We’ve all been there. You just smoked and now you have an intense feeling of hunger. You find yourself standing in front of the fridge wide open, grabbing everything in the pantry, or you just created the weirdest concotion with whatever you found. This super common feeling is called “the munchies”.
That bag of chips, twizzlers, pizza with queso cheese, or random snack you created all on your own has never tasted better than it does right now. Why is that?
Well, did you know there is actually a reason as to why food tastes better when your high?
Food has never tasted better
Science has confirmed that ” the munchies” are actually a real thing. Futhermore, anecdotal evidence has supported this for as long as cannabis has been used. Cannabis is known to be and accepted as an appetite stimulant. Recently, science has uncovered the why behind it. CB1 receptors enhance the sense of smell. Due to the fact that our human taste and smell are linked together, a heightened sense of smell then intensifies how satisfying food tastes, causing us to eat more.
Which is great news because now there is no judgment in eating all the things after you just smoked.
Food might taste better when you’re high for a few different reasons, let’s check it out.
THC stimulates euphoria
We’ve talked a lot about the endocannabinoid system (ECS) around here and we know that our ECS plays a big role. One of the main reasons food tastes better when we are high is because our ECS allows us to feel that happy “high” when we consume THC. THC is the major pyschoactive cannabinoid is cannabis. Therefore, THC’s interaction with our CB1 receptors in the brain is the reasoning behind the munchies. Usually, THC impacts the brain by stimulating the chemical, dopamine, which leads to that euphoria and pleasure sensation. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this definitley applies to eating when high.
Cannabis makes you hungry
Many users have reported that smoking weed actually helps stimulate their appetites. THC plays a role in the production of the ghrelin hormone. Ghrelin acts on the appetite centers in our brains to stimulate hunger. We receive satisfaction from eating and the hungrier we feel, the more satisfaction we get. This shows when we are eating high and feel more of a satisfaction/reward than we eat at other times.
One study examined data in thousands of counties across the US and discovered that adult-use legalization may be associated with an increase in sales of junk food which includes chips, ice cream and cookies (WeedMaps).
Fun fact: Did you know “at the height of the HIV/AIDs crisis, a hospital volunteer known as Brownie Mary distributed cannabis-infused brownies to patients? Mary baked up to 600 infused brownies per day in the early 1980s which helped patients eat successfully and keep food down that they otherwise could not. Fortunately, the effect weed has on hunger is not only enjoyable but has important therapeutic implications” (WeedMaps).
All that and a bag of chips
We all know the feeling, some of us more than others. The munchies can literally become a high just on it’s own. Life is good, no complaints. Just you and your snacks on the couch straight chillin. Now that you know the reasoning behind the munchies and why food tastes better, you can actually have your cake and eat it too. Enjoy that bag of chips, pickle juice & pbj sandwhich, or use a licorice as a straw in your soda. No judgement here, live it up.
Think about it: What is the most random thing you have ate or paired together when eating high?
