You may be able to improve how well CBD is absorbed by the body and delivered to your bloodstream by using CBD with food.

Now that you know what CBD oil is, how it’s different from hemp oil, and you’ve discovered the natural benefits of regularly taking CBD oil, you’re likely curious as to whether there are ways to maximize the effectiveness of your daily CBD supplement. 

One of the ways you can improve how well CBD is absorbed by the body and delivered to your bloodstream is to schedule your supplement with your eating schedule in mind – such as taking CBD with food or without food.

You may have discovered a surprising amount of conflicting information on the internet about whether it’s best to take your CBD oil on an empty stomach or after meals. When you look at how CBD is digested, however, the answer becomes clear.

Should you use your CBD with food? In short, yes. Using CBD oil with food may improve how the body interacts with its active compounds like CBD. 

Why Taking CBD with Food is Beneficial

Taking your CBD with food can improve the supplement’s bioavailability, and eating certain types of food can improve it further. Bioavailability is the degree and rate that a substance, in this case CBD, is absorbed and delivered to the bloodstream where it can interact with the body’s native systems.

When you take any supplement orally, its active ingredients are absorbed through the digestive system. If we’re looking at specifically CBD oil, the CBD and other compounds are first broken down in the stomach before being absorbed by the small intestine and then sent through the portal vein directly to your liver. It’s at the liver that having certain foods in your system can become beneficial to the absorption rate of CBD.

At the liver, a family of enzymes called cytochrome P450 (CYP450) acts on CBD, metabolizing the compounds before they’re distributed through the circulatory system. During this process, what occurs is a phenomenon referred to as first pass metabolism, which breaks CBD into more than 100 different metabolites, many of which are not used by the body and quickly excreted. This diminishes the concentration of CBD and therefore reduces its bioavailability. In short, less CBD reaches your bloodstream due to first pass metabolism.

When you use CBD oil with certain types of foods, however, the loss of CBD concentration has limited impact because the foods help CBD to bypass the first pass metabolism process. By using CBD with food, you can help ensure a greater concentration of CBD is absorbed than when you use CBD without food.

Ideal Foods to Take CBD Oil With

The best types of foods to eat with CBD oil include medium and long chain triglycerides, which are fatty acids. These types of fatty acids serve as a strong binding agent for cannabinoids like CBD, and are directly metabolized into energy by the liver so the loss of CBD concentration through first pass metabolism is limited. This means that your body can burn those fats and put them – and the CBD and other trace cannabinoids they hold – to use right away.

Just recently researchers from the University of Nottingham backed the beneficial effects of taking CBD with fatty acids. In a recent study, they found that co-administering CBD with long chain triglycerides bypassed some first pass metabolism, allowing significantly more CBD to be absorbed. Another study by a separate team of researchers found the bioavailability of a cannabinoid product was four times higher when taken after a meal.

So what types of foods should you take with CBD oil? Medium chain fatty acids have 6 to 10 carbons, while long chain fatty acids are those with 14 or more carbons. They’re found in most fats, oils, and certain foods, including:

• Coconut oil
• Olive oil
• Soybean oil
• Sesame oil
• Fish
• Nuts
• Avocado
• Meat
• Eggs

You can even get creative and make your own DIY CBD edibles at home, ensuring you are using CBD with food. Whether it is CBD gummies, CBD smoothies, CBD pasta, and more, there is no shortage of ways to add CBD to your meals. Here are some CBD recipes to get you started.

Don’t Want to Worry About Food?

There are other options for improving the bioavailability of CBD if you’d rather not worry about taking your supplement with the right types of food.

Medical Marijuana, Inc.’s Real Scientific Hemp Oil™ (RSHO™) Liquids combine our award winning CBD oil with medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil sourced from wholesome coconut oil and sustainably sourced palm oil. These saturated fats serve as an effective binding agent for CBD to be efficiently absorbed by the body. Available in our Green, Blue, and Gold Label varieties, each standard serving size of RSHO™ Liquid contains 31 mg, and you can decide whether to increase or decrease your intake based on what’s right for you.

You can learn even more about the benefits of RSHO™ Liquids here.

You can also increase CBD bioavailability by using different methods of consumption. Try taking your CBD oil sublingually, letting it to sit under the tongue for 60-90 seconds, before swallowing. 

This allows the CBD to absorb right through the mucous membranes of your mouth and bypass the digestive system. Vaping CBD, in which you inhale a clean, CBD filled cloud, allows the CBD compounds to be absorbed quickly and efficiently through the alveoli in your lungs.

Learn More about CBD Oil

Looking to learn more about how to best incorporate CBD oil into your health and wellness routine? Visit the Medical Marijuana, Inc. CBD Oil Education page. Want to learn more about the types of CBD oil products we carry? Check out our CBD Oil Buyer’s Guide.

Shop the Medical Marijuana, Inc. online store to get started with CBD oil supplements today.