CBD, Intermittent Fasting and Keto Diets: Do They Work Together?
For most people, maintaining safe and healthy eating habits is a worthy goal. Many try intermittent fasting (IF) and the Keto diet to help their bodies eat away at the existing fat. However, with so many diets and eating routines out there, it’s easy to get lost. It’s even easier to get hungry, grumpy, and confused while trying to stick to an eating pattern.
Most practices try to optimize how the body uses energy. Intermittent fasting, for example, focuses on limiting eating windows. The Keto diet shifts to fat as the primary fuel source instead of carbs. Such diets push the human body to consume stored fat, therefore losing weight.
Many people struggling with weight management adopt these dietary approaches. Dieting is hard, though, and keeping to specific eating times or particular foods can be stressful and limiting.
Given its potential anxiolytic properties, some are wondering if CBD (cannabidiol) might make the fasting experience easier while still keeping to the principle of the nutritional plan. By incorporating CBD in their daily lives, they hope to make the diet easier on the body and mind.
So, can we make intermittent fasting easier with CBD? Does a Keto diet fit with CBD? Let’s see what science and evidence have to say.
The basics of intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting (IF) transitions between periods of eating and periods of fasting. There are specific time windows during which you can eat, and fasting windows when you shouldn’t.
You can choose from various fasting routines depending on your lifestyle, work schedule, and personal preferences.
The most common is 16:8, whereby you fast for 16 hours and are free to eat during the remaining 8 hours. There is also the 18:6, when you fast for 18 hours and eat during the 6 remaining hours of the day. Some people like the 5:2 intermittent fasting: you get to fast during 2 days of the week, when you only get 500 to 600 calories a day, and eat normally the other 5 days.
Intermittent fasting is based on the theory that the body consumes the stored fat to keep going during the fasting periods. Instead of relying on new food sources, as the body does when we have a regular breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the body uses the calories that have already been stored to maintain its function. During this process, it consumes fats, resulting in less fat being stored in the body.
Does intermittent fasting work?
The thinking behind intermittent fasting is that our ancestors didn’t have food available on a daily basis. They might be picking berries and fruit daily, but the core of their food intake might not be handy every day. So, they had to go without food for several hours, if not days. During their compulsory fasting times, they might have dried berries and nuts to keep them going, hence the 500 to 600 calories that intermittent fasting suggests during the two days of no eating.
Some research suggests that intermittent fasting may help the body manage stress better, increase longevity, and protect against some diseases, including obesity. There is also some evidence that IF may help improve insulin sensitivity, which means fewer chances of developing diabetes. It may also support cellular repair, which means protection from diseases and free radicals.
CBD and Intermittent Fasting: A Natural Ally?
Can CBD support intermittent fasting? Actually, yes—in several ways.
Feeling less hungry
CBD interacts with the human endocannabinoid system, which regulates various bodily functions such as appetite, stress, and mood.
One of the most notable ways CBD could support fasting is because it may help manage hunger and curb food cravings. When you are not eating for several hours in a row, getting hungry and “hangry” can be a problem. CBD may help with hunger suppression, according to recent findings, although more research is necessary. This could be particularly helpful for IF beginners who have not yet mastered the early stages of intermittent fasting, i.e. the eating schedules and windows.
Feeling less stressed
A major issue that many people experience is emotional eating. They eat when they feel stressed or when anxiety is making their life difficult. CBD may help with anxiety and stress management. Taking CBD may thus help people manage their mental health and mood, which means they would be less prone to turn to food as an emotional companion.
Feeling better
Many people take CBD to manage pain and inflammation, thanks to its potential anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Part of the purpose of intermittent fasting is to boost cellular health and the body’s natural repair processes that are activated during fasting periods. CBD may give a helping hand to that process, helping you feel better in your body.
And how about the Keto diet?
The ketogenic diet, or Keto for short, drastically reduces carbohydrate intake and increases healthy fats to encourage the body to enter a state of ketosis. That’s the stage when fat becomes the primary energy source instead of glucose. The body utilizes fat to maintain its function and the sugar and glucose levels remain low. That’s how Keto may help with better health, increased energy levels, and low blood sugar levels.
There are different ways to adopt the Keto diet. Some people choose to focus on healthy fats and few proteins, such as 70% fats and 20% proteins. Others opt for a 5:2 Keto diet, whereby they eat healthy fats for 5 days and enjoy a more inclusive diet, including carbs, for 2 days. People who like to exercise add carbs to their diet before workouts and intensive gym sessions. Others yet choose a more balanced Keto diet with a more proportional division between healthy fats and proteins.
CBD and the Ketogenic Diet: Tackling “Keto Flu” and Beyond
The Keto diet has shown great potential for weight loss, increased energy, and mental sharpness. However, many people experience “keto flu” in the early stages—symptoms like fatigue, headaches, irritability, and nausea as the body adjusts to this new metabolic state. Switching from a carb-high diet to a carb-low one can be quite the challenge!
CBD and Keto flu
This is where CBD might help. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory effects, CBD may help ease the symptoms of Keto flu and reduce inflammation. It may thus help the body balance itself and make the transition into ketosis smoother.
Better mood
CBD’s impact on mood and stress levels may relieve the emotional strain that comes with sudden dietary changes. It may thus help people embarking on a Keto diet stay committed during the difficult first days or weeks.
Fat burning
Some evidence suggests that CBD may support fat metabolism, although research is still in its early stages. If that’s true, then CBD could improve how the body burns down fat and optimize this stage, boosted by the Keto diet itself.
Practical Tips for Taking CBD with Fasting or Keto
CBD can easily be included in your IF or Keto diet with a little bit of attention.
Intermittent fasting and CBD: the practicalities
Regarding IF, you can take CBD in the morning or at the start of a fasting window to help curb your appetite and strengthen your mood, as this may help you manage longer fasting times.
Many people take CBD even during their fasting window, especially if they choose CBD tinctures, oils, and capsules, all of which have very few calories. Intermittent fasting allows for 40 to 50 calories during the fasting period, and a drop of CBD contains less than 10. Be mindful of CBD gummies and other CBD edibles, as they may contain sugars and other ingredients.
For some CBD consumers, the best practice is to take CBD throughout the day to keep the CBD content in their bloodstream constant. They can switch between CBD products depending on whether they are in the eating or fasting window of their diet.
It’s good to start with a low dosage of around 10 to 15 mg and increase it incrementally over several days. Some people opt for micro-dosing, whereby they divide their daily CBD intake into smaller doses that they take at frequent intervals. Others like to take their CBD in one dose at a specific moment of the day that best suits their lifestyle and health expectations.
Ultimately, there is no right or wrong way: it’s up to you to decide how to include CBD in your daily life with intermittent fasting.
Keto and CBD: CBD loves healthy fats
The Keto diet focuses on healthy fats and proteins and limits the intake of carbs. This should guide you regarding the type of product you choose. Some CBD edibles and gummies are sugar-rich, which means they don’t combine well with the Keto diet. However, there are also plenty of CBD products that can help you achieve your eating expectations: CBD oils, tinctures, pills, and capsules don’t contain carbs or sugars. If in doubt, check the packaging and the content of your CBD product.
Also, CBD is lipophilic—i.e. it attaches to fatty tissues and doesn’t bind to water molecules. This makes it perfect for a Keto diet, as it emphasizes healthy fats such as an avocado smoothie. Simply add a few drops of CBD to your drink, thus boosting CBD’s bioavailability in your body while also sticking to your Keto diet.
CBD and dieting
CBD may help make intermittent fasting and Keto diet easier and more effective, easing initial challenges such as emotional and impulse eating and helping with mood swings.
Dieting and following a strict eating routine can cause stress and anxiety, which CBD may help mellow down. Thanks to its interaction with the endocannabinoid system, CBD may also boost fat metabolism and support how these two diets burn fat in the body.
CDB can easily adapt to the demands of each diet, as many CBD products don’t contain calories, sugars, or carbs. Some people choose to boost their CBD intake before their fasting window, while others prefer to have a consistent quantity of CBD in their bloodstream throughout the day. It all comes down to personal preferences.
A word of advice: the quality and source of CBD products are just as important as the timing of consumption. Choose high-quality, third-party-tested CBD products for absolute safety and reliability. Just check out our CBD oil reviews and our list of the best UK CBD stores to be sure that the CBD you purchase is as pure and effective as possible.
There is a growing field of wellness, and CBD could easily fit into it. As we improve our health practices, incorporating CBD products may help make us feel better and happier!
Nicholas Rossis, PhD is a specialized, NSF-trained writer who has written hundreds of posts on CBD and nutritional supplements. His work combines critical acclaim with the analysis of the latest news, studies, research, and legal developments in the world of CBD, providing readers with valuable data and insights.
