Cannabis Edibles and Dietary Restrictions

Apr 2

Hey folks! A couple of weeks ago we talked about how cannabis can help alleviate gut issues and in particular how CBG can reinforce your gut barrier and send happy juice to your brain. This is a big win for people who want to manage their gut health more responsibly (and who doesn’t). But what about those of us who have dietary restrictions that prevent us from getting the most out of our edible cannabis products? Sure, we can still smoke, but that isn’t always the best choice, especially if someone is trying to protect their pulmonary health. There are also oils, but they aren’t always the most palatable.

Thankfully, there are some cannabis brands out there that have taken the extra time and effort to craft edibles that are safe to consume for those who have one or more reasons to read every ingredient label. First things first though, let’s break down some of the reasons why someone might have a dietary restriction in the first place. Disclaimer: While we might be good looking like the doctors on Grey’s Anatomy, we are in fact not doctors. Come to think of it neither are they. Anyway, when in doubt, ask your physician for help managing your dietary needs.

My Kingdom for Good Gluten Free Pizza

Full disclosure, there is a degree of selfishness in this blog post as I am one of 300,000 Canadians who have celiac disease which prevents one from consuming anything derived from wheat gluten. Which is a lot of stuff. Celiac disease is an example of an autoimmune disease which, alongside other fun diseases like Crohn’s, make it so that those afflicted need to take extra time to read ingredient labels in order to avoid certain allergens.

Another dietary restriction that is fairly common is the choice (be it for moral or medical reasons) to not eat meat or partake of animal byproducts. This practice is known as vegetarianism or, in the cases of those who refuse to consume anything coming from an animal in any sense, veganism. In these cases, one needs to be diligent when consuming cannabis edibles because a lot of them are gummies, and most gummies are made from gelatin which is derived from the bones and connective tissue of various animals. Thankfully there are some brands out there that make their gummies using pectin, which is derived from plant matter exclusively, making life a little bit easier for our animal loving friends.

Last, but certainly not least, we have diabetes. An eye watering 3.7 million Canadians suffer from diabetes, which comes in a couple of varieties: Type-1 Diabetes is a form of diabetes that generally occurs when one is young. In this case, the body’s immune system attacks insulin producing cells inside of one’s body, resulting in a lower amount of insulin being produced by the pancreas. It’s usually the result of genetic factors that result in a family history of diabetes. Type-2 diabetes on the other hand tends to pop its ugly head up later in life and is summed up as the body losing its ability to effectively utilize insulin. It’s a more complicated thing and can result from a combination of genetic factors as well as lifestyle. People who suffer from diabetes need to manage their blood sugar levels because their body’s ability to do so is either compromised or non-existent. Thankfully, there are more and more low-sugar or zero-sugar edible options hitting the market every month. Which is good cause again, 3.7 MILLION CANADIANS.

There are tons of other conditions, diseases and moral choices that come with a mess of dietary restrictions; however this is but a humble blog post and I won’t be exhaustively listing all of them. Suffice to say, none of them are fun.

Brands that have got your back

Not to worry though friends, for there are several cannabis brands that have created products geared towards us label readers. Without further ado, lets break down the brands to keep an eye out for:

Wyld

We’re big fans of Wyld. Their flavours are great, and their gummies come in a huge variety of doses and formats. Their entire line boasts low sugar content of around 5 grams of sugar per package, but they also offer a line of sugar free gummies that are also free of gelatin, making them ideal for both diabetics and vegetarians/vegans alike. Bear in mind however, that most of their regular gummies are made with a combination of gelatin and pectin, with only their sugar free CBD gummies packing pectin on its own. They are also gluten free, making them an ideal choice for pretty much anyone.

Olli

Olli brand edibles come in a ridiculous number of varieties. In amongst that deluge of edibles, there are quite a few sugar-free options. For example, we currently carry their sugar free 1:1 Orchard Gems, which are a balanced chew that provides the consumer with 10 mg of THC and the same amount of CBD. Their sugar free products also extend into the sleep aid chews category, which just sort of makes sense. That CBN has to work a lot harder when sugar is present. Most of their products are also gluten-free and free from other common allergens, however it’s still a good idea to do some label checking with these guys since their products come in such a wide array of shapes and sizes.

White Rabbit

The last brand we’re going to take a look at (because my word count has gotten away from me) is White Rabbit OG. White Rabbit has a few products on the OCS that are low or no sugar, vegan friendly and have absolutely no allergens or nefarious by products kicking around. Even when they do use sugar, they opt to go the cane sugar route as opposed to processed, which is the lesser of two evils by a pretty wide margin. These are some of the only products that you can comfortably choose to eat without fear of stomach-based reprisal. They’re a brand that’s definitely worth checking out.

And that about wraps up our little breakdown of dietary restrictions and cannabis edibles. There are many other brands I haven’t mentioned that are doing the good work of making edibles available to everyone, but listing them I hope if nothing else this little blog post can help anyone suffering from ailments that turn every eating experience into a hassle shop a little more confidently when they are in the moods for cannabis edibles. Always remember, when in doubt ask your budtender to help you check the ingredients. A good weed slinger will want to make sure that they’re sending you home with the right product for your needs. Stay frosty cool cats!

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