Nutrition is a key element of health. There’s a lot of wisdom behind the saying you are what you eat. If you don’t have enough nutrients, it will be difficult to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Most people wonder whether or not edibles can be a valid nutrition source. There’s no reason why edibles can’t be part of a healthy, well-rounded diet. All it requires is a basic understanding of nutrition.
Here are the basics of nutrition and how edibles fit into a nutritional diet.
Nutrition Basics
You’re probably familiar with things like the food pyramid. Or, depending on when you went to school, you might know the food plate. The recommended nutritional portions change every now and again, but the basics always remain the same. Your body needs lots of fruits and vegetables. You should be eating at least five portions of fruits and vegetables every day.
Ideally, these should be consumed raw or steamed. Cooking vegetables will destroy some of the nutrients. But cooked vegetables are better than no vegetables at all!
Aside from fruits and veggies, you need grains, protein, and water. Water is often an overlooked part of nutrition. Without water, it would be impossible to live. If it helps, keep a food diary of everything you eat in a day.
Effects of Edibles
Eating an edible is different from smoking. Your body processes food differently from smoke. It will take your body longer to process an edible than a joint.
An important compound in this effect is 11-Hydroxy-THC. This refers to the chemical compound that your body produces when you eat an edible. It’s actually not in the edible itself. Your body is always undergoing complex chemical processes.
When you eat anything, your body produces chemical compounds as a reaction. The speed at which this will happen depends on your metabolism.
If you have a very high metabolism, you will process foods faster. Exercise, a good diet, and hydration increase your metabolism.
It will take anywhere from half an hour to two hours for you to start to feel the effects of an edible. When you smoke, it generally only takes three to ten minutes.
It’s important to be aware of this so you can be prepared for the effects. You can still get the munchies from eating edibles, so you should eat regular food beforehand.
Types of Edibles
The nutritional contents of edibles vary quite a bit. Weed doesn’t have much nutritional benefit by itself. However, other products derived from the cannabis plant do.
Hemp proteins, oils, and seeds are full of nutrients. Add these to your edible recipe for a very earthy, natural edible. Hemp flour can be substituted for regular flour and hemp oil for butter or vegetable oil.
For a healthy edible, use healthy ingredients. If you pack a weed brownie with excessive amounts of sugar and butter, it’s not going to be healthy. But if you create a low-fat, low-sugar edible, it’s going to be a lot better for you.
Superfoods
Superfoods are great for your body. Superfoods refer to foods that have extremely high levels of nutrients or vitamins. Here is a list of some of the best superfoods. Incorporate these into your edibles to really make them nutrient-rich.
For example, you could add some pomegranates to your brownies. Or you could make an avocado smoothie with some CBD oil.
Find what superfood you like best. There’s definitely a way that you could add it into an edible recipe. Experiment with different recipes to see what tastes good.
Balanced Diet
Anything in excess isn’t good for you. You probably shouldn’t be eating edibles every day. Changing up your diet is good for your metabolism. It exposes your body to various nutrients and keeps your body working. Try to cook something new and different every week.
Eating a variety of foods is good for your mental health, too. Learning new things is great for your brain and keeps your mind sharp. Take a chance and cook something you’ve never even eaten before. You’ll be surprised by what you like.
Conclusion
Edibles are easy to incorporate into your nutritious diet. All you have to do is eat well.
