The Lipid Hack: Getting The Most Out Of Cannabis Edibles

When I was in college, I knew some kids who would always make sure to skip dinner on the nights they planned to go out drinking. Everyone knows alcohol hits you harder on an empty stomach, so they hoped to save some cash by increasing the effectiveness of the booze they drank.

But is the same true for cannabis? Many people think so. In fact, one reddit user reports being told to eat a bunch of ravioli by their fiance after accidentally eating 60mg of cannabis gummies. The logic seems solid, after all - food “soaks up” the weed in our system, lessening its impact.

Unfortunately for our poor reddit user, the opposite is true! When ingested, either in edible or capsule form, cannabis is much more effective when it’s joined with food, especially food high in fats, also known as “lipids.”

Few people are aware of this tasty little secret, however. When an older relative of mine was considering using cannabis, he wanted to try edibles rather than smoking or vaping, since he was concerned about his lung health. After getting a cookie from a local dispensary, he complained to me that it had very little effect. I asked him whether he’d eaten anything around the same time as the cookie, and he told me he hadn’t, thinking that the cookie would have a stronger effect on an empty stomach.

I told him to try his next dose with a plate of food, preferably one high in fats. He was skeptical, but tried it, later reporting that the exact same dose sent him “to the moon” when combined with noodles in a buttery sauce.

This quirk of our body's ability to process the psychoactive molecules found in cannabis can also account for how much variability there seems to be in people's experiences of edibles.

Why do lipids and cannabis get along so well?

The answer lies in science! Terpenes and cannabinoids are the chemical compounds found in marijuna plants that create the physiological effects we associated with the “high” of cannabis use. They also give marijuana its distinctive scents and contribute to the differences between strains.

These molecules, however, are not “water soluble” - instead, they are “fat soluble.” That’s why you won’t get high if you just eat straight bud, because it doesn’t play nicely with the water that makes up most of our bodies. (Well, that’s one reason - the other has to do with heat being required to activate the THC. Heat plus lipids equals cannabutter!)

Instead, these molecules bind to lipids, also known as fats. If you’ve ever seen oil floating on top of water, you know that water and fats don’t mix!

What foods should I eat with edibles?

It’s no accident that brownies are the most common food associated with marijuana edibles. They’re fudgey and gooey because they’re full of delicious lipids, like butter and cocoa butter. If you want your edibles to work well, you should eat them with lipids or fats. It doesn’t really matter whether you eat the edibles before or after your lipid-rich meal, as long as you consume them both within about an hour of each other.

Luckily for those of us who are prone to the munchies, foods like pizza, ice cream, and pasta in cream or butter based sauce are great examples of lipid rich foods that will enhance the effect of a cannabis edible. Even if you’re trying to be health conscious, you can still increase your lipid intake with foods like organic nut butter, salad with dressing, avocados, or eggs.

There you have it! The amount of lipids in your system can significantly impact the intensity of your experience with edibles. Always be aware of what you’ve eaten and how it will interact with any cannabis products you consume. If you’ve had a rich, heavy meal, you’re much more likely to have an “out of this world” experience - so if that’s what you’re going for, great! If not, consider a lighter dose than you’d otherwise take.