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Intermittent Fasting and Cannabis
On the surface, it seems counterintuitive to combine cannabis with fasting. After all, cannabis is widely known for giving us the munchies.
by Peter Kershaw, contributing writer
In the past several years, intermittent fasting( IF) has become one of the hottest diet trends. But IF is hardly some new discovery. IF for medicinal purposes has been practiced for many centuries, including in Ayurvedic medicine. Going even further back in time, we can cite religious communities that have practiced intermittent fasting for spiritual purposes for millennia.
Practiced as a diet plan, IF is where one alternates periods of normal eating with periods of non-eating. Non-eating periods can last for several hours up to an entire day. Examples are numerous but may include:
● 18 / 6: Fasting 18 hours, eating 6 hours
● 16 / 8: Fasting 16 hours, eating 8 hours
● 12 / 12: Fasting 12 hours, eating 12 hours
● 5 / 2: Fasting two days / week( pausing 3 days between fast days).
● 6 / 1: Fasting one day per week.
Many Americans are already, to a certain extent, practicing intermittent fasting, albeit not always a healthy form of it. A quarter or more of Americans skip a nutritious breakfast in favor of just a wake-up coffee. They usually do so because they’ re not hungry before they need to rush off to work. Health experts have long asserted,“ Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” While this isn’ t necessarily true for everyone, 1 it’ s also not advice that should be dismissed. That’ s not to say, however, that we should force ourselves to eat when we’ re not hungry.
For those with busy office schedules, not to mention lengthy morning commutes, scheduling meal times can be far more challenging than for those who have the luxury of work-from-home jobs. Racing out of the house first thing in the morning without eating, only to find yourself hungry by the time you get to the office, you’ re far more likely to indulge in office donuts or other unhealthy snacks that spike blood sugar. That sugar rush turns into a sugar crash an hour later. That shouldn’ t be anyone’ s idea of a healthy diet, and it’ s certainly not intermittent fasting.
Scheduling intermittent fasting needs to work with and accommodate our day job, school, home life, family time, and social activities, all while maximizing the health benefits. As such, there is no one-size-fits-all IF schedule. It’ s been observed that the greatest benefits are achieved with one or more fasting periods of 16-24 hours per week. Fasting that long may, for some, prove unmanageable for the typical workday but feasible for weekends. The once-per-week schedule can also be continued indefinitely, whereas more rigorous schedules may not be safe to continue long-term.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
The leading reason intermittent fasting has gained so much popularity is that it stimulates weight loss. Each year, 45 million Americans spend over $ 33 billion on diet products. But IF is free! Better still, IF has many medically therapeutic benefits above and beyond weight loss:
● Assists in overcoming chronic disease
● Decreased insulin resistance
● Reduced levels of unhealthy blood fats
● Lower blood pressure
● Better control of inflammation
● Reduced risk of heart disease and cancer
● Increased longevity
● Improved cognitive function
● Improved metabolic health
● Rest and recharge the digestive system
Hydration is important all the time, but especially with intermittent fasting. For one thing, fasting can facilitate the release of accumulated toxins in the body. Drinking plenty of water helps flush toxins out. 75 % of Americans are chronically dehydrated, consuming only 2.5 cups of water( one water bottle) a day. 2 Soda pops and energy drinks are no substitute for water and cause far more harm than good. When we’ re dehydrated, our bodies can signal us with what we interpret as hunger pangs, when in reality, what we may need is hydration. This is easily demonstrated: next time you feel hunger pangs, drink a cup of water. If your hunger goes away and doesn’ t quickly return, you’ re not hungry; you’ re thirsty.
Cannabis and Intermittent Fasting
On the surface, it seems counterintuitive to combine cannabis with fasting. After all, cannabis is widely known for giving us the munchies. The endocannabinoid system( ECS) is the largest receptor system in the body. The ECS also has a great deal to do with
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20 May 2025