The part of marijuana that stimulates the appetite has saved the lives of countless people struggling to maintain proper nutrition throughout chemotherapy, but the marijuana munchies, as we know it, is perhaps one of the cruelest jokes in life for the health conscious cannabis enthusiast.
It doesn’t matter how regimented or disciplined a person might be, toss some a few hits of pot into the mix and all of the will power to eat like a responsible human gets snuffed out by a gluttonous little devil with a fiending addiction to junk food. Unfortunately, this means a hefty increase in caloric intake, which can put some people at risk for packing on those unwanted pounds.
The munchies are not all that problematic for the younger generations. Those who can still eat fast food at every meal and never gain a pound may even be reading this, thinking, “What are they talking about…the munchies is the best part of getting high.” But for those people over 35, the ones whose metabolisms are beginning to slow down, this side effect of maintaining a cannabis lifestyle is one of the most frustrating. Although controlling the munchies is no easy task, there are a few things a person can do to ensure this ravenous hunger does not wreak havoc on their waistline.
Meal Planning Is Key
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It is wise to just accept the inevitable. If you smoke pot, you’re going to get the munchies and want to rip the kitchen apart to satisfy that appetite. But if there is no food at home, it is easy to rely on pizza delivery or some other convenient, high calorie way to appease that need for sustenance. It is for this reason that it is necessary to make a daily meal plan. Knowing that you have, on hand, all the makings for a super delicious (and healthy) dinner is the easiest way to prevent from getting to know every food delivery driver in town on a first name basis. Also keeping healthier snacks – lots of fruit — in the house is a rock star move. Otherwise, an ice cream run will always be tempting.
Shop Smart
In order to make a successful meal plan, it is first necessary to visit the grocery and shop like an adult. This means not walking into the store high and expecting to make good choices. Stoned shopping really only equates to kitchen cabinets full of chips and a freezer full of pizza rolls. Eating this kind of trash is doomsday for anyone trying to keep his or her diet in check. So be sure to spend a lot of time in the produce aisle, stocking up on a variety of fruits and vegetables that can be easily accessed at home at a moments notice. Not a whole lot of damage can be done to someone’s girlish figure by consuming mass quantities of oranges, apples and mangos.
Know Your Weaknesses
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Eating healthy is all well and good, but sometimes it is fun to get the munchies and eat an entire pepperoni pizza. We understand this. It is important for us to know out food weaknesses and do our best to prepare for those cravings to surface. No amount of fruit in the kitchen is going to satisfy someone if their brain is truly in the mood for a greasy pizza. So finding ways to enjoy those kinds of things without leaning on fast food or delivery is an important step to not letting the munchies take total control. Instead of using bread and crust, try using Portobello mushrooms and green peppers as a foundation for pizza and Philly cheese steaks. This allows a person to get the flavor of all those sinful foods that they enjoy without completely blowing their diet.
