Hemp Seeds vs Flax Seeds – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing hemp seeds to flax seeds, we picked the flax.

Why?

Both are great, but quite differently so! In other words, they both have their advantages, but on balance, we prefer the flax’s advantages.

Part of this come from the way in which they are sold/consumed—hemp seeds must be hulled first, which means two things as a result:

• Flax seeds have much more fiber (about 8x more)
• Hemp seeds have more protein (about 2x more), proportionally, at least ← this is partly because they lost a bunch of weight by losing their fiber to the hulling, so the “per 100g” values of everything else go up, even though the amount per seed didn’t change

Since people’s diets are more commonly deficient in fiber than protein, and also since 8x is better than 2x, we consider this a win for flax.

Of course, many people enjoy hemp or flax specifically for the healthy fatty acids, so how do they stack up in that regard?

• Flax seeds have more omega-3s
• Hemp seeds have more omega-6s

This, for us, is a win for flax too, as the omega-3s are generally what we need more likely to be deficient in. Hemp enthusiasts, however, may argue that the internal balance of omega-3s to omega-6s is closer to an ideal ratio in hemp—but nutrition doesn’t exist in a vacuum, so we have to consider things “as part of a balanced diet” (because if one were trying to just live on hemp seeds, one would die), and most people’s diets are skewed far too far in favor or omega-6 compared to omega-3. So for most people, the higher levels of omega-3s are the more useful.

Want to learn more?

• What Matters Most For Your Heart
• What Omega-3 Fatty Acids Really Do For Us

Take care!