You know the feeling. You’ve been high for about 45 minutes, maybe an hour and a half. You’re hanging out, being social with friends, or maybe you’re chilling out at home with some vinyls or sitcoms. And the hunger hits. You’re raiding the fridge or, worse yet, placing impulse delivery orders.
If you don’t plan for them, the munchies can really throw off your eating habits, especially if you’re a frequent cannabis user. They can ruin your attempts to eat better or more regularly, and they’re hell on diets. But they are possible to master, and ultimately, control.
Why the hell does weed make us so hungry, anyway? One of the parts of the human brain meant to accept cannabinoids is also the part that controls animal instincts like alertness, sexual stimulation… and appetite. Basically, when you get high, your brain is less attuned to the fact that yeah, your body doesn’t really need more fuel now and more attuned to holy shit those samosas look amazing.
Choose your strain wisely. Some strains actually can help you curb the munchies, since there are actually some cannabinoids that, by themselves, can act as appetite suppressants. Any high-CBD strain will generate minimal hunger. But other strains are known specifically for being good “diet” strains that won’t enhance your peckishness. Durban Poison is a popular strain that’s easy on the appetite, because it contains high levels of THCV (the aforementioned anti-hunger cannabinoid). Ask your budtender for recommendations – it’s a question they get all the time.
Eliminate temptation. This is a good time not only to get rid of all the Cheetos and Doritos and Takis in your house, it’s also a good time to delete all the DoorDashes and Eat24s and PostMateses on your phone. Create for yourself a situation where it’s impossible to snack. Or at least really, really hard.
Eat a ton of veggies before you get high.Vegetables fill you up. They’re loaded with fiber and move through your digestive system slowly. If you do this before you toke up, there’s a decent chance your stomach will remain full throughout the duration of your high. This might not work by itself, but in combination with some of the other items on this list it’ll help you keep your hunger under control.
Keep busy. If you’re looking to curb the munchies, you’re gonna have to – for the time being at least – structure your high time a little better. That means no more Lebowski-and-sofa buzzfests, and it means a lot more of just, like, doing stuff. Find a hobby you’ve been meaning to pick up: Gardening. Scrapbooking. Legos. Whatever – just find some activity or set of activities that you can expend a lot of that superhuman weed-driven focus on, and you’ll be less likely to seek out a giant bag of those pink oatmeal cookies shaped like animals.
Work out. If you’re trying to curb the munchies in an attempt to get a better hold on what you eat, you’re probably not gonna be averse to the notion of working out more. When you’re high is a great time to work out – your mood will be lighter, it won’t hurt as much, and you’ll be more enthusiastic about it overall. Try timing your high times to match your workout times; you’ll be less likely to binge-eat an entire container of orange cranberry muffins if you’re in the middle of a three-mile run.
Go out. If you don’t want to pick up a hobby and don’t want to or aren’t able to exercise, getting out of the house and just doing something to distract yourself is the next best thing. Head to a bookstore to spend the afternoon browsing. Go for a walk in the local park. Spend a day in a museum. Now’s your chance – visit that neighborhood you’ve been meaning to visit or catch a double feature. Just stay away from the concession stand.
Don’t eat to get the taste of weed out of your mouth. Some people like the taste of weed and some don’t. Whatever, it’s not important. But hey: Even the best flavor can start to taste gross when it’s been sitting in your mouth for a while. Lots of times, this is why we start eating: To get the taste of weed out of our mouths. Keep an eye on that desire – and try to catch it when it happens. If you wanna get the taste out of your mouth, your best bet is mouthwash, toothpaste and a toothbrush.
Time your sessions. People think of the munchies as a problem because living in a world of unrealistic body expectations makes people think of eating as a problem. But the munchies are really just a standard part of the greater pot experience – you enjoy munching food so much because food tastes better when you’re high because all of your sensory inputs are boosted. So why not use this opportunity to eat healthier? One of the biggest complaints about healthy food is that its flavors can’t compete with dishes loaded with butter, sugar and heavy cream. But hey! If you’re high, that pile of veggies is gonna taste a lot better.
HYDRATE. Good advice in any situation. This might help control the munchies – but it might not. Doesn’t matter, though, since you’ll need to stay hydrated during your high time anyway. It’s possible that regularly drinking water throughout your high will fill your tummy enough to make you think twice about microwaving those Hot Pockets you just remembered were in the fridge. Try drinking carbonated water, too – the fizz will make you feel fuller, and it’ll help alleviate your dry mouth better.
