prepared if something happens in my area. Even though many people are starting to have food storage, you can’t rely on others to help you. No one knows how long they will need to survive on what they saved, and they will put themselves and their families before their neighbors.
Great post. I recently added hemp protein to my diet and I can really see a clear improvement in my health.