Hemp baby food

Can Babies Have Hemp Seeds? — Malina Malkani

Pediatric NutritionPicky EatingStarting SolidsPlant-Based DietNutrition for MomsBaby-Led Weaning

May 20

Written By Malina Malkani

There’s growing interest in hemp seeds as a dietary supplement because of their high nutritional value and functional food properties.

The whole family can reap the health benefits of nutritious foods, even our babies and children. And introducing a baby to a variety of healthy foods has an added advantage. When you expose your baby to various flavors while weaning, it may help reduce picky eating later on. And developing an interest in healthy foods helps set your child up for healthy lifelong habits.

But hemp seeds for babies? Are there hemp seed benefits? Are they safe? What about seed allergies?

Keep reading to find out what hemp seeds are, the possible benefits, safety concerns, and tips on feeding hemp seeds to babies.

What Are Hemp Seeds?

Hemp seeds are the fruit of the Cannabis sativa L. plant.

The most commonly known use of Cannabis is a medicinal or recreational substance. However, the hemp plant has many uses, and no part goes to waste. The plant makes paper, textiles, cosmetic products, essential oils, and pharmaceuticals. The seeds are the edible part of the plant.

Hemp seeds contain high-quality protein, and hemp food products are nutritious vegan protein options. The seeds can be processed to make:

Hemp hearts (the highly nutritious soft outer shell of the hemp seed).
Hemp seed oil (contains essential fatty acids and omega fatty acids needed for brain health).
Hemp flour (gluten-free and can be substituted in recipes for other gluten-free flour. And you get the added benefit of extra protein!)
Hemp milk (plant-based milk with fewer calories, protein, and carbohydrates than cow's milk but has about the same fat content. Maybe your baby has a milk allergy, or the family follows a vegan diet. In that case, it's essential to know what to look for in non-dairy milk before deciding which cow’s milk alternative is best for your family).
Hemp seed protein powder (which is a vegan protein powder and provides all the essential amino acids).

Hemp Seeds for Babies?

Hemp may not be the first thing you think of when looking for healthy first foods for babies. However, hemp seeds have many potential health benefits worth considering…on this plate of finger foods is a soft-cooked cauliflower floret and some soft, peeled, tender-cooked apple rolled in hemp seeds.

What Are the Benefits of Hemp Seeds for Babies ?

Not only can we eat hemp seeds, but they're loaded with nutrients including protein, fiber, healthy fats, carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals. They're also rich in natural antioxidants and have functional food properties.

Functional foods are foods that have additional potential health benefits beyond basic nutrition when you include them regularly in your diet. For example, berries contain antioxidants that reduce inflammation. And yogurt contains live active cultures and is a probiotic that helps maintain the “good” gut bacteria.

Hemp seeds contain powerful antioxidants that protect you from oxidative stress, inflammation, and the risk of chronic disease.

Hemp Seed Nutrition

Hemp seeds are one of the most nutritious seeds in the world. They’re high in quality protein, fiber, essential fatty acids (EFAs), and other polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including brain-boosting omega-3s.

Hemp Seed Nutrition

In 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds, you'll get:

According to the Dietary References Intakes, daily fiber requirements for babies 6 months to 1-years-old haven’t yet been established. However, young kids between 1 and 3 years old need about 19 g of fiber.

Hemp seeds contain 10–15% insoluble fiber, which helps keep things moving in your baby’s GI tract and prevents constipation.

If your family mainly eats a plant-based diet, hemp seeds can make a great addition to your pantry staples. This is because hemp has all the essential amino acids, so it's a complete protein. Additionally, hemp protein is less processed and easier to digest than many other plant proteins, including soy.

Naturally, the potential health benefits of hemp seeds have caught the attention of health-conscious parents. But can babies have hemp seeds?

Let’s look at what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says.

Are Hemp Seeds Safe For Babies ?

Most of the negative side effects of the Cannabis plant are related to the psychotropic effects.

But, the seeds from the Cannabis plant do not naturally contain THC or CBD and will not get your baby “high.” The FDA regulates functional foods in the United States. According to the FDA, hemp seeds are classified as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS).

The seeds can pick up trace amounts of THC and CBD during processing. But, hemp products, including seeds, must have less than 0.3% THC.

Can Babies Be Allergic to Hemp Seeds ?

Choking and severe allergic reactions are the most significant safety concerns when introducing new foods to infants. Peanuts, tree nuts, and now sesame seeds are some of the top food allergens.

Food allergies are on the rise. Hemp seeds are not a common food allergen, but recent research on adults found that hemp seeds have caused anaphylactic reactions.

As more and more people consume hemp products, we may see an increase in allergic reactions.

Allergy specialists now recommend feeding common food allergens to infants early to prevent food allergies. Like any new food, follow the same food introduction guidelines when you offer hemp seeds to your baby for the first time.

How to Give Hemp Seeds to Babies

Babies can start eating hemp seeds from about 6 months of age, once they’re ready to eat solids.

Hemp seeds have a mild nutty flavor that doesn't overpower other flavors in foods. They can be ground into meal or protein powder or eaten raw. The tiny pebble-sized seeds are larger than sesame or chia seeds but small enough that they're not a choking hazard for babies.

You can use hemp seeds instead of chia seeds in recipes (unless the chia seeds are used as a thickening agent). Seeds can be baked into bread or added to cereals for different textures. The different textures help your baby become more accepting of a greater variety of foods.

And seeds are a convenient shelf-stable food you can pack when you’re out.

By the way, did you know you can make your own hemp milk by combining hemp seeds and water?

Here are some additional ways to prepare hemp seeds for baby-led weaning:

Hemp Seeds & Baby-led Feeding

Roll avocado, banana or other slippery fruits in hemp seeds to give your baby a better grip
Once babies are 12 to 18 months old, use hemp hearts or seeds in cookies, pancakes, and sandwich recipes
Add to smoothies or sprinkle on yogurt for more texture
Add to snack bars like this baby-friendly apple bar for extra crunch (and nutrients!)

Some Final Words

Offering a wide array of foods to your baby puts them on the path to accepting new flavors and healthy foods, including vegetables!

I’m all for including a variety of plant-based proteins in a child’s diet. And an added benefit of eating hemp seeds is that they’re loaded with antioxidants and essential fatty acids.

If you’re getting ready to start your baby on solids, download my FREE Baby-Led Feeding Essential Checklist to make sure you have everything you need to get started. You might also want to check out my new online course for parents, based on my best-selling book which will walk you through the whole process of starting solids using a baby-led approach.

Alternatively, if your baby is almost ready to start solids and you’re looking for someone you trust to map out the entire first 12 weeks of your baby’s solid food feeding journey, check out my new Safe & Simple 12 Week Meal Plan! Over 30 recipes, weekly shopping lists, tons of balanced baby meals, a complete plan for top allergen introduction, & lots of guidance (with photos) on how to safely serve each food.

And if you're looking for personalized nutrition support for yourself, your babies and/or your kids, I am currently accepting new clients in my virtual private practice. Looking forward to meeting you online…

Hungry for more ? Check out the articles below!

family nutritionHealthyPlant-based

Malina Malkani

Can Babies Eat Hemp seeds

Hemp is a strain of the Cannabis sativa plant genus, which is cultivated especially for the industrial exploitation of its derived products like paper, textiles, rope, clothing, shoes, paint, biodegradable plastics, insulation, bio fuel, food and also animal feed. Hemp is one of the most rapidly growing plants, being used as fiber amongst the first plants, 50000 years ago. Industrial hemp and cannabis, the drug, derive from the same species and they both have the psychoactive component named tetrahydrocannabinol, but they have different and unique phytochemical compositions and uses. The reduction or the full elimination of the psychoactive effects in hemp is due to the fact that hemp has a lower concentration of THC and a much higher concentration of cannabidiol (CBD). The THC concentration values vary from country to country, depending on government regulations and laws.

Hemp seeds can be eaten in many forms: raw, sprouted, dried sprout powder, liquid or ground into hemp meal. If they are in their liquid form, their purpose is for baking beverages like hemp milk or tisanes. Hemp oil is another popular form of hemp and it is made by being cold-pressed from the seeds. Hemp oil is high in unsaturated fatty acids. The leaves of the hemp plant are usually eaten raw as ingredients in salads, or are pressed for making juices. The leaves are not as nutritional as the seeds are.

Hemp seeds are rich in calories, protein, magnesium, phosphorus, but they also contain fat, carbohydrates, calcium and iron.

Can Babies Eat Hemp Seeds?

Hemp seeds are an excellent source for protein, omega fatty acids, antioxidants for babies. You can give hemp seeds to your baby starting at the age of 7-8 months old, by sprinkling them on their food, or blending them into their purees or smoothies.

When Can Babies Drink Hemp Milk?

It is safe to give hemp milk to your baby starting at the age of 7 months. It is packed with beneficial nutrients for your baby, which cannot be found in formulas or in cow’s milk.

Hemp Banana Pancakes

Ingredients: 1 banana, 1 egg, 225g hemp seeds, 225g unflavored hemp powder, pinch of turmeric of cinnamon, 1 tbsp batter.

Mix the banana, hemp seeds, hemp powder and the spices together in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the egg, then mix well, until smooth. Heat oil in a medium sized pan, put 1 tbsp of batter in it. Cook the pancakes 2-3 minutes, than flip onto the other side, and cook for 2-3 minutes. You can add toppings loved by your family and sprinkle of hemp seeds over the pancakes.

FAQ

What are hemp seeds?

How healthy are hemp seeds?

Hemp seeds are rich in calories, protein, magnesium, phosphorus, but they also contain fat, carbohydrates, calcium and iron.

When can you start giving hemp seeds to your baby?

You can give hemp seeds to your baby starting at the age of 7-8 months old.

The risks of giving hemp seeds to your baby?

Giving hemp seeds to your baby does not represent any risks.

Hemp oil for children: what is useful, how much to take

July 16 2018

No matter how parents try to balance their children's diet, it is extremely difficult to do so. There is only one way out - to supplement the usual daily menu with foods high in vitamins and nutrients. One of these is hemp oil for children. It is important not to correlate this plant with something forbidden and illegal. Dietary hemp does not contain cannabinoids, the very substances that affect the nervous system.

But its composition - vitamins E, C, group B, as well as the important prohormone D, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron and zinc - allows you to compensate for deficiencies and contribute to the development of bone and muscle tissue. And this is extremely important for both babies and children during puberty. The product also contains phytosterols, flavonoids, protein, essential oils, tannins, fatty acids, chlorophyll and much more.

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Can children use hemp oil?

Like any other herbal product, hemp seed oil may be contraindicated in cases of individual intolerance. Otherwise, it is a useful natural component of the daily diet. Moreover, the minimum dosage is allowed from the age of six months (during the introduction of complementary foods). By the way, hemp oil will help relieve age-related colic in a child - it normalizes digestion and contributes to the balance of microflora in the intestines.

Reference: many young mothers are interested in the question of whether hemp oil can be breastfed, i. give the baby the opportunity to receive nutrients through breast milk, and not directly. Contraindications and mechanisms that would provoke a negative effect on lactation or the baby himself have not been identified. But the introduction should be carried out gradually, sensitively monitoring the reaction of one's own and children's organisms.

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Hemp oil: useful properties and usage scenarios

Hemp seed oil has a positive effect on the body not only when taken orally. When applied to the skin, it exhibits regenerating, revitalizing and antioxidant effects. The transdermal method of using hemp oil for a child also belongs to the unique properties. In simple terms, beneficial substances somehow penetrate the skin into the body. A side effect is a decrease in allergic rashes, follicular keratosis (“goose bumps”), as well as dryness and sensitivity of the skin. The oil can be used as an after-bath care or under a diaper.

Hemp oil for a child: how to use it

For a general strengthening effect, they are introduced into the diet of children in the following quantity: 6 drops for babies from 6 months, 1 teaspoon per year, 1 tbsp. spoon by the age of ten, etc. Reception should be carried out in the morning on an empty stomach.
The product can be added to vegetable purees and soups (already prepared), immediately before serving.
Chlorophyll, which prevents anemia and has anti-inflammatory properties, should be used with fiber, so hemp seed oil can be sprinkled on salads.

In rare cases, individual intolerance to the product is possible, so children should consult a pediatrician before using hemp oil.

Important: to preserve all the useful properties of the product, it is recommended to use it raw, without heat treatment.

The Oleynitsa online store team will be glad if you found answers to the question in this material - what is hemp oil used for. We are waiting for you for shopping every day, in the assortment there is a fresh cold-pressed product, the quality and benefits of which we guarantee 100%!

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Hemp baby food