Why Does Food Taste Better When High?

One of the effects of being high from the ingestion of weed is a sudden urge to eat. That hunger urge is one of the more enjoyable side effects that weed smokers experience frequently.

There comes a time when as a weed smoker, you would, at some point, have indulged in a couple of munchies or some food to aid your journey into being high. You might even find yourself considering or craving a strange combination of food you would never have. Yet, one fantastic discovery you would indeed have made is that those foods tend to taste better.

You might have wondered why the pineapple on pizza you couldn’t stand a couple of days ago suddenly became so delicious to eat. Don’t be surprised if you taste them later and discover your initial impression was right and that the people eating that combination should be jailed.

However, there is an explanation for why it seems your gustation sense is tricking you. But first, you have to know how it happens before you understand why it does. So, get your joint out, and let’s take a ride.

 

What Is Taste?

Humans have five senses: sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. Taste, in particular, is the sensation we feel when food passes through our taste buds. When this happens, the taste buds tell the brain whether the food is sweet or sour.

However, determining the taste of something is also influenced by our experience; differentiating between sweet and sour is both intrinsic and learned. For example, our environment, experiences, and family sometimes determine how we think food should taste.

 

How Do We Taste?

After food enters the mouth and is chewed, it is then introduced to the saliva, which uses enzymes to break the food down. Afterward, the food goes through the papilla, the thousands of little bumps covering our tongue. Each papilla contains 50 to 100 taste cells that form the taste buds.

The taste buds have receptors that differentiate between the five basic tastes, which are bitter, sweet, sour, salty, and Umami. Umami is a Japanese that describes savory flavors like roasted meat and soy sauce. These five tastes help our brain decide whether the food should go any further or not.

Another thing that aids taste is our sense of smell. As we chew our food, a small amount of air rises through the passages at the back of the throat, and then the nasal cavity’s receptors detect scents that make up the rich, layered flavors.

This is why the smoke from dragging your joint is filled with more aroma than that from your lighted joint, which you smell with your nose.

 

Why Does Food Taste Better When You’re High?

Now to the main aim of this article, it is with great pleasure that I announce to you that the culprit responsible for why you’ve doubted your taste buds is the chemical component known as THC.

For those that don’t know, the primary chemical component of most cannabis is a cannabinoid, also known as THC, which gets us high and increases our craving for food.

When ingested, THC stimulates the endocannabinoid system and the receptors in our brain that regulates emotion, pain, smell, and taste. The chemical component not only releases the hormone called ghrelin, which promotes hunger, but it also improves our sensitivity to smell.

THC does this by attaching to receptors in the brain’s olfactory bulb, making aromas from food more attractive and, in turn, making you want to eat more. (Sneaky stuff)

Another thing that it increases is the discharge of dopamine, a chemical that controls the body’s feelings of reward and pleasure. When Dopamine is released, it improves the enjoyment of eating and lower inhibitions, which often results in you indulging more in your munchies.

 

Can Cannabis Work as an Appetite Stimulant?

It has been reported that the increased cravings for food caused by the ingestion of weed can benefit people with medical conditions that drain their appetite. For example, people with cancer or HIV often need something to stimulate their appetite when their treatments take it away, and cannabis may help resolve this. The effect of cannabis on appetite can be broken down to this simple fact; it aids the brain in ensuring we eat.

The brain has two primary purposes: to aid survival and procreation, and these two goals cannot be achieved without food. However, if your over-indulgence in munchies is becoming a worry, or you’re trying to watch your weight, the simple thing is to have healthy snacks available. Also, don’t forget to drink lots of water.