Nuts, seeds and grains
Hemp seeds on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 31 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), hulled hemp hearts, for around 550 calories. Three tablespoons, about 30 g (1.1 oz), give roughly 9 g of protein for 165 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from hemp seeds alone you would need about 97 g (3.4 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How hemp seeds sits on a GLP-1
Hulled hemp seeds, sold as hemp hearts, are about 31 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), the highest of any seed, and they are soft. That is the property that matters on a GLP-1: they are tiny and tender and they need no chewing at all, so three tablespoons scattered over yoghurt, soup or porridge adds 9 g of protein with nothing to work through. They taste mildly nutty, like pine nuts, and they carry a useful amount of omega-3 fat.
When your appetite is small
Keep a jar in the fridge and put three tablespoons, about 30 g (1 oz), on anything soft that you are already eating. On a protein pot that is 25 g in total; on a mug of soup it is a 9 g lift with no change in volume. They are the easiest seed to get in on a bad day precisely because they disappear into the food.
Three ways to prepare it
Scattered over yoghurt, porridge or a smoothie bowl
The default. Three tablespoons on a bowl of anything soft, no toasting needed.
Blended into a smoothie
Three tablespoons into a milk or soy milk smoothie with protein powder. They blend to a creamy texture and add 9 g.
Stirred into a soup at the table
A spoon of hemp hearts stirred into hot soup softens further and thickens it slightly. Savoury, mild, and nothing to chew.
What to eat it with
Yoghurt, oats, soup, avocado, banana, protein powder. They are mild enough to go sweet or savoury and soft enough to disappear in either.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemp seeds | about 31 g | 550 kcal | this page |
| Pumpkin seeds | about 30 g | 560 kcal | See the page |
| Chia seeds | about 17 g | 490 kcal | See the page |
| Pea protein | about 75 g | 380 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, hulled hemp hearts, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Hemp seeds or hemp hearts in all three countries, meaning the hulled kernel. Whole hemp seeds in the shell are gritty and not the same product. Hemp foods have been legal to sell in Australia since 2017 and are in most supermarkets there; Manitoba Harvest is the common US and UK brand.
Questions people ask
Are hemp seeds a complete protein?
Hemp carries all the essential amino acids, though it is a little low in lysine, so it is close to complete. Three tablespoons, about 30 g (1 oz), give 9 g of protein for around 170 calories, and because the seeds are soft they are one of the easiest protein toppings to eat on a small appetite.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.