Keto and Hemp Hearts.....

     We had a wonderful time with our cousin, who's been visiting since Wednesday. Sadly, she heads out early tomorrow morning, so today's our last day to have fun together. We plan on going to our favorite crepe place, and I can actually have one of these because it has only 20 carbs, and the filling is optional. Not all are sweet, so I will get mine with mushrooms and cheese. After that, we plan to hike a beautiful space called Whatcom Falls, and I'm anxious for Traci to see it. We're going to bring our friend Aline from British Columbia along. She's visiting Birch Bay for the Canada Day celebration. We're so happy to see her. It's been a while. We did several activities while our cousin was here, including a visit to Stanley Park and the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.  We also drove up to Mount Baker, which is always a beautiful event. We had many really nice meals, particularly at our Indian food restaurant in Blaine. I still managed to make our smoothies several days this week but forgot a couple of times. As promised, I'm focusing on my smoothie ingredients.  This week, I'm discussing the nutrition in hemp hearts. Hemp hearts contain 0 grams of net carbs, 13 grams of healthy natural fats, and 10 grams of protein per serving, so they're an excellent fit for a keto diet. Over 70% of the calories come from fat, so they are an excellent keto choice.  Hemp hearts come from the Cannabis sativa L. plant. However, they contain less than 0.3% of the psychoactive compound THC.  Along with their nutty flavor, they have many nutritional benefits.  A serving of 1 tablespoon has almost 5 grams of fat, of which 1.4 grams are saturated, 1.6 grams are monounsaturated, and 11.4 grams are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Since hemp hearts are plant-based, they are also cholesterol-free.  A tablespoon contains nearly 3 grams of protein.  Generally, they are a great addition to my statin smoothie. Next week, I'll discuss moringa powder.  In the meantime, I need a nap, so until next week, enjoy your life.