Product Review - Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods: Hemp Protein...

I’m a big fan of hemp, I love it. Hemp Seeds, Hemp Milk, Hemp Oil, even Hemp Clothes. I Love, Love, Love it.  I started off using Hemp seeds in salads, desserts, breakfast cereal, and smoothies for the protein and the omega-3 fatty acids. Then I switched from using olive oil to hemp oil in salad dressings for the same reason. I love the unique flavor of hemp, it’s both nutty and grassy in my opinion, and I love how nutrient dense it is. Hemp is packed with protein. It contains 10 essential amino acids and is really easy for your body to digest and assimilate. It’s also rich in balanced healthful fats like Omega-3 fatty acids, but also GLA - Gamma Linolenic Acid. It contains both short and long chain fatty acids which work together to ensure the body has an effective metabolism. Hemp also contains B vitamins, Folic Acid, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphoreus, potassium, chlorophyll and Vitamin E. Now what’s not to love about that?

Now, I’m also a big fan of protein powders, though strangely enough I’m not a fan of using them every day. To me a protein powder is one of those things I use when I need something quick for breakfast or lunch on a busy day when I haven’t the time to make anything else. Sometimes it’s nice to just throw a scoop of this or that into a blender, blend it up and drink without having to think too much about it. Sometimes I just really like the taste of a protein shake, and sometimes I just feel like my body needs an energy and vitamin boost. So while I may not like to use protein powders everyday or even several times a week I do like to have some on hand for those occasions when I need - or want - them.

Imagine my excitement then when I first discovered Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods several months ago. I was actually going to pick up a package of Vega when I saw Manitoba Harvest’s products siting a few shelves below. I’ve heard other people talk about Hemp Protein powder before  - other vegans, some raw foodies - but I’d never seen it. I’d always been curious to try it, and here it was staring me right in the face. I knew I had to get some. There were several flavors available but I decided to go for their dark chocolate version, because chocolate always seem to be my favorite flavor of any protein powder.

Before I get into the flavor aspect I’d like to say that I appreciate Manitoba Harvest’s dedication to Pure, organic, and fair trade hemp. I also love the fact that the co-founders of the company helped to legalese industrial hemp in Canada. Oh did I mention this is a Canadian company? Well they are, incase the name Manitoba Harvest didn’t give it away already they’re based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Now, Winnipeg, Manitoba is a far cry from my home city of Vancouver, way on the other side of the country in fact it’s a lot closer to Chicago then it is to Vancouver but you know, we Canadians like to stick together and so I’m happy to support my fellow countrymen. Manitoba Harvest also happens to be the largest manufacturer of Hemp foods in the world, and I really love that they’re both dedicated to the quality and purity of their product as well as reducing their carbon footprint on the earth.

Anyway, back to the product. Their Dark Chocolate flavor Hemp Protein is freaking amazing! Seriously! The flavor of this powder is really good, it’s sweet but not too sweet, and the chocolate flavor is more mild then overwhelming so I think even chocolate protein powder haters may enjoy it. Like many powders Manitoba Harvest is a little gritty, but that comes with the territory and I pretty much expect it whenever I buy a powder these days. - In fact I kind of like that texture, though I know some don’t.

As far as the ingredients go they’re pretty simple. Hemp Protein, Palm Sugar, and Fair-Trade Cocoa Powder. All ingredients are organic and raw, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free. Per serving the Dark Chocolate flavor has 120 calories, 9 g of fiber, 8g of protein, 4% Iron, 10% Calcium, and 400mg of Omega-3 Fatty Acids. A serving size is listed as 4 Tbsp but honestly I find 2-3 Tbsp per serving to be more then enough. My favorite way to drink this one is with Almond milk, a banana, a Tbsp of peanut or almond butter, and a ½ c of frozen cherries. Seriously yum, and it always keeps me full through the first half of work.

Now because I like to change my powders up, once I ran out of chocolate I decided to give their vanilla flavor a try, since vanilla is typically my second favorite protein powder flavor. Manitoba Harvest’s Vanilla contains Hemp Protein, Vanilla flavor and palm sugar, it’s organic, raw, vegan, GF, SF, and Dairy-free,  with a similar nutritional profile. 130 Calories per serving - 4 Tbsp - 11g of Fiber, 9g of Protein, 400 mg of
Omega-3 Fatty Acids, 4% Calcium, and 8% Iron.

I drank the Vanilla Hemp Protein Powder blended into some rice milk, with a banana, and blueberries. It was simple, but I wanted to really taste the flavor of the powder. Unfortunately I wasn’t quite as taken with the vanilla version as I was with the chocolate version. It’s not that I thought it tasted bad exactly, I just didn’t think it tasted very much like vanilla. For a powder that says vanilla I’d like to actually taste some vanilla, but it just tasted bland and hempy. I’ll give it another try, but for now I like the Chocolate version best.

Of course that’s just my opinion, who knows you may hate the chocolate version and love the vanilla or maybe you’ll prefer the original flavor instead. Regardless of what you like best I think Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods I worth trying out. It’s definitely one of the better protein powders I’ve had which is saying a lot.

If you’re interested in knowing more about Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods or their products you can check them out here... Manitoba Harvest 

*** Note - I just want to make it clear incase it wasn’t already - I don’t see how it wouldn’t be but there are skeptics everywhere - I do not get paid to right reviews of products or restaurants. I do not get asked by any business or company to endorse their products. I get nothing out of this. I right positive reviews for only those products that I actually enjoy, and use in my personal life, and I started writing these reviews in the first place because there are so many great vegan products out there that sometimes it can be overwhelming for newbie vegans. I hope that people find these reviews helpful, and that my opinion or recommendation gives people confidence in buying products they may be interested in but are unsure of. So again, I don’t write reviews for profit or personal gain. I write them to expand knowledge, and I write them because I always appreciate it when others review products.***

Chole Chaat...

Well, I’ve been eating lunch at the hot bar quite a bit recently, and as you may recall the last time I was frequenting the salad/hot bar I discovered the awesomeness that is Tomato Bhaji and Kale. This time around I’ve discovered something just as awesome Chole Chaat, which is another Indian dish.

Generally speaking I don’t like to buy lunch during my work day. I prefer to bring lunch from home and save myself the money. Also this way I can ensure that I’m definitely getting a lunch that’s nutritious rather then just convenient. However because of the crazy business of the holiday season I’ve found myself over the past few weeks with less and less time (not to mention energy) to prepare lunch meals in advance. Thankfully I discovered Chole Chaat, which has been a true lifesaver. Not only is it mind-blowingly delicious it’s also low calorie, and absolutely packed with protein and fiber which is perfect for getting you through those long hard days.

When I saw it initially on my first circle around the hot bar I was less then impressed. It just didn’t look all that appetizing to me to see a bunch of chickpeas floating around in a thick yellow-red sauce. However upon circling around a second time I realized there really wasn’t anything at all that I found to appetizing and so I gave the Chaat a skeptical second look. I read the ingredients on the tag and discovered they were all things that I liked, so with my belly grumbling with hunger and a total lack of something more visually appealing I decided to bite the bullet and plop a few spoonfuls into my bowl.

How amazed was I when I took that first bite? Wow - there are not words to describe it. The dish was absolutely phenomenal. It had a nice heat, not too spicy, a little bit of sweet, a hint of curry, and just an all around grand robust flavor. I gobbled it up and wanted more. I have since got this dish from the hot bar six times, and after about the fifth I decided it was time I write down the ingredients and re-create the dish myself. It’s a good thing I took that initiative by the way, because the food at the hot bar is always in rotation meaning the same thing is rarely there for long periods of time, and this week I happened to see that Chole Chaat was absent from the hot bar. No matter though, armed with my handy-dandy hand scrawled list I decided to embark on re-creating this tastebud tantalizing dish Friday afternoon. The only problem was what quantities should I use?

Now, I did a quick Google search for Chole Chaat, and several recipes popped up. However like with my Tomato Bhaji debacle none of them entirely matched the ingredient list I had in my hand. Many of the online recipes included ingredients not on my list, and most of those same recipes were minus one or two of the ingredients I copied down. Like with the Bahji what made it worse is I couldn’t seem to find any two online recipes that agreed on how to make Chaat. Everything varied recipe to recipe from the actual ingredients to the quantities. Again I checked my Indian cookbook, and while there were several Chaat recipes, one even labeled Chole it again differed from my list, and all of the online recipes I’d found.

While I initially found this a bit frustrating, after a few moments meditation on the matter I decided this just gave me more room to be creative. I jotted down a few notes from the online recipes, took my scribbled on sheet of paper into the kitchen and set to work. The following is what I came up with and it was instantly satisfying, gratifying and amazing. It may have more ingredients then the hot bar version, and it may not taste 100% comparable - though I think it’s at least 90% accurate to what I’d eaten - but it is phenomenal. This is easily my new favorite thing to eat, and as strange as it may sound it’s the perfect thing to eat for breakfast before heading in for a long day at work.

I know that sounds crazy, but trust me. It’s actually quite common for people particularly in Mexico, Central America and South America to eat a form of rice and beans with tortilla for breakfast and I really think they’re on to something. When the first meal of your day is one loaded with fiber and protein it keeps you much fuller, for far longer. It seems like when I’m at work I tend to get hungry at least 2 hours after arriving, regardless of what I ate before leaving the house. Not so with this dish. Chole Chaat combined with a helping of brown rice kept me full for a good five to six hours at work, and when I was hungry a simple non-dairy yogurt, a banana and a cup of tea were enough to keep me satiated till I got home. So not only is this my new favorite dish, it’s also my new favorite before work staple. In fact I love it so much I plan on making a big pot of it to have throughout the week.

Now before we get started I have a note about this recipe. It can be made two ways depending on whether you want a chunky sauce or a smooth sauce. I personally prefer a smooth sauce with this recipe because it makes it more uniform, but if you’d prefer a chunky sauce omit the step that blends the sauce.

Chole Chaat

45-60oz canned chickpeas
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion Grated
2 tsp Ground Coriander
2-3 tsp Ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Ground Turmeric
2-3 tsp Gram Masala
1 Tbsp Grated Ginger
4 Garlic Cloves Minced
3/4 tsp Sea Salt
*1-2 tsp Amchoor Powder (Optional but highly suggested)
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tbsp Sugar (optional)
2 ½ C Diced fresh tomatoes.
14oz Water
Cilantro to garnish

- Heat oil in medium sized pot on medium-high heat. Add in the minced garlic, grated ginger and grated onion. Saute over medium heat until fragrant and softened, about 5 minutes.

*** Note - If you plan to blend the entire sauce it isn’t necessary to grate the onion you can chop it. However if you are not blending the sauce you will want to great the onion as it makes for a smoother sauce. You get all that great onion flavor without all the big overpowering chunks. This is a little trick I picked up from my ancient Greek Cookbooks and it works really well. ***

- Add in coriander, cumin, turmeric, gram masala and saute another 3-4 minutes until spices are well incorporated and fragrant.

- Add in diced tomatoes and salt. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until tomatoes have broken down and a sauce has formed.

- Once tomatoes have broken down transfer the sauce to a high-speed blender along with 1 cup of chickpeas and 14oz of water. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 30-60 seconds.

*** Note - For the chunky version, do not transfer sauce to the blender. Only blend 1 cup of chickpeas with 14oz of water. Then pour that mixture into the pot of sauce ***

- Return the contents of the blender to the pot. Add the remaining chickpeas, paprika, red pepper flakes, sugar, and amchoor powder. Stir to incorporate then cover and bring to a boil.

*** Note - Whether you use 45oz of chickpeas or 60oz will again depend on how much sauce you want. If you want a good sauce to chickpea ratio then use 45oz, if you want it less saucy use 60oz. This calculation is for the smooth version though. For the chunky sauce I think 45oz will be sufficient and 60oz may be a bit of overkill.***

Sauce After Blending with 45oz Chickpeas

- Once boiling, stir again, then reduce heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until chickpeas are heated through, and sauce has thickened slightly. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

- Serve over rice or my favorite kale, or even better rice and kale, and garnish with cilantro. Eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner and most importantly enjoy!

*** Note - Amchoor Powder is made from raw green mangoes that are sun dried and then ground into powder. Used in many curries, dals, chutneys, and vegetable dishes to impart a tangy, fruity flavor without also adding moisture. Amchoor can be found in Indian groceries, or gourmet spice shops. It is definitely worth finding. ***

*** Note - Sugar-free if you leave the sugar out. ***

Protein - Facts and Fictions....

It seems that as a vegan, when encountering a non-vegan or non-vegetarian the first question they always want to ask has to do with protein. They tend to look at you with big eyes like you’re an exhibit in the zoo and ask very confusedly and somewhat concerned "But... where do you get your protein if you don’t eat animal flesh?" or another one I see increasing in popularity is "Yeah, but how do you get enough protein on this kind of diet?" Now I have to admit after having heard it so many times already the urge to roll my eyes is great, but I don’t want to be that vegan. I don’t want to discourage people from asking questions. My goal is to educate vegans and non-vegans alike in the ways of living and eating more healthfully. Besides, what’s the old adage? There are no stupid questions, just uninformed people? At least that’s how I see it, and honestly with all the misinformation floating around out there is it any wonder that people are so confused?

I wish more people would open their eyes to the truth and realize that there’s a very good reason for why we’ve been taught to believe that meat, dairy and eggs are either the only, or the most superior sources of protein. The meat, dairy, and egg industries have huge lobbies worldwide and to the best my knowledge their’s no apple or kale lobby on the other side fighting on behalf of vegetables everywhere. It’s these very industries that have been the ones convincing us from birth that we need to consume a lot of protein, and that, that protein is better and more efficient when derived from the flesh and secretions of animals.

There are two things the meat, dairy and egg industries have right and it’s in saying that Protein is an important nutrient. It is, for sure. Protein is the quintessential building block of the human body. As you go about your daily business your body is working hard at discarding old cells and creating new ones, and it’s protein that’s responsible for this production. The other thing they’re right about is in saying that animal flesh is a complete protein. The mislead there however is their implication that proteins derived from plant foods are either incomplete or inferior. This is the myth, and unfortunately it’s so widespread in our culture, and has gained so much strength, that this wrong belief has been firmly rooted in the minds of the majority. Which is why as a vegan you get asked on a daily basis, "Where do you get your protein?"

So what is protein? It’s a nutrient of course, but one that’s made up of a chain of amino acids. Amino acids are little acids which when combined make up all the protein in your body. There are 20 different amino acids that have thus far been detected by Science, and these 20 amino acids come together in trillions upon trillions of ways to create all life on earth. Which means that all food items whether it’s vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds or animal flesh contain amino acids to varying degrees. The human body produces 12 of these amino acids on it’s own, because we produce them without the aid of any outside factors (diet) they are considered non-essential. The remaining 8 amino acids are considered essential because our bodies can’t produce them alone, we need to receive these amino acids through our diet. The reason you hear that meat is a complete protein is because the flesh of animals contains all of those 8 amino acids that our bodies do not manufacture. What people often neglect to mention is that there are several plant based foods that are also complete proteins. Quinoa, Spirulina, and soy foods (soy milk, tempeh, tofu, miso, edamame) being the most notable. The other thing that’s often misunderstood or not mentioned at all is the very significant fact that you don’t need to get all 8 essential amino acids from one food, nor do you even need to get all 8 acids in the same meal! This is hugely important to understand. Our bodies are truly unique and impressive machines, and they are designed absolutely perfectly. As long as you eat a diet rich in a variety of plant foods our bodies have the incredible ability and wisdom to be able to combine the different amino acids into protein. Think about it, if our bodies didn’t have this ability we would have to be so careful in planning each of our meals. Think about it, there have been vegetarians and vegans living on this earth before modern science discovered there was such a thing as an amino acid. If it were true that we could only get proper nutritional protein from animal flesh, men like Leo Tolstoy (aged 82), Leonardo da Vinci (aged 67), Gandhi (aged 78) and many others would have died decades before they actually did. Think about it, the largest and strongest animals on the planet are herbivores. Elephants, Giraffes, Buffalo, Gorillas, Hippopotamus, Rhinoceros, Giant Panda, the Manatee they are all plant eaters, and not a single one of them worries about amino acids or complimentary proteins! The kangaroo is a magnificent and speedy creature. At full speed the kangaroo can run 70 mph, a Cheetah in comparison - the world fastest creature - has been clocked at 75 mph, only five miles faster then the kangaroo who is an herbivore. The largest creature known to have inhabited the earth in the entire history of the earth is the Dinosaur Brachiosaurus which was 85 feet long and estimated to weight somewhere between 35-45 metric tons. The brachiosaurus of course was an herbivore.

So you see, we have been conditioned to hone in on and focus our worry on certain nutrients that in the western world are a complete non issue. In fact in our culture it’s actually very difficult to develop a true protein deficiency. Of course there are ways in which someone can consume too little protein but lets face it, here in the west, and particularly in America we’re not exactly a people who could be considered guilty of consuming too little of anything. In the west we don’t have diseases caused by deficiency, we have diseases caused by excess. Ways in which people would not meet their bodies protein needs are if they’re not meeting their energy needs. Meaning they’re not eating or taking in enough calories. We’re talking about people with severe anorexia, depression, have a lack of appetite due to illness, are extreme dieters, and even people who consume extremely restrictive diets. - no, nuts no beans etc.. - Sometimes people eating a high-raw diet have difficulty meeting their protein needs. So these would be cases in which people are not getting enough total calories and thus not meeting their bodies protein requirements. Junk-Food Vegans, or people consuming an unhealthy vegan diet may also not get enough protein, or enough nutrients period.

However even in these cases true protein deficiency in the Western World is rare. True protein deficiency is what you see on those aid to Africa commercials, the images of children with distended bellies, big heads, and discolored skin. That’s real protein deficiency, and it actually has a scientific name. Kwashiorkor. Have you heard this term before? Probably not and I’m not surprised. It’s something we see in countries with extreme poverty where people don’t have enough food, where people are starving to death, we may have poverty here in the west but not to that extreme. If you’ve never heard the term Kwashiorkor before, if you don’t know the commercials I’m talking about, if you’ve never seen the images of children with distended bellies then I urge you to take a moment and Google it. Look over the pictures, and think, have you ever known or even heard of a single person vegetarian or otherwise in the United States who’s suffered from Kwashiorkor? The answer is probably no.

In fact people on average are getting far more protein then their bodies actually require, and that’s what’s causing us to develop so many problems, and diseases. Our bodies don’t store protein. The body takes what is needed and has to eliminate the rest through our urine. When our bodies contain too much protein the liver and kidneys become overworked and stressed during the elimination process, and this is a very bad thing considering that our liver and kidneys are our bodies major detoxifying organs. Consumption of animal proteins, particularly in excess have been linked to cancer, kidney problems such as kidney stones, gout, and osteoporosis (because all that excess protein is leaching the calcium out of our bones)

Our bodies only require about 5-6% of our total calorie intake to come from dietary protein. That’s enough to replace the protein we excrete throughout the day. The recommended daily allowance allotted to us by the government is about 9-10% and they say this to ensure that most people will at least consume that 5-6% So 5-6% is pretty low and certainly pretty easy to achieve day to day on any kind of diet, but how much protein are Americans actually consuming? The studies show that Americans are consuming between 11-21% protein, with an average of 15% which is higher then the government allowance, and much, much more then is required by our bodies. As stated above it’s this extreme excess of animal proteins (not to mention the high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat found in animal flesh, yet non-existent in plant foods) that are responsible for the skyrocketing numbers in cases of heart disease, cancer, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes that we’ve seen in this country.

As I bring this entry to an end I hope you’ve learned from this that for most people protein is a non-issue. If you are interested in going vegetarian or vegan and someone tries to discourage you with this age old myth continually perpetuated by the meat, dairy and egg industries then I hope you find yourself well defended with information. To veteran vegans and vegetarians I know it’s tiresome to have to explain this over and over to uninformed omnivores but please remember to keep the eye rolls to a minium. Instead treat them with compassion, and answer their questions honestly and with kindness. It’s not after all entirely their fault that they’re so misinformed. Lastly to omnivores, I hope you’ve learned something here, I hope you realize just how silly the ‘protein’ debate is and I hope it’s inspired you to at least marginally rethink where you get your protein from, and whether or not it’s truly the best source.

Lastly Every human on this planet needs to make sure that they’re getting proper, and adequate nutrition not only to live but to thrive. We really need to put an end to this idea that vegetarians are somehow malnourished while omnivores are thriving, because it’s simply not true, and the soaring rates of disease in this country are irrefutable proof of that.

As always, happy and healthy eating to you!

PS: The idea of complimentary proteins was first introduced in a book called "Diet for a Small Planet" written by Frances Moore Lappe and published in 1971. She popularized the idea that because some plant foods were higher in certain amino acids then others that we had to combine foods such as rice and beans in one meal to make a complete protein. Though she later revised her position in the 1991 edition of "Diet for a Small Planet" saying that it wasn’t necessary to combine proteins as long as we’re eating a variety of plant foods throughout the day, her revision was not widely publicized, and by then the damage was already done.

And finally if you are still concerned about protein for whatever reason here are some sources to consider.

From the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

As long as the diet contains a variety of grains, legumes, and vegetables, protein needs are easily met.
Diets that are rich in protein, especially animal protein, are known to cause people to excrete more calcium than normal through their urine and increase the risk of osteoporosis.

http://www.pcrm.org/health/Info_on_Veg_Diets/protein.html

From the American Institute for Cancer Research

Basing our diets on plant foods (like vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes such as beans), which contain fiber and other nutrients, can reduce our risk of cancer.
For cancer survivors
Choose predominantly plant-based diets rich in a variety of vegetables and fruits is recommended

By Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.

Summary: It is very easy for a vegan diet to meet the recommendations for protein, as long as calorie intake is adequate. Strict protein combining is not necessary; it is more important to eat a varied diet throughout the day.

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm