Yo, what’s up, it’s your boy Dan. If you’ve ever sparked up a blunt or took a hit from a bong, then you know what I’m talking about when I say the munchies. Suddenly, everything in the fridge looks like it’s a gourmet meal, and you just can’t resist grabbing a bag of chips or a box of cookies. But why does this happen? And why does food taste so much better when you’re high? Let’s break it down and figure out the mystery of the munchies.
First things first, let’s talk about taste. It’s one of our five senses – you know, hearing, seeing, smelling, touching, and tasting. When we eat something, it passes over our taste buds, and they send signals to our brain to let us know whether it’s sweet, sour, salty, bitter, or umami (which is like a savory flavor). But taste isn’t just about the physical taste buds – it’s also influenced by our experiences and what we’ve learned.
So how do we actually taste? When we eat something, it gets broken down by saliva and chewed up. Then it goes over these things called papillae on our tongue – those are the little bumps you feel when you stick your tongue out. Each papilla has taste cells that form taste buds which send messages to our brain about what we’re eating. Our taste buds pick up on the five basic tastes – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.
But wait, there’s more! Our sense of smell also plays a big role in how we perceive flavor. When we chew food, air rises through passages in the back of our throat and into our nasal cavity where receptors detect scents that make up those rich flavors we love so much. Our brain combines these scents with signals from our taste buds to create what we call “flavor.”
Believe it or not, taste receptors are all over our body – even lining our small intestine! When they detect sugar, they activate hormones that release extra insulin into our bloodstream. Crazy stuff!
So why does food taste better when you’re high? The answer lies in THC – the cannabinoid responsible for giving us that euphoric feeling we all know and love. Research shows that THC stimulates receptors in our brain that regulate emotion, pain, smell, and taste (specifically CB1). It can also stimulate the release of ghrelin – the hormone that makes us hungry.
But why does THC make food taste better? There are many different theories out there. Some say that THC increases our sensitivity to smell so that we pick up on those aromas more intensely. Others believe that dopamine – the chemical responsible for feelings of reward and pleasure – is released in higher amounts when we’re high which enhances the enjoyment of eating.
Now let’s talk about edibles. When you eat cannabis-infused food, the THC travels through your GI tract before being converted by your liver into something called 11-hydroxy-THC – which is even more psychoactive than regular THC. This means that not only do edibles have more calories than smoking or vaping (since you’re actually eating something), but they can also make you crave food for longer periods of time.
But don’t worry! There are ways to manage your munchies when you’re high. Try choosing low-calorie edibles like gummies instead of brownies or cookies. And remember to drink water and keep busy to distract yourself from snacking too much.
Some people have tried taking drugs like rimonabant to block the effects of THC on CB1 receptors and prevent the munchies – but this comes with serious consequences like depression and even suicide. It turns out that blocking endocannabinoid receptors is not as simple as scientists once thought.
However, there is hope! A cannabinoid called THCV has been shown to suppress appetite in rodents at certain doses. It’s found in strains like African landrace sativa plants but only in small concentrations – so developing strains high in THCV is not easy.
At the end of the day, cannabis can be a therapeutic appetite stimulant for people with medical conditions that affect their appetite. Just remember to snack responsibly! Keep lots of healthy options on hand and indulge in moderation.
Thanks for tuning in to my breakdown of why food tastes better when you’re high! Stay lit y’all!
