10 Healthy Snacks For When The Munchies Strike

Scientists started exploring the mechanism that causes the “munchies”, or the irresistible sense of hunger that makes us craving for something to eat, right now. The THC contained in cannabis binds to our endocannabinoid receptors in different places and modifies our body. Cannabinoids also make our body release dopamine, which increases appetite.

Craving for food can be fun if we can avoid eating junk food, so let’s try to seize the munchies moments to taste something good and healthy. Here are some examples of yummy snacks with high nutritional value and little fats and sugars.

VEGETABLES DIPS

Vegetable dips are the quickest and healthiest way to satisfy your munchies monsters, so why not trying some veggies instead of falling immediately in the “dessert area” with snacks, chocolate and stuff? Always keep fresh, frozen or canned veggies at home: carrots, peppers, celery or any other veggie that you like to eat raw. You can buy your preferred dip sauces and you can even make your own. Just mix a small cup of olive oil with some chopped garlic, hot pepper, thyme or other herbs. The simplest and hottest dip sauce is ready.

HUMMUS

Hummus spreads from North Africa and Middle East to the entire world thanks to a perfect blend of mashed chickpeas or other beans with olive oil, tahini, lemon, salt and garlic. It is a yummy and healthy dip sauce, and it goes together perfectly with pita bread or with other African and Oriental dishes. Just heat the pita bread in the oven or in a pan with little olive oil and it’s ready to be dipped into a hummus bowl. Hummus contains proteins, while pita contains carbs. Add vitamins by just throwing some fresh veggies into your pita hummus sandwich when you want to fight the munchies with a full meal.

POPCORN

Popcorn is a classical munchies food. Their unique texture and their ability to collect salt just make them an evergreen that resists many generations of chewers. They are the easiest recipe to make: just pop them in the hot pan with a tiny bit of oil, then add salt or any dry garnish you like, such as hot pepper powder, curry, herbs.

GRAPES

Grapes and cannabis share some delicate flavours and some cannabis strains also have a taste of grapes. Beside the variety you are smoking, grapes are a great food to accompany your relaxing sessions and to face the eventual munchies. Grapes actually refresh our mouth and give our body some useful water and minerals. In addition to grapes, any kind of berry is super cool with cannabis. Berries can also be mixed with cereals and yoghurt in order to make a cup of super anti-munchies energetic food.

MANGOES

Mangoes are used in chutneys, pickles, side dishes, juices, ice creams. It can be consumed raw with dippings and sauces. This tropical fruit contains vitamins and many phytochemicals that are supposed to have beneficial effects. Some of them are similar to cannabis plant’s ones. These two vegetables have similar and complementary terpenes profiles and eating mango can actually increase cannabis' effects on our brain and body. You can just combine mango with any of the anti-munchies food mentioned above.

NUTS

Nuts are food cravers’ favourite almost like popcorn. They can satisfy the stoned chewer both alone or mixed with fruits and creams. Almonds, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, macadamia, pine nuts, hazelnuts, they are all sources of some vitamins, minerals, good fats and antioxidants. Eat them raw, not roasted. They have a low carbs and sugars content, and they can protect from heart diseases. Cannabis seeds are nuts too, and they are among the best ones. You can sprinkle organic hemp seeds on you salad, pizza, or into a dipping cream.

TRAIL MIX

Trail mix is a combination of dried fruit, nuts, and sometimes chocolate. It is easy to prepare and store, and it is very energizing. When chocolate or other sweets are added it can become even too much energetic, which means you can get fat eating it.

GREEK YOGHURT

Greek Yogurt is something everyone comes back from Greece in love with. This yogurt is thicker than the regular one. It has fewer carbohydrates and sugar, and more proteins. It contains vitamin B12 and a lot of probiotic microorganisms which are good for our intestine. A bowl of Greek yogurt is the perfect foundation to be topped with any nuts, cereals and fruit you desire. It can also be used to prepare many savory or sweet snacks too. Eat as much as your belly can afford. By the way, this ancient food was invented in Bulgaria. Maybe the brand “Bulgarian Yogurt” would have been less appealing on our supermarket shelves?

MÜESLI

Breakfast cereals, granola, müesli, whatever popped and roasted cereals in funny-coloured packages you like to sink into some milk or just eat from the box. These cereals are a bit tricky because they can contain added sugars, and they are quite caloric themselves. For sure they are healthier than any industrial snack or junk food, but it’s better to consider them a dessert not a main dish in your munchies diet.

DARK CHOCOLATE

Dark chocolate is the most psychoactive and fragrant food you can eat when you have munchies or whenever you want to recover from fatigue and stress. Cocoa contains theobromine and other chemicals that help our brain to be happy and live longer. Only buy chocolate with a high cocoa percentage: 70 percent is the minimum, 85 percent is better and we can go further. Compare different dark chocolates in the same munchies session. Challenge yourself with higher and higher cocoa rates and you’ll never come back to “sweet” chocolate. Conversely, the less cocoa in your chocolate, the more fats and sugars will be among the ingredients.

Adam Parsons

Professional cannabis journalist, copywriter, and author Adam Parsons is a long-time staff member of Zamnesia. Tasked with covering a wide range of topics from CBD to psychedelics and everything in between, Adam creates blog posts, guides, and explores an ever-growing range of products.

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