Interview: Healthy Hemp Bread from French Meadow Bakery

Steve Diaz: I'm speaking to Lynn Gordon, President of French Meadow Bakery. And today I'm asking about Healthy Hemp Bread. How long have you offered that product?

Gordon: It has been off and on since the year 2000. But there were periods of time where the stores removed the healthy hemp bread from the shelves because of the DEA and the lawsuit [about hemp seeds] that was impending in California in the 9th Circuit district court, which you're probably familiar with. And so we were back and forth, back and forth. There was a period of time where they removed it from the shelves. But it became legal, and we won our court battle. I think my quote on the cover of the LA Times was "It's a mighty day for those of us who believe in the wonderful hemp seed." After that, all the stores began selling it again, and now we're in all stores both refrigerated and frozen.

Steve: So what's the attraction of the product? Is it the nutritional aspect?

Gordon: Oh, yes. The nutrition in hemp is profound. You know, they have all of the amino acids, all of the essential amino acids; they are high in protein, fiber and omega-3 essential fatty acids. It's very, very nutritious. It's good for your heart and for healthy skin, too.

The bread has 8 grams of protein per slice, 6 grams of fiber, it's sprouted and it's high in vitamin B6. Hemp is grown without pesticides, and our bread in particular has no yeast, no sweetener. So it's a superfood. One meal in a slice of bread. It was based after the book that Barry Sears wrote on the Zone diet.

Barry Sears says it's the only bread that's 40-30-30 zone. Zone perfect. So it's the only zone bread, as far as Barry Sears is concerned. Franklin Harris, the football legend, eats Healthy Hemp Bread every day, two slices with peanut butter, and we've become friends because of that. Isn't that something?

Steve: Yes.

Gordon: He contacted us, saw us at a show and won't stop eating the bread. And he said every day, he's totally satisfied, and also, the mayor of Minneapolis, who is a triathlete, lives on the hemp bread. I'm doing an interview with Steven, who is an acupuncturist and an MD. And he has a well-known book, The Starch Blocker Diet. And Steven, do you eat the hemp bread? Do you eat it in Hawaii, do you buy it? You love it, yeah. Is there a reason why you love it?

Steven: The roughage and the fiber is super. You really need that fiber. You know one of the problems with wheat is we see too much wheat in our diets. I try to get any other fibers that I can, and get my patients on them as well -- I love the flax fiber and the hemp fiber. The bread is also high in omega-3 fatty acids. I mean, I could go on and on.

Steve: So the name of your book again?

Steven: It's called "The Starch Blocker Diet."

Gordon: And then this is George Green. George is a book publisher, and he eats my bread. So I thought it would be fun to find out why.

Green: I like the Men's Bread.

Steve: What about the bread appeals to you, is it the nutrition?

Green: Well, the way I look at it is, it doesn't have any of the other junk you normally get. I feel that all the foods right now that people are getting in the stores, the general stores, they're all so loaded with preservatives that people can't even digest them. This bread is at the point where you don't have to worry about it. Your body can't digest most of the food that you buy right now. This you can digest without having to have supplements.

Steve: George, thank you so much for talking.

Green: Appreciate it.

Steve: Thanks to Lynn Gordon of French Meadow Bakery and everyone who chimed in for talking with us.

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