CBD has proven itself to quite a beneficial supplement in both humans and animals. For now, let us focus on its uses to us and how we can optimize its effectiveness. One of the first questions asked when it comes to CBD (and CBD oil in particular) is if it is safe to be mixed into our food. Well, the short answer is yes. The long answer is – strap down and sit tight as we need to go through every critical aspect of CBD oil.
Types of CBD Oil
Before we head onto mixing CBD into our food, first we must distinguish the different types that we can use. Understanding each will give you a better understanding of how each class can be used appropriately.
Unrefined CBD Oil – CBD oil that is less refined are typically distinguishable by their bitter flavor. Because of its naturally bitter taste, this type of CBD oil is best used in creating sweet pastries such as chocolate cakes and brownies as the sweetness can balance out unrefined CBD oil’s bitterness.
Refined CBD Oil – This type has a significantly less bitter taste and can be mixed into almost any food you wish. Versatility is the main advantage of refined CBD oil and is your best bet if you want to use this compound as a primary ingredient in your meals.
Tips When Cooking with CBD Oil
If you are looking to use CBD oil as cooking oil, then know that there are some important limitations that you will encounter here. Yes, you can use CBD oil for cooking, but you must not place on top of a high heat frying pan. The intense heat can break down the CBD oil’s inherent health benefits which pretty much eliminates the reason for using it.
Keep the stove on its lowest setting and only mix in the CBD oil once the other ingredients are already warm. With that, you can make sure that the benefits of CBD are intact once your food is ready to serve. Now that you have an understanding of the basics of CBD oil, please feel free to learn more from this CBD blog by continuing down below.
Benefits of Taking CBD with Food
Mixing in CBD with certain food groups can significantly boost its overall effectiveness. CBD, when mixed in with other nutrients, improves the bioavailability of the compound. The better the bioavailability of a supplement, the faster its benefits will be experienced.
CBD oil when taken orally on its own and will go through our body’s digestive system. It is not until reaching our liver when CBD is finally converted into its base form. Once our liver absorbs the CBD compound, our body will start producing enzymes called cytochrome which will metabolize all the compounds collected in the liver. Once the enzyme is done, the liver will then distribute the compounds to our circulatory system.
As you might have guessed, the long process which leaves the CBD compound into a hundred different metabolites will significantly affect its potency. That collection of over a hundred metabolites won’t all be used by our body, unfortunately. Most of it will be excreted by our body, which means its bioavailability is significantly reduced.
One way to speed up the process of bioavailability is by combining CBD oil with particular foods; you can effectively bypass certain parts in the metabolism process. As you can see, taking CBD oil directly is not always the best method to gain the many benefits that it can offer. If you wish to maximize the benefits, mix in CBD oil with your food instead.
What are the Best Foods to Eat with CBD Oil?
Now, to maximize the effects of CBD oil when taking orally, there are several foods that you can use in conjunction with said compound. Generally, foods that contain fatty acids are best combined with CBD oil. Also, you can take foods that have medium to long-chain triglycerides as an alternative.
The reason for CBD oil and fatty acids being so perfect for each other is due to fatty acid’s ability to be a binding agent. This helps the CBD oil circumvent the first stage of the metabolism process by taking the fatty acid and CBD combination and burning it to provide your body with energy. As the fat/CBD oil combo is consumed, the body will immediately absorb the CBD oil as well.
Combining CBD oil with food with high levels of healthy fat will improve the CBD oil’s bioavailability by a large margin compared to taking a spoonful CBD oil on its own. Here are other examples of foods known to have high healthy fat content:
- Coconut
- Meat
- Eggs
- Avocados
- Olives
- Soybeans
- Fish
Is Taking CBD Oil with an Empty Stomach Safe?
This is a question that often has misinformed answer attached to it. When it comes to taking CBD oil, it is always best to take it with food or after eating. Taking CBD oil on an empty stomach is more of a detriment rather than a benefit.
As we have stated earlier, CBD oil on its own won’t deliver the best results in terms of its potential health benefits. Taking CBD oil with an empty stomach will cause you to lose much of the benefits the compound can deliver when it is broken down in the liver. In other words, taking CBD oil when hungry means its bioavailability level will be at its lowest.
Final Thoughts
Know it is perfectly safe to put CBD in your meals. However, to maximize its effectiveness, you must understand how to use it effectively and know which food groups can enhance CBD’s bioavailability. The good news is that food groups with high healthy fat content are the best way to go – yes, that includes doughnuts, as well! Great news, right? That said, you should always track your food intake and always take an hour a day to exercise. Combine all that, and you are effectively building quite a healthy lifestyle indeed.
