Hemp seeds

[adrian]

Has anyone tried them? The whole seed with the shell, is what I'm looking to get...I tasted a small amount and it wasn't sweet at all and they're packed with nutrients and fiber. however its hard to find info on sugar content. wondering if anyone has experience with them.

[hfimomof3]

I haven't tried hemp seeds but I have had hemp milk which is usually sweetened here and also tastes a bit bitter (not pleasant in my opinion).

There is also quinoa. Usually quinoa comes as the seed which is a little odd looking when it's cooked: like a tiny round ball with a worm in it (really it's just the baby plant I think). You cook it like couscous but it's really nutritious. High in complete protein and a number of vitamins. YOu can also get it as flakes which is less wierd looking than the whole seed. It has a bit of a grassy taste to my mind but not bad.

[ukbill]

Hi Adrian welcome to the board.

You do not say if you are DHI or HFI so my advice assumes you are HFI OK?

With regards to Hemp and Quinoa yes there will be a tiny amount of Fructose by what I can understand of plant chemistry.

All seeds seem to have a tiny amount of Fructose in the "germ" part of the seed. (the worm like bit of the Quinoa)

Eating Wheat Germ for example is a definite No for HFI. as is eating wheat Bran (or any similar product)

This is because the Fibre brakes down (Digestible plant Fibre) into sucrose then Fructose in the Gut.

Leading to IBS type Symptoms and a general feeling of being unwell.

However if you are in good general health and are well on top of keeping a Fructose free diet for 6 or more months then perhaps eating a little will do you more good than harm.

I find Hemp oil and seed too bitter for my taste personally.. I think Hemp seed mostly bought for people who then "accentually" drop some in the garden or plant pots and either cook with the resulting plants or "accidentally again" dry them and smoke them .. it is cannabis after all

PS I have eaten Quinoa and although I do not get a classic HFI "reaction" I do not feel well for several days after eating it so I avoid it now.

Hope this helps?

[ukbill]

IF you are having problems with Bowel movement due to our HFI very low fibre diet (I certainly had problems for most of my life) then a perfect safe HFI form of fibre is Psyllium Husk

You can buy it on Ebay or Amazon if its not available from your local health food shop.

This stuff has all the benefits of "normal" plant fibre but because it is not digested at all it cannot convert into sugar in the intestine.

It is a life changing product.

Hope this helps?

[adrian]

Hi Ukbill, thanks for you're ideas

I found out I have HFI about 8 months ago and for all these years I have some pretty bad liver damage, not cirottic but extremely enlarged. Even tho I have a strong aversion to the taste of sugar I forced myself to eat fruits and veggies thinking that the lack of vitamins were the root of my problems...I had daily hypoglycemia for years thinking maybe I was diabetic.

I have not had a single case of hypoglycemia since knowing about hfi because of diet changes, however I have had trouble staying at zero fructose, I feel like its impossible.

About 4 months ago I decided to go on a ketogenic diet for 2 reasons...1- it keeps you pretty close to 0 fructose ... 2- It has been shown to greatly aid in the healing of fatty liver. So far I have found the Ketogenic diet to be remarkable, both physically and mentally, and I enjoy being on it so much that I don't want to abandon it. There are 3 main problems for me specifically with it tho because I'm not including fruits or veggies with it as is required...lack of vitamins (can be easily supplemented) 2-lack of minerals (cannot be easily supplemented) 3-and fiber which I'm clueless about till I read your post.

whole hemp seeds (with the shell) is the most nutritionally dense food on earth. 100 grams (4 teaspoons) can bring me up to my daily requirements in minerals including most trace elements. the problem is it has 1 gram of sugar per 100 grms. that 1 gram has a breakdown of glucose, sucrose, fructose, and inosotil...the amounts of the breakdown are nowhere to be found and may vary from different types of hemp seed. They also contain plenty of fiber (mostly insoluble) but also soluble which I now have to worry about.

Anyway I now have the seeds and am testing them taking 50 grams (2 tblsp) with meals twice a day...its been 2 days and no noticeable adverse effects so far...I'll keep you guys posted.

[ukbill]

You will find that it will slow down the healing of the liver.

We all have different levels of acceptance to Fructose.. Fred (who has recently retired form the site at aged 71+) was safe to about 200mg per day, if I remember right.. As far as I know he is the only person to be clinically tested to that extent.

I think in a few months you will find your liver will start to seriously heal itself.

I cannot eat any minerals or multi vitamins.. because they case me problems with over supply!

There are some "super once a day" multi vitamins and minerals which give you about 1000x the recommend dose of just about everything and minerals.. However how is your liver going to learn it needs to do this?

I know a lot of body builders who are fine while they are on the high mineral / vitamin diet. however when they stop.. it takes their Liver a long time (2 to 3 Years) before they recover properly.. until that time they are very low particularly with their immune system.

I do not know about this Ketogenic diet.

Unless you are one of the 20% (and you would be dead by now if you were) who cannot tolerate ANY fructose then very small amounts will not cause more damage than our livers repair on a daily basis.

I would suggest not taking them every day. Every other day might be an idea to give your Kidneys a breather..

Its our kidneys that will produce a tiny amount of the chemical needed to breakdown the Fructose. So you might get some pain in that region if you go too far.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.