At the bookstore the other day, I happened to pick up a book called "The Thrive Diet: The Whole Food Way to Lose Weight, Reduce Stress, and Stay Healthy for Life
So, I got curious about Hemp because I'm always on the lookout for new protein sources. I'm particularly interested in hemp too because I'm staying away from soy as much as possible. Not all soy is healthy for you as you think and it can cause weight gain.
Normally, I drink organic rice milk, but thought it would be interesting to try out hemp milk. So, I bought some Organic Hemp Bliss in Original flavor to see what it would taste like. First, I put the box in the fridge overnight because I find that drinking any non-dairy milk is better when it is cold.
Honestly, the first sip of the hemp milk was not a pleasant one. I didn't gag, but hemp milk is definitely an acquired taste as it does taste very "grassy" and has a slightly thicker consistency than rice milk. Images of dancing hippies in granola fields came to mind. I know it's terrible, but that was my real initial reaction to the hemp milk.
If you mix some chocolate in, the cocoa helps to make the milk taste better, but it doesn't mask the grassy taste, so in essence it tastes like chocolate milk with some grass thrown in. Now, some people can dig that, but I'm not so easily won over. Using the hemp milk in a smoothie where you throw in a bunch of fruit, some agave nectar, and some nuts is alright.
On the upside, compared to rice milk per 1 cup serving, hemp milk does have more protein 5g versus 1g, and less carbs 7g versus 20g. However, hemp milk has more fat at 7g versus 2.5g. The calories are the same.
I'm still going to stick to rice milk as my primary milk source but, for the protein factor, I think it is worth finding ways to make the hemp milk work. So, off I go to experiment.
