The short answer would be yes. Everything that one consumes has calories. This is specifically related to eating cannabis in all forms. Cannabis can be ingested for its nutritional value with or without getting high. Eating cannabis to get high does not work for everyone, and can often take longer to feel the effects. The best advice when eating cannabis is to start low and go slow.
No Calories!
Any time you smoke cannabis you are side stepping the ingestion of calories. All smoke, no fat, as some may say. Smoking cannabis is not always the most appropriate way of ingesting, depending on the setting.
Edibles
100g of cannabis flower is roughly equal to 203 calories. 1g therefore is approximately 2 calories when ingested. The calories in edibles are often high, not because of the added cannabis, but the levels of sugars and fats used in the recipe. For example, Auntie Dolores’ Medical Cannabis Savory Pretzels delivers 110 calories in a serving of two or three pretzels. On the other hand a 1.5 ounce Bhang Cannabis Fire Chocolate bar only has 60 calories per serving. Homemade edibles can vary widely in their calories, as we all have our own secret recipes!
Raw or Cooked?
Eating plants raw is the best way to harvest all of their nutrients. When plants are cooked, some of the nutrition can be destroyed through the heating process. When using cannabis in cooking, many opt to use the leaves, as the stems and roots are less palatable due to their texture. Some people will save the stem materials to make a weed flavoured tea. It is difficult to say how much effect this tea has, but it will fill your mouth with the taste of cannabis!
Hemp Seeds
Since hemp is simply cannabis with very low (less than 0.03%) THC, it is a great option for correlating caloric information. One tablespoon of hemp seeds has approximately 55 calories. Hemp seeds are a great source of healthy fats (Omega 3 fatty acids and omega 6 fatty acids), protein and fibre. Cannabis seeds have the highest amount of nutrients for humans out of all of the components of the plant.
The Good News
In a study done by the University of Nebraska, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre and the Harvard School of Public Health, marijuana users on average have a smaller waist circumference than non-users. It is thought that cannabis consumption has an effect on the insulin levels in the blood, and issues surrounding insulin resistance. This means that even though weed smokers have a reputation for consuming more calories, they are more efficient and processing these calories.
Time to Enjoy
All in all, weed does have calories; however the nutrients it provides are beneficial to humans. To get the best nutritional results from eating cannabis, consume it raw. Most of the calories associated with eating cannabis are contained in the other ingredients that make up edibles. When choosing edibles, make decisions not only based on taste, but also how many calories you plan to consume. Remember, edibles often make us want to snack even more! If you are searching for more on cannabis education, check out the Parkdale Brass blog. Anyone looking to learn more about cannabis products and strain recommendations can hop on over to our Instagram! Be sure to visit The Parkdale Brass shop to check out our durable and rugged cannabis accessories.