From clothing to food, products derived from the cannabis plant are all over our health stores and high streets. Once just available in dispensaries, industrial hemp is now driving the mass adoption of CBD for sale— with oils, supplements, and even milks becoming increasingly available.
If you’ve come across hemp milk in your local supermarket (or online), you might be wondering whether it’s a healthy choice for you and your family. As both dairy alternatives and hemp-derived products grow in popularity, is it just a fad? Or is it a proven superfood?
In this blog post, we’ll be explaining everything you want to know about hemp milk for babies. From how it tastes to the best way to prepare it, read on to find out more.
What Is Hemp Milk?
Hemp milk is a dairy-free alternative to cow’s milk, derived from whole hemp seeds. The seeds come from an industrial variety of the cannabis sativa, specifically grown to make products (such as paper, textiles, animal feed, and biofuel). When the seeds blend with water, it creates a great dairy alternative thanks to its creamy consistency. Some recipes consist of purely seeds and water, while others may contain sweeteners.
What Does It Taste Like?
Because it’s derived from seeds, the milk has a slightly nutty flavor (sometimes described as ‘earthy’). It’s close to almond or other nut-based dairy alternatives in taste, which means that it has a stronger flavor than soy or rice.
As we mentioned above, some companies add flavorings or sweeteners to their products. Common additives include sugar, thickeners, and vanilla, which can soften the nutty taste and make it more palatable to those who want a more neutral flavor.
Why Is Hemp Milk Good for You?
The most critical thing to know is that hemp cannot make you high. The seeds contain only very tiny amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical which causes the psychoactive effects of marijuana. With little to no THC, there’s no need to worry about buying hemp milk for babies.
Nutritionally, it is incredibly beneficial. High in protein and healthy omega-rich fats, it’s one of the healthiest plant-based dairy alternatives. Although it’s lower in calories and protein than cow’s milk, it’s an excellent alternative if your baby is intolerant of dairy.
1 cup (0.24 liters) of hemp milk contains roughly 83 calories, 1.3g carbs, 4.7g protein, and 7.3g fat
Is Hemp Milk Good for Babies?
Once your baby is old enough not to need breastfeeding or formula, hemp milk is a healthy choice to promote their growth and development. Although cow’s milk is the traditional (and most popular) choice, research now suggests that as many as 7% of babies under the age of 1 are allergic or intolerant to the drink.
As it is higher in vitamins and nutrients than many other dairy-free alternatives, hemp milk for babies can be an excellent choice. Besides the protein, carbs, and fat we mentioned earlier, it is also rich in the essential vitamins A, E, D, and B12. These nutrients help contribute to your baby’s healthy development.
When Can Babies Drink It?
All babies are different, but it’s generally safe for babies to start drinking the solution from 7 months. You can use it as an alternative to dairy or formula, meaning any time you would typically give these to your infant, you can give them hemp milk instead.
Finding the Best Hemp Milk Ingredients
You can buy this dairy alternative from lots of health food stores. However, it’s not as prevalent as other diary alternatives, such as soy, almond, and coconut, so you might struggle to find it in your local supermarket. If you can’t find it in person, you can buy it online.
When buying hemp milk for babies, it’s best to choose pure solutions, which contain only water and seeds, with no excess sugar and sweeteners.
How Can You Make It?
The good news is that making your own formula is easy. All you need are the seeds (available from many health food stores) and water.
Unlike almonds, hemp seeds don’t need soaking before use, so the recipe doesn’t require any preparation. This ease of use makes it the perfect solution for busy parents!
Hemp Milk Recipe
To make approximately 1L of hemp milk for babies, combine:
-3 cups (0.71 liters) of water
-1 cup (0.24 liters) of hemp seeds
Mix these ingredients in your blender. Blend the mixture on your highest setting for around 1 minute or until the seeds appear as black specks. The liquid should have begun to froth on the surface.
Depending on your preference, you can strain the liquid through a sieve to filter out the blended seeds. If you’d prefer a little sweeter recipe, you can also add a couple of soaked dates to the mixture — but you may want to do this to a separate quantity if you’d like to keep your baby’s milk pure.
If you think hemp milk could be a healthy choice for your baby, we hope these tips have shown you how to prepare this superfood today!
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The products discussed on this page are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult with your child’s physician before making this or any other change to your child’s diet.
3 Comments
Great idea! I have no idea that hemp milk is actually good for babies. Thank you for sharing and for spreading awareness. I find this article very informative. Keep on posting!
I have seen hemp milk and I was not familiar with it. I did not tried to read the label because I don’t have any idea about it. Upon reading this article, I now have an idea about it. Good that it is okay for babies. Thank you for sharing!
This is an amazing blog. I enjoyed reading it. I will ask my pediatrician about this so I will have a second opinion. She surely knows about hemp for my baby. Thank you for posting this.