By RQS Editorial Team


That sudden urge to eat everything in the fridge is one of the more enjoyable side effects of weed that everyone experiences from time to time. As well as wanting to eat more, you may also crave strange combinations of food that you would otherwise never consider.

However, have you ever wondered why we get the munchies? Or, more generally, why food tastes so great while high? Let's try to unravel the mystery of the munchies, and find out why peanut butter on roast potatoes may, sometimes, seem like the best idea ever!

What Is Taste?

Taste is one of the five senses, along with sight, smell, hearing, and touch. It is the sensation we experience when food passes over our taste buds. The taste buds then transmit a message to the brain to communicate whether the food item is sweet or sour or salty. However, that is not the whole picture. Taste is as much to do with our experiences and influences as it is to do with our physical taste buds. Whether something is considered delicious or unappetising is both intrinsic and learned.

How Do We Taste?

Food enters your mouth, is chewed, and introduced to saliva, which uses enzymes to break it down. The food then passes over your papillae. These are the thousands of bumps that cover your tongue. Each papilla contains 50 to 100 taste cells that form taste buds.

Your taste buds have receptors tuned to the five basic tastes. These are bitter, sweet, sour, salty, and umami. Umami is a Japanese word describing savoury flavours like roasted meat and soy sauce.

The five tastes help our brain determine whether the food is safe to go any further. If the brain registers the taste as sweet or savoury, it identifies it as a viable source of nutrients. If it is bitter or sour, it could recognise the taste as a possible toxin.

However, the taste buds cannot understand the complexity of many flavours alone. We must factor in our sense of smell too. As you chew your food, a small amount of air rises through passages at the back of the throat. The nasal cavity's receptors can then detect the scents that make up rich, layered flavours.

This process is not the same as merely "smelling" your food. Your brain can distinguish whether the smell comes from your nostrils or your mouth. When it originates from your mouth, it groups the signal in with the signals from the taste buds. This process is called "retro nasal olfaction", a hybrid sense that we know as "flavour".

Taste receptors can be found all over the body, even lining the small intestine. When these receptors detect sugar, they activate hormones that release extra insulin into the bloodstream.

Why Are Some Foods Delicious?

The reason we prefer some foods to others boils down to mere evolution and the idea that, if Mom ate it, it must be safe. Even as babies, our mothers' choices may influence the food we enjoy later. For example, babies whose mothers eat a lot of garlic will be able to taste and enjoy the garlic flavour in breast milk.

Our food preferences are established over our entire lives, by many factors. Even our environment sends cues about how our food should taste. Endless food-marketing campaigns condition us. Even visual and auditory triggers can impact how tasty we find something. For instance, tests have shown that people eat less food from a blue plate. A chunk of cheese with clean edges tastes sharper than one with rounded corners. Potato chips taste better the crunchier they are.

Taste is both a mental construct and a chemical one. Whether or not we find something delicious depends on many variables; our family, our experiences, the environment we are eating in, and who we are eating with.

Why Are Some Foods Delicious?

Why Does Food Taste Better When You're High?

The cannabinoid that gets us high is the same cannabinoid that increases food cravings—THC. Research has shown that THC stimulates the endocannabinoid system and receptors in our brain that regulate emotion, pain, smell, and taste—specifically CB1. It can also stimulate the release of the hormone ghrelin, which promotes hunger. But when it comes to determining why THC makes food taste better, there are numerous facets to consider.

Does Weed Heighten Your Senses?

According to a 2014 animal study, THC may enhance our sensitivity to smell by attaching to receptors in the brain's olfactory bulb. This makes aromas from food more attractive and, in turn, makes you want to eat more.

Other research claims that the activity of neurons that promote satiety (fullness) actually increases when the CB1 receptor is activated, leading to a “paradoxical” effect that “may be driven by both pre- and post-synaptic effects”. In other words, it may be that the unique, disparate effects exhibited by THC and other CB1 agonists are together responsible for increasing pleasure from feeding, not just one single mechanism of action.

Then there is dopamine, a chemical that controls the body's feelings of reward and pleasure. As acute THC use increases the release of dopamine, this can enhance the enjoyment of eating and lower inhibitions, in turn making you more likely to indulge.

Does Weed Heighten Your Senses?

What Does Eating Weed Do to Your Body?

But what about eating cannabis-infused food? When you ingest cannabis edibles, the THC makes its way through the GI tract before being converted by the liver into a cannabinoid with even greater psychoactive effects—and a greater chance of inspiring a bad case of the munchies. This cannabinoid, known as 11-hydroxy-THC, also results in a much longer-lasting high. So while edibles are a good way to bypass smoking and vaping, not only do they involve the ingestion of calories outright, but they can deepen and prolong your desire to eat once you’re stoned.

Of course, there are ways to mitigate the amount you ingest, starting with choosing low-calorie edibles. For example, consider taking individual gummies as opposed to eating a whole brownie. And when the high does hit, some self-control and management techniques, such as regularly drinking water and keeping busy, can help to keep you out of the fridge.

Can You Prevent the Munchies?

Some years ago, researchers believed that if the munchies were induced by the effect of THC on CB1 receptors, then it must be possible to create a drug that could block this effect. Indeed, a drug called rimonabant was released and, at first, found to be successful in stopping cravings for fatty foods and nicotine and alcohol.

However, it soon became apparent that you cannot block endocannabinoid receptors that control mood and appetite without serious consequences. Some people taking rimonabant began to suffer from severe depression, and a few even committed suicide.

The results of trials revealed that it is impossible to intercept some endocannabinoid receptors and not others. The bliss we experience when eating something delicious is too intrinsically entangled with the rest of our endocannabinoid system. So, if you try blocking part of the system, you will end up blocking all of it, removing the capacity to feel happiness.

Can THCV Stop You From Getting the Munchies?

THCV, or tetrahydrocannabivarin, is an inverse agonist/selective agonist of CB1, which gives it a unique profile to THC. With this in mind, THCV has been studied for its potential to decrease appetite, increase satiety, and upregulate energy metabolism in rodents. According to various preliminary studies, THCV, at certain doses, appears to suppress cravings instead of encourage them.

However, THCV is a minor cannabinoid, and only a few specific strains contain concentrations over 1%. It is found in the highest quantities naturally in African landrace sativa plants. However, even here, its concentration rarely exceeds 3%. That said, there are ongoing efforts to develop strains high in THCV specifically for their alleged appetite-suppressing qualities, but it is not an easy feat.

The Viability of Cannabis as an Appetite Stimulant

The side effect of increased hunger can be therapeutic for people with medical conditions or treatments that dampen their appetite. Many patients with cancer or HIV, for example, look for something to stimulate their appetite when pain medication and chemotherapy take it away.

The simplest way to sum up cannabis' role in appetite is that it helps the brain ensure that we eat. The brain has two main jobs: survival and procreation, and neither of these are possible without food.

If weight gain from the munchies is a worry, unfortunately, there is no magic cure. The same rules apply whenever you are trying to watch your weight. Keep lots of healthy snacks on hand and drink water, and let yourself indulge from time to time. Life is all about moderation.

External Resources:
  1. A pilot study of the effects of cannabis on appetite hormones in HIV-infected adult men - PMC https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. The endocannabinoid system controls food intake via olfactory processes | Nature Neuroscience https://www.nature.com
  3. Hypothalamic POMC neurons promote cannabinoid-induced feeding | Nature https://www.nature.com
  4. The effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on the dopamine system - PMC https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  5. Rimonabant https://www.sciencedirect.com
  6. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV): a commentary on potential therapeutic benefit for the management of obesity and diabetes | Journal of Cannabis Research | Full Text https://jcannabisresearch.biomedcentral.com
  7. Royal THCV Cannabis Seeds - Royal Queen Seeds https://www.royalqueenseeds.com
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: