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Why does food taste better high?

Most cannabis users can relate to feeling genuinely hungry after using cannabis or during a cannabis high. You know what we mean; That craving to eat every snack in the fridge or to whip up a cucumber and peanut butter sandwich in a split second. This common craving among cannabis users is known as “munchies.”

Many cannabis users will agree that one of the best feelings about smoking weed is the great satisfaction that comes from eating a bag of chips. Not surprisingly, there are scientific arguments as to why food tastes much better when high.

In this article, we will examine both the anecdotal and scientific evidence surrounding binge eating. Read on to find out more!

Why Does Cannabis Taste So Much Better?

The existence of food cravings has been supported not only by science but also by anecdotal evidence. For as long as cannabis has been consumed, users have experienced cravings. For this reason, cannabis is recognized by researchers primarily as an appetite stimulant. However, science has only recently been able to prove the theory behind it.

Food tastes better when high for many reasons, some of which include;

THC promotes euphoria

One of the key reasons food tastes better when you’re high is because of the body’s sophisticated endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS stimulates a pleasurable, psychoactive “high” when THC is consumed. THC, the psychoactive compound found in weed, interacts with the brain’s CB1 receptors, leading to binge eating.

THC naturally affects the brain by stimulating dopamine production (the feel-good compound). Dopamine flooding the brain leads to feelings of over-the-top pleasure and mind-altering euphoria while simultaneously breaking down inhibitions. Meanwhile, existing anecdotal evidence suggests that similar sentiments apply to the heightened feeling of eating high.

People who have smoked weed and gone into town with a plate of food or an ice cream box can attest to this heightened feeling

Weed increases hunger

Throughout history, people have found that smoking cannabis helps increase their appetite. At the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, a hospital volunteer popularly known as Brownie Mary shared cannabis-infused brownies with hospitalized HIV/AIDS patients.

Mary Jane Rathbun, known by the nickname Brownie Mary, was a volunteer at San Francisco General Hospital at the height of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. She offered patients terminally ill men cannabis-infused confections, which helped patients eat more than they normally could.

Brownie Mary reportedly baked more than 600 cannabis-infused confections each day by relying on weed donations from local cannabis farmers. She paid for sugar, flour, chocolate, and butter with her monthly checks. Luckily, cannabis’s effect on hunger not only increases appetite, but also has vital medicinal properties.

Two decades after Brownie Mary’s heroic performance at a time when cannabis was thought to have no medicinal value, it turns out it did. Meanwhile, cannabis has proven to be a miracle cure for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, anxiety, chronic pain, and so on. However, it was cannabis’ unique ability to stimulate appetite that first caused people to reconsider the “war on cannabis”.

THC plays an important role in the production of ghrelin. Ghrelin is a hormone that acts on the appetite center in the brain to facilitate hunger. And the hungrier we are, the happier we eat, according to science.

THC enhances the smell and taste of food

Giovanni Marsicano led a research study at Université de Bordeaux in 2014 to determine if weed could improve the taste and smell of food. The results and conclusions of the experimenting neuroscientists were positive. They discovered that cannabis interacts with the CB1 receptors in the brain and enhances the sense of smell.

Since the human sense of smell and taste are closely linked, an enhanced sense of smell rightly increases the enjoyment of tasty food. Hence the craving for smoking a joint.

To test the hypothesis, the team of neuroscientists observed mice fed wine, bananas and almond oil. The study found that mice exposed to THC ate more than those that weren’t. Also, mice exposed to THC spent more time sniffing the oils and didn’t adapt as quickly as those unexposed to THC. This means that during a period when smell perception is sensitized and heightened, you are likely to eat less. However, they are also more likely to enjoy the aromas, texture, and taste of foods

THC may not prompt you to eat more vegetables

While food cravings are increased after smoking a joint, you may not be inclined to eat more vegetables. So the question remains, why do we tend to seek out sugary snacks and junk when we’re high? Well, a recent study published in the journal Neuropharmacology answers that question. The study also supports the scientific rationale for food cravings. The study proves that THC increases the pleasure we get from eating sugary, delicious, and high-calorie foods, but has little or no effect on the foods we already hate. This was the conclusion reached by a team of scientists from the University of Cagliari, Italy.

Simply put, smoking weed is unlikely to increase your love for foods or vegetables that you don’t already love.

Smoking a joint could certainly prompt you to tap into your inner chef and create a concoction out of every ingredient in your kitchen. However, sometimes stoners just hit their snack stack after getting high. A research study evaluated data from hundreds of counties across the United States and discovered that the legalization of recreational cannabis may be associated with increased sales of junk food, such as cookies, chips, and ice cream.

Conclusion

Anyone who has smoked a joint and experienced cravings can attest to the craving. Eating at such a time can become another high of its own. With the science to support this feeling, you now understand why you experience cravings. Now you can enjoy that bag of chips, ice cream, and PB&P to the fullest with the scientific understanding of why food tastes better when you’re high.

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