The mid-19th century marked the onset of industrialization, a period that dramatically altered how humans lived, worked, and consumed food. This shift was epitomized by Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s famous 1826 quote, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” During this era, food production underwent a transformation that brought about food security for the first time in human history. However, this achievement came at a significant cost: the loss of traditional knowledge about the health benefits of certain plants, particularly hemp.
Hemp, a nutrient-rich and historically significant food source, began to disappear from diets as industrialization took hold. This decline was further accelerated by its false association with the demonized drug marijuana. Yet, the health benefits of hemp’s bioactive components—such as omega-3 fatty acids, gamma-linolenic acid, and conjugated linoleic acid—were well-known to our ancestors. These nutrients, found in hemp seeds and hemp seed oil, were integral to ancient diets. They were commonly consumed in bread made from hemp flour or as a direct energy snack.
Evelina Felisatti from Italy, who has collected many historic uses of hemp food for her hemp museum in Croveo, recalls, “It was only allowed for the elder fieldworkers to eat the hemp nuts, as they were the main workforce and needed the energy. The children were punished if caught eating these healthy power seeds.”
As hemp and other labor-intensive crops disappeared, the nutrient content of our food system began to deteriorate. The intensification of crop production, aimed at making harvests easier with machinery, started depleting soils. The nutrients taken from the soil could no longer be replenished through traditional methods like animal manure, crop rotation, and natural rehabilitation. Fertilizers were introduced to compensate for this deficiency, leading to enhanced crop growth and the notion of perpetual agricultural expansion. However, the use of herbicides and pesticides to eliminate unwanted weeds further degraded soil health, ultimately diminishing the nutrients in our food.
At the same time, the centralization of life in urban areas led to a growing disconnect between people and the origins of their food. Many city dwellers became alienated from nature and lost touch with how their food was produced. This disconnection is partly reflected in the high percentage of people who rely on food supplements, without questioning why the food on their plates no longer provides all the essential nutrients needed for health and resilience. Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach’s 1863 assertion, “Man is what he eats,” echoes Brillat-Savarin’s sentiment, underscoring the dramatic changes in the food system of that time.
To address this, we can turn to the byproducts of hemp seeds, which are excellent sources of protein and energy. Hemp seeds contain 20-25% protein, 20-30% carbohydrates (mostly as fiber), and 25-35% oil. Rethinking how we nourish our bodies, not just to fill our stomachs but to restore our inner strength and resilience, is crucial. Hemp seed oil, with its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (approximately 80%) and a favorable ratio of 3:1 linoleic acid to alpha-linolenic acid, is naturally suited for human consumption. After nearly 90 years of hemp being banned from our plates, it’s time to return to honest food production and move away from lab-derived substitutes that merely patch up a hollowed food system.
On a Personal Note:
I had never been vegetarian until I started traveling extensively in my car, which became my home on four wheels for up to five months at a time. Space and energy constraints meant I couldn’t have a fridge or cooler, forcing me to change my diet. After some time, I realized that hemp seeds and protein had become game-changers for me—easy to store without refrigeration, while providing a healthy diet and energy. I was surprised at how easily hemp replaced meat, even though I was already a conscious consumer. A recent position paper on “Hemp in Livestock Feed” by the Federation of International Hemp Organizations (FIHO) provides valuable scientific insights into hemp as food for animals, which can also be applied to human diets.
As a Climate Impact Storyteller, Maren Krings leverages her expertise in photography, filmmaking, content writing, and keynote speaking to highlight the potential of hemp for climate resilience and social justice. She holds a B.F.A. in Photography from the Savannah College of Art & Design, a degree in Climate Change Studies and Environmental Science from the University of Exeter, and multiple certifications in related fields.
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