After a long weekend of lounging, snacking and binge watching the latest HBO miniseries, your body may begin to feel less than its best. Poor nutrition can cause bloating, trouble sleeping and fatigue, while physical inactivity can make our joints tight and our minds sluggish.
It’s natural to seek a solution when we’re feeling unhealthy, and people often turn to fasting as a way to detox the body and improve digestion. But, that doesn’t always mean you need to abandon your CBD oil products in the process.
Generally, CBD oil will not break a fast, as long as the product doesn’t contain caloric additives or sugar.
Does CBD break your fast? This largely depends on your personal goals and the type of fast you’re participating in. That said, CBD does not impact blood sugar levels, is relatively low in calories and should have little impact on your detox.
What Is the Purpose of a Fast?
In the health and wellness space, a fast involves abstaining from all food items in an effort to lose weight, reduce caloric intake or detox the body. It’s also believed to improve metabolic health and reduce insulin resistance.
In this case, participants can still ingest beverages that are low in calories and sugar and high in electrolytes, sodium and potassium. The goal is to only consume things that will not elevate blood sugar levels, such as carbohydrates, sugary drinks and processed snacks. That’s because the intent of many fasts is to shift the body’s metabolism from burning sugars to burning fats, oftentimes to support a healthy weight.
All that said, some fasts have religious contexts. In this case, fasting may be seen as a way to purify the body or soul. Depending on the religion, all food, including beverages and plant-based substances, may be restricted during the fasting period.
And What Is CBD, Exactly?
CBD, or cannabidiol, is a naturally occurring compound found in marijuana plants — both hemp and non-hemp. That said, hemp plants are where CBD oils and other CBD products are legally derived.
Per the 2018 Farm Bill, CBD products can contain no more than 0.3% THC.
All that said, CBD can pass through your digestive system or go directly into your bloodstream, depending on your method:
- Oral – Do you swallow CBD oil? Yes! When CBD is ingested and swallowed, it passes through the esophagus and stomach before reaching the small intestine, where it’s absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestinal walls.
- Sublingual – Placing a few drops of CBD oil under your tongue allows the CBD to come in contact with the sublingual glands, located under the tongue. The CBD is then absorbed into the mucus membrane and enters the bloodstream directly, bypassing the digestive system.
From there, the cannabinoids in CBD interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), a network of cell receptors and neurotransmitters, called endocannabinoids.
Endocannabinoids help to regulate the central nervous system (CNS), as well as the peripheral nervous system (PNS) to maintain homeostasis. In effect, they also influence other biological functions related to:
- Eating
- Mood
- Learning
- Memory
- Metabolism
- Reproduction
- Growth and development
Essentially, CBD mimics these endocannabinoids to interact with the ECS’ cell receptors — CB1 receptors and CB2 receptors. The way in which CBD functions within the body may help ease physical discomfort, boost negative moods, improve sleep and even support skin health.
But CBD may support your fasting efforts, too.
Can CBD Oil Be Taken While Fasting?
Does CBD oil break fast? Generally, CBD oil will not break a fast, as long as the product doesn’t contain caloric additives or sugar.
What Is the Nutritional Value of CBD?
The nutritional value of CBD products will vary depending on the manufacturer, supplier and method of consumption. And while it doesn’t have nutritional value in the traditional sense, hemp can contain compounds that may support your overall health and vitality, such as:
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Omega-6 fatty acids
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Riboflavin
- Niacin
- Thiamine
- Iron
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
That said, CBD oils are very low in calories and sugar, and they’re unlikely to elevate blood sugar levels during a fast.
Can CBD Benefit a Fast?
CBD may support your fasting efforts.
As mentioned, when CBD enters the body, it can work with ECS receptors to regulate many bodily functions, including appetite. While THC may stimulate hunger, different types of CBDs can suppress it.
More specifically, it may block the CB1 receptors, which are primarily responsible for feeding behavior.
The efficacy of your fast and CBD may also depend on the type of fast you’re undertaking. Learn more about CBD for appetite control.
Water Fast
This type of fast involves restricting all food, except for water. While studies on water fasts are limited, it’s believed that they may help detox your body and may also support heart health and healthy blood sugar levels.
During a water fast, participants will typically drink two to three liters of water a day, for up to 24 to 72 hours.
How to take CBD:For this type of fast, you can easily add a few drops of CBD oil to your daily water intake. However, if you’d like to keep your fast purely water-focused, consider taking CBD oil sublingually, as it will go directly into your bloodstream and avoid the digestive system altogether.
Lemon Detox Cleanse
Like a water fast, a lemon detox cleanse requires participants to avoid solid food products completely. For one to two weeks, you’ll drink a mixture of:
- Lemon juice
- Water
- Maple syrup
- Cayenne pepper
The detox aims to cleanse the body by removing toxins to improve skin health and aid digestion. However, there is little evidence to support these claims.
How to take CBD: You can certainly add CBD oil to your mixture or take it sublingually. Just be aware that CBD can contain trace amounts of THC, and, if you’re looking to complete a full-body detox, it may not be the best addition to your cleanse.
Juice Fast
Typically, a juice fast can last up to 10 days. During the course of the fast, participants will only drink raw juice extract from fruits and vegetables. This method removes all fiber and the risk of any added sugars, which are typically found in store-bought juices.
It’s believed that these types of fasts improve gut health and boost energy levels.
Since juice fasts include many active compounds, such as antioxidants and vitamins, they’re most compatible with CBD intake.
How to take CBD:Add a few drops of CBD oil to your nutrient-rich juice drink to bolster your fast with CBD’s many potential benefits.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a type of fast that still includes the consumption of food. The dietary pattern involves restricting food intake to a certain time of day and only drinking water, tea or black coffee during the remainder of the fasting period.
It aims to exhaust the body’s sugar storage and burn fat.
Typically, there are three types of intermittent fasting:
- Daily approach – For this type of fasting, you would eat normally for an eight-hour period. Following that food intake timeframe, you would limit your consumption to calorie-free beverages for the next 16 hours. To incorporate CBD, add CBD oil or a CBD gummy to your meal during the eating period.
- 5:2 approach – Rather than splitting your fasting and eating periods into one day, this method requires you to extend the approach along the span of an entire week. Essentially, you would eat normally for five days and “fast” for two days. However, you aren’t limited to beverages during those two days. Instead, you can incorporate one 500 to 600-calorie meal each day.
- Alternate day approach – This fasting method adopts a few of the same ideas as the 5:2 approach: Each day, you will switch between fasting and eating normally. During your fasting days, you can incorporate a low-calorie meal, if needed.
How to take CBD: If you’re attempting the daily approach, your eating period is earlier in the day and you’d still like to add a CBD product to your nightly routine to support healthy sleep, you can take a CBD oil orally or sublingually without disrupting your fast. Likewise, you can incorporate a CBD oil or CBD gummy into your daily meals when fasting with the 5:2 or alternate day approach. Before taking CBD, be sure to monitor your CBD dosage or CBD gummy dosage if you're taking gummies.
How Much CBD Can You Ingest Daily?
While CBD isn’t currently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, experts agree that the amount of CBD you take daily will depend on several factors:
- Your body weight
- Your health or medical condition
- Your body chemistry
- The concentration of CBD in your product of choice
It’s generally recommended to start with a small amount and increase your intake as you learn how your body responds to the cannabidiol. For example, you may start with 25 mg a day for the first week and increase the amount by 5 mg each week.
That said, one drop of CBD oil typically contains about 5 mg of CBD.
Fortify Your Fast With Zebra CBD
Fortunately, a drop or two of CBD oil is unlikely to interrupt your fast, particularly when ingested sublingually. Additionally, certain types of fasts encourage eating periods, meaning you can incorporate as many CBD products as you’d like — from CBD oils to CBD edibles and chewable tablets.
At Zebra CBD, we offer a unique lineup of premium organic hemp CBD products to effortlessly infuse a bit of relaxation — or potential appetite suppression — into your day. Each of our products is twice-tested at an independent, certified lab to ensure its contents match our labels. You’ll rest easy knowing every drop is detox-friendly — that is, free from heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.
Fast relief can be just a fast away with Zebra CBD.
Source:
CDC. CBD: What You Need to Know. https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/featured-topics/CBD.html
Healthline. Water Fasting: Benefits and Dangers. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/water-fasting#how-it-works
Medical News Today. Lemon Detox Diet: Does it Work and Is It Safe? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324670
Medical News Today. CBD For Weight Loss: Does It Work? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324733#research
WebMD. What to Know About Juice Fasting. https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-to-know-about-juice-fasting
Johns Hopkins Medicine. Intermittent Fasting: What Is It, And How Does It Work? https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/intermittent-fasting-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work
Healthline. CBD Dosage: Figuring Out How Much to Take. https://www.healthline.com/health/cbd-dosage#how-much-to-take
