CBD Oil before or after meals?
29 June 2022Do you ever get the feeling that CBD Oil is not as effective as it should be? That could be due to the fact that you are not taking your CBD supplement at the right time of day. Getting the timing wrong can limit CBD’s ability to help you as well as it should. This blog explores what is the best time to take CBD Oil: before or after meals? We also look into the effect of taking CBD on an empty stomach. The answers to these questions could have more impact on the potential benefits of CBD than you think.
Instructions: who or what to believe
Most CBD Oil packages come with instructions on how to use the product. These often state that CBD Oil should be taken alongside something to eat, but instructions rarely explain when to take the oil: before or after dinner?
Some labels state that the best way to take CBD Oil is to put drops under your tongue and wait for one minute before swallowing, but not all brands say the same. Some tell you not to swallow at all. This can be confusing and appear contradictory. We’ll help you by explaining how and how well your body absorbs CBD Oil, and whether your body is best able to accept CBD before or after meals.
How does the body absorb and metabolize CBD Oil?
Metabolism is the way in which your body processes and uses all the various substances that you take in. Metabolism mostly occurs in the liver and bowels. Metabolism largely depends on enzymes for the breakdown of various substances. These enzymes reduce such substances to so-called metabolites, which can be used by your body for energy production and other purposes.
If you use CBD orally, such as through the mucous membranes in your mouth in case of CBD Oil, or by letting CBD Tablets or CBD Candy melt in your mouth, cannabidiol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream. If you take CBD Chocolate, CBD Coffee, or CBD Oatmeal instead, cannabidiol pass through the stomach and intestines before passing on into the bloodstream. Both routes inevitably wind up at the liver. There, enzymes break CBD down into metabolites that are distributed all throughout the body.
Contrary to what most people think, the body does not absorb all the CBD contained in your supplement. This has to do with the bioavailability of CBD, which is explained below.
What is bioavailability?
CBD Oil has a complex chemical profile. In order to appreciate this complexity, we need to zoom in on the concept of bioavailability. The notion of bioavailability indicates how much of a given active compound ends up in the place where it can do its job.
After you eat a piece of CBD Chocolate, it first has to pass through the gastrointestinal tract before arriving at the liver where it is metabolized. During this journey, a portion of the available CBD is lost before your body can use it. Phrased differently, the bioavailability of the CBD in the chocolate decreases.
However, placing drops of CBD Oil under your tongue, or letting a CBD Tablet melt In your mouth allows for immediate and effective absorption of CBD into the bloodstream. That means skipping the digestive tract and getting the maximum amount of CBD into the blood and to the liver. As a consequence, bioavailability is increased.
What is the difference between oral and sublingual use?
CBD products intended for eating or drinking are used orally. CBD Oatmeal, CBD Coffee, and CBD Chocolate are examples of CBD Nutrition for oral use, which are swallowed and pass through the stomach and intestines before winding up at the liver.
Sublingual means under the tongue: CBD Oil dropped directly under the tongue is immediately passed on into the bloodstream, allowing it to circumvent the entire digestive tract. The CBD Tablets and CBD Candy you will find in our online store are also absorbed directly in the mouth, even though they don’t need to be under (‘sub’) the tongue (‘lingua’). Moreover, these supplements contain added vitamin C to speed up absorption even further.
Should you take CBD Oil before or after meals?
So what is the best time to take CBD supplements? Well, first of all, you should avoid taking CBD on an empty stomach, even if used sublingually. Always make sure you’ve eaten beforehand. Why?
Swallowing CBD Oil and Nutrition products after meals increases the likelihood of high bioavailability. That means a full stomach can make more CBD reach the liver without losing much along the way.
Suppose your stomach is busy digesting a meal the moment you decide to eat some CBD Chocolate. As soon as CBD reaches the stomach, a metabolic process based on acid and enzymes starts to break down its contents, including some of the cannabidiol you swallowed.
An active stomach, however, which is occupied with digesting a meal, can only metabolize a portion of the CBD an empty stomach could process. Moreover, a full stomach has better absorption capacity. Under optimal conditions, gastric absorption capacity can quadruple compared to an empty stomach. From this perspective, using CBD on an empty stomach is a waste of valuable ingredients.
CBD after meals for efficient uptake
However, even the CBD Oil, Tablets, and Candies absorbed in the mouth are more effective after meals than before. This is due to the amount of fat molecules required to process the active ingredient. After meals, the stomach is busy metabolizing fats contained in the food you ate. This increases the chances of effective processing of the (beneficial) fats needed to process CBD Oil and Tablets, thus increasing bioavailability.
If you take CBD Oil or other supplements before meals rather than after, you may notice fewer effects than you expected. That’s a waste! In such cases, some people simply try using more CBD in an attempt to boost the effectiveness. As you can see, taking CBD Oil after meals instead of before is a better idea, as it ets you make full use of cannabidiol’s natural potential!
Order premium CBD Oil online
CBD Oil works better after meals than before, but what food should you eat?
We have learned that timing is important when taking CBD supplements. Still, eating the right type of food can also make a big difference when it comes to bioavailability. We’ll briefly explain which types of food can improve results, as well as why they do so.
High fat food should be a part of any diet. If you think this sounds odd, we should add that we mean wholesome fats only. Your body needs the right type of fats for energy and protection needs. They are also necessary for absorption of vitamins and compounds such as CBD.
We can distinguish between saturated and unsaturated fats. Saturated fats are the unhealthy kind: they’re common in animal products and processed foods such as sausages, hamburgers, and chips. Unsaturated fats remain liquid at room temperature. Examples include the oils found in fatty fish, avocados, nuts, seeds, and plant-based oils such as olive oil (the carrier of CBD Oil) and sesame oil. If your body has sufficient levels of such unsaturated fats, it is better able to absorb CBD, thereby increasing its bioavailability.
Complex carbohydrates are another means of improving CBD bioavailability. Quinoa, wholegrain products, brown rice, and sweet potato are well-known sources of such complex carbs.
As you can see, a hamburger is not likely to improve CBD absorption and bioavailability. However, a piece of pan-fried salmon with some quinoa salad on the side is a different story. Such meals are healthy, delicious, and good for the effectiveness of CBD Oil!
What is the best way to take CBD Oil?
CBD can be taken in two ways: orally and sublingually. In fact, there is a third way, which involves applying CBD directly onto the skin. This mainly applies to our CBD Skincare products such as CBD Argan Cream and CBD Salve, however.
We’ll just get to the point: the sublingual method is the most effective way to get CBD absorbed into the bloodstream fast. It takes only 30 to 60 seconds before taking effect. And since it circumvents the stomach and bowels, more of it will reach the liver, making for maximum bioavailability.
Swallowing CBD Oil may be a less brilliant idea, however. Some people claim this causes unwanted side-effects such as an upset stomach, constipation, or diarrhoea. This is largely due to the CBD Oil metabolized by the stomach and guts, which causes more CBD to be lost along the way. As mentioned, though, this effect gets stronger if you take CBD Oil before meals rather than after.
No matter which method you choose, though, always make sure you drink plenty of water. Ample hydration is good for your overall health as well as for bowel movements (as is CBD by the way) – the last thing you want is dehydration due to diarrhoea…
Your best moment for CBD Oil: after meals rather than before dinner
To ensure a constant level of CBD in your blood, we advise taking CBD Oil at the same time of day, every day. Determining the best time depends on the moments when you need CBD’s effects the most. If you are looking for improved focus and concentration throughout the day, taking CBD Oil in the morning after breakfast seems they way to go. If, by contrast, you want to use CBD to sleep better, you should take CBD Oil after your evening meal instead.
Most people use CBD supplements two or three times a day to keep their blood CBD levels constant. After reading this blog, the obvious choice becomes using CBD Oil before all meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner – sublingually if possible to ensure optimal bioavailability!
