We hear it often, 5mls of cannabis oil per dose, three to five times a day. Why are some patients requiring higher oral doses of cannabis consumption than others? It is more than just tolerance levels that affect your cannabis tolerance. In many patient cases at Canada House we have found a significant deficit with patient nutrition. Patient is not eating, or they are eating but all harmful foods. Nutrition plays a significant role in our memory, mood, pain, and the healing process. It also plays an important role in our endocannabinoid system, the system that cannabis regulates.
Endocannabinoids vs. Phytocannabinoids
Endocannabinoids are naturally produced by the body to activate specific cannabinoid receptors to achieve and maintain homeostasis. Phytocannabinoids (Phyto- meaning plant), are externally provided by plants and activate or regulate specific cannabinoid receptors.
Our endocannabinoid system decreases its efficiency over time. Stress, poor nutrition, illness, and disease all affect our bodies natural processes. Instead of your body utilizing its own energy to produce more endocannabinoids, phyto-cannabinoids – like cannabis – can take over their role and efficiently correct your bodies imbalances. Evidence shows that some people’s endocannabinoid systems are not functioning at optimal levels. This can be addressed by utilizing supplemental cannabinoids from the cannabis plant.
Beyond utilizing cannabis, you can utilize certain foods and diet practices to help assist the endocannabinoid system to function properly. This has a strong potential to help enhance the effectiveness of your cannabis.
Standard American Diet (SAD)
Let us take a moment to reflect on the Standard American Diet. It is high in processed foods, snacking, fast food, refined grains, high in sugar/carbs/saturated fats, and high levels of pesticides. Not the most ideal diet. About three-quarters of the North American population is following this food plan. This diet creates heightened oxidative stress, in turn creates both psychological and physical discomforts. There is no wonder why we are seeing increases in illness and disease.
So why utilize Nutrition?
Food is a very easy way to enhance your ECS because everyone eats!
Food is associated with your mood, behavior, and cognition. It contributes a large role in modulating our immune system. Psychological stress alters your nutrient absorption and directly influences brain development. There is no doubt diet impacts the cells of our body, it is where the change needs to initiate first. Change needs to happen to your diet prior to or during cannabis therapy introduction. We can help potentiate the action of cannabis ourselves by making some simple changes to our eating habits.
Top 7 ways to heighten your Endocannabinoid System Efficiency.
Anti-Inflammatory Diet
Inflammation contributes to most pains, induces swelling which can potentially press on nerves to create more pain. The anti-inflammatory diet is just as it sounds and was founded on scientific knowledge. The diet is as follows.
- No processed foods
- Increase foods rich in monosaturated fats (olive oil, almonds and avocado).
- Eat foods high in Omega-3 fat
- Include flavonoid rich foods; vegetables, nuts, beans and lentils, cocoa, tea, and red wine
- Add more carotenoids (fruits and vegetables yellow, orange and red in colour)
- Include nuts and seeds
- Choose low glycemic carbohydrates
- Increase fiber
- Focus on vegetables in the beginning over fruit
- Flavor with herbs and spices.
- Take Vitamin D
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Hemp seeds – high in proteins.
Introduce Healthy Fat and Remove Bad Fat
Both cannabis and the terpenes are lipophilic, meaning they love fats. From the late 20th century to present date we have experienced what we call the “fat scare”. Saturated fats = heart disease, but there are still healthy fats out there and we need them. Cannabis effectiveness increases with fat, some Licensed Producers are already helping you by selecting carrier oils such as; avocado oil, coconut oil, grape seed oil, olive oil, etc. If you are not already implementing some healthy fats into your diet, you can easily do this by adding your cannabis into granola bars, guacamole, ice cream, yogurt, fish, etc.
Increase Omega-3 and Omega-6 Oils
Both Omega-3 and -6 are responsible for electrical functioning within the brain/nervous system and assist with upregulation of CB1 and CB2. Most of the population is lacking Omega-3 in their diet, this can be easily obtained through fish oils. Those with fish allergies are particularly affected by this. Omega-3 can be easily obtained through other items such as flax and hemp seeds. Taking appropriate amounts of Omega-3 and Omega-6 on regular basis, this could decrease the amount of cannabis intake a patient requires for symptom relief lowering tolerance levels.
Increase Flavonoid Intake
Did you know that flavonoids account for 10% of the cannabis plant? We call them cannaflavins. Cannaflavin A and B, so far, have been identified in cannabis. Both odour and flavour are possible in cannabis due to synergistic qualities that terpenes and flavonoids share. Flavonoids are found in all fruit and vegetables, the more colourful the food the richer in flavonoids. Functions of flavonoids in the body are regulation of cellular activity and antioxidant properties. There is a current theory that external flavonoids and cannaflavins potentiate the ECS, but this is still under studied.
Foods high in flavonoids.
- Vegetables (yellow, red, orange in color)
- Red wine
- Teas
- Fruits
- Legumes (beans, lentils, peas)
Decrease Processed Food Intake
Processed foods are foods that have been chemically made from refined ingredients and artificial substances. They contain high sugar, sodium, fats and are low in nutrients and fiber and promote chronic pain. Health issues from this diet arise quickly, patients can experience obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Avoid processed meats, sodas, quick meals that have been jarred or require a microwave to cook. Make as much homemade meals as you can, even commercially baked goods can be harmful they contain high levels of trans fats, linked to cognitive disorders, cancer and infertility.
Decrease Pesticides
Minimize foods high in pesticides. Increasing your pesticide intake can inhibit the enzyme FAAH. FAAH is an enzyme within the endocannabinoid system, it is required for the breakdown of Anandamide. Although, inhibiting FAAH can have a positive effect of many compounds, pesticides wield too strong inhibition. Organic can be a pricy diet to switch to, so what I have recommended in the past was purchasing the top 5 items on the “Dirty Dozen” list specifically as organic. Organic produce has been shown to contain about 69% higher antioxidants than non-organic produce.
https://www.eatthis.com/foods-most-pesticides/
Improve Gastrointestinal system.
It is important during your cannabis therapy to maintain gut health – good gut health = better nutrient absorption. If you correct your gut it could improve absorption of your edible cannabis including oils and capsules. In May 2020 14% of total cannabis sales in Canada were cannabis extracts and 13% were cannabis edibles, these numbers are expected to rise. Most of Canada House patients are utilizing an oral consumption of cannabis in one way or another. Prebiotics and Probiotics can be easily found in most health food stores. Avoid yogurts for your daily dose of biotics, they generally contain sugars which bacteria love to feed off. Always check your nutrition labels for content. Nearly everyone enjoys chocolate, cocoa with a value above 70% can assist healthy gut function. Gluten-free and Whey-free are becoming a popular and desired diet since they prevent bloating, stool inconsistencies and possible intestinal inflammation or a “leaky gut”.
Decrease Sugar Intake
The desire for cannabis edibles is growing, but what is one of the main ingredients besides cannabis? Sugar! Sugar causes inflammation and feeds cancer cells. Sugar is addictive and can contribute to mood fluctuations. Decrease your sugar intake, if you are selecting an edible select the dark chocolate options over a gummy. Avoid high levels of bad carbohydrates such as energy drinks, sweetened beverages, pastries, and desserts. Instead introduce healthy carbs such as quinoa, oatmeal, vegetables, nuts and whole grains.
We are not advising patients to make a complete overhaul of their nutrition; it can be harmful to make too many changes too quickly. There are some medical conditions that require specific dieting for symptom control. We suggest you speak with your own Physician, Dietician or Nutritionist to create a plan best suited for you. Disease manifests dependent on a variety of genetic and environmental factors. The ECS (endocannabinoid system) function closely relates to appetite and cellular health. You cannot solely rely on cannabis alone for health. You must treat your body appropriately on a cellular level with proper nutrients for your cannabis to work at an optimal level.