How to Take CBD with Food

We’re big fans of taking CBD oil sublingually, as in, under the tongue. But that’s not the only way to use it.

Many choose to take CBD with food. And that’s good too.

But what if I told you certain foods are better than others? Should you be mixing it in your coffee, adding it to pesto sauce, or baking it in a batch of brownies?

How CBD is Absorbed by the Body

When you take CBD with food, it gets absorbed through your digestive system. It travels to the stomach, but gets broken down along the way. Then it moves into the small intestine, where it’s absorbed, then transferred to the liver.

The liver is where what you eat matters.

The liver is home to a family of enzymes called cytochrome P450 (CYP450). These enzymes help metabolize the compounds in CBD before they’re passed along to the circulatory system. During this process, CBD is broken down into more than 100 different metabolites. Some of these the body needs and uses. Others aren’t used and are quickly excreted. The thing is, this process can reduce the concentration of CBD, meaning less makes its way into your bloodstream.

Thankfully, certain food can help counteract that concentration reduction and boost the absorption rate of the CBD.

RELATED: How Long Does it Take CBD to Work?

CBD with Food

When it comes to taking CBD with food, the best types to eat are medium and long chain triglycerides, which are fatty acids.

Medium chain fatty acids have 6 to 10 carbons. Long chain fatty acids have 14 or more carbons.

These types of fatty acids act as a strong binding agent for cannabinoids. That includes CBD. They’re directly metabolized into energy by the liver. This means the loss of CBD concentration through the process we mentioned above is reduced. So, your body can burn those fats and put them, and the CBD, to use.

So, which foods are we talking about?

Here are some of the best:

• Coconut, olive, soybean, and sesame oil
• Meat and oily fish
• Nuts
• Avocado
• Eggs

So, while you can take CBD with anything you like (and it will still work), be it a juicy burger, a steaming bowl of pasta, or a juicy fruit smoothie, there are a few that will work better than others.

A Question of Bioavailability

One of the reasons people swear by taking CBD with food is because of bioavailability.

Bioavailability refers to the rate and degree that a substance absorbs into your bloodstream. The higher the bioavailability, the better (and more efficient) the substance assimilates into the body.

So, with CBD, the higher the bioavailability, the more results it will have on your body. This is because more of it impacts cells after reaching the bloodstream.

Food can help increase bioavailability, which might make you think that’s actually better than taking it sublingually. But that’s why our tinctures are a blend of CBD with organic coconut oil – to boost that bioavailability so that every drop is as potent as you need it to be, no matter how you take it.