Why Include Cannabis Into Your Diet – SF Weekly

A recent bill to
legalize CBD and other non-psychoactive ingredients of the cannabis plant for
the use in food and dietary supplements introduced in the US Senate is just one
of a landslide of initiatives that have put the hitherto demonized marijuana
and its harmless cousin, hemp, into the mainstream.

The bill also highlights
the fact that more and more US citizens and in fact people around the world
make the plant a part of their diet. Let us briefly survey the various ways in
which this natural medicine and wellness product can help you achieve and
maintain a healthy body mass and contribute to your general well-being.

Blood
Sugar, Body Mass, and Waist Circumference

Let’s start with the
effects of the psychoactive form of medical marijuana—the one that is full of
THC, produces the so-called ‘high’ in users, and more often than not is
consumed by smoking.

Though a persistent
stereotype pictures pot smokers as lazy couch-potatoes constantly stuffing
their face with junk food, epidemiologic studies have found that marijuana
users have lower prevalence of obesity and diabetes than the general
population. Probably there is a link between the regular recreational use of
the substance and peripheral metabolic processes. A large-scale survey of 4657
adult men and women has found that “marijuana use was associated with lower
levels of fasting insulin and HOMA-IR, and smaller waist circumference”.

But before you decide
that a visit to your local dispensary is the best way to treat or prevent
diabetes and overweight, check out the study that suggests there is a double
risk of a life-threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, for
marijuana smokers with type 1 (not type 2) diabetes.

Eating
Raw Hemp Leaves

Hemp is probably the
fastest growing plant of the temperate zone and quickly produces a lot of
foliage that can be eaten raw. The reason to do this is that hemp leaves
contain some of the essential minerals (magnesium, iron), vitamins (C & K),
as well as lots of fiber and protein.

You can add raw hemp
leaves to salads or make smoothies out of them. The question is where to get
fresh hemp leaves?

You may well find that
all the ditch weed in your area has long been eradicated and both cannabis and
hemp are in fact an endangered species. Luckily, there are companies, such as FastBuds,
that sell cannabis seeds online and ship them worldwide. And since you don’t
need a high-THC variety to receive health benefits from eating your plants raw,
you can purchase a strain that is rich in CBD and, arguably, get even more
perks from consuming it.

CBD
as Dietary Supplement

For those who missed all
the buzz, CBD, or cannabidiol, is just one of several dozens of chemical
compounds produced by both hemp and marijuana varieties of the cannabis plant. In recent years, this
substance has become hugely popular, especially in the United States. The
reason is that in contrast to many other cannabis-specific chemicals,
cannabinoids, CBD does not produce any mind-altering or mood-enhancing effects.

At the same time, CBD
binds to receptors of the so-called endocannabinoid system in the human body
and thus is capable of exerting various effects on your health and well-being.
In particular, CBD acts on type II cannabinoid receptors (CB2) which are found
throughout the body but are most numerous in the gut.

Studies have shown that
cannabidiol can reduce pain and inflammation in patients with arthritis and
multiple sclerosis, reduce anxiety and depression, treat insomnia and other
sleep disorders (mostly by gently calming the patient).

Since the substance is
not psychoactive, well-tolerated, and has no significant side effects, people
use it for a large variety of other conditions and symptoms, such as heart
diseases, cancer, drug addiction—the list goes on and one. CBD is also a
popular wellness-enhancer.

Recently, this compound
has been extensively studied, and there is even one FDA-approved medicine,
Epidiolex, which is basically a CBD oil.

CBD is unregulated in
the US and is sold in the form of oils, tinctures, capsules, drops, etc. It is
also added to balms, creams, and other skin-care products and cosmetics. One
study found that CBD can reduce the activity of sebaceous gland cells and thus
can prevent or treat acne if applied topically.

Hemp
Seeds, a Superfood

And don’t forget about
hemp seeds, also known as hemp hearts. They have been consumed by humans for
thousands of years. Hemp seeds are incredibly nutritious and have a chemical
composition that seems perfectly tailored to exactly what our organisms need in
terms of proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.

Gluten-free and
lectin-free, these seeds can be a part of any healthy diet and help you prevent
or treat a wide spectrum of diseases—from skin conditions to heart problems to
digestive disorders.

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