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CBD oil has risen in popularity in recent years. Coincidentally, so have the number of people in the US who eat a vegan or vegetarian diet.(1) Many people around the world are also interested in incorporating more plants into their diet even if they aren’t ready for a veg-only commitment.(2)
Parallel to these plant-based diet trends, one-third of Americans have used CBD oil as of 2020.(3)
Combined, these stats suggest that folks are aware of the perks of consuming more plants and leaning into plant-based options.
Whether you dabble with a plant-based diet or are completely vegan or vegetarian, CBD oil has many benefits. In this article, we’re vegging out on why and how CBD can be used to elevate a plant-focused lifestyle.
If that sounds like your bowl of rice pilaf, grab a fork and let’s dig in!
If you’re no newbie to a plant-based diet, feel free to skip down to the next section.
For those who are curious about learning more about veganism, vegetarianism, and plant-based eating, we’ll lay out the basics here.
Vegetarians don’t eat meat or fish, but may still eat some animal products such as eggs and dairy.
A vegan diet is a diet that contains no animal products. That means avoiding the usual suspects such as dairy, meat, eggs, and fish.
It also means nixing some not so usual suspects:
Basically, anything that’s produced by or at the cost of animals is avoided.
Everything else is fair game (but not the animal kind of game — like deer and fowl): fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, seeds, nuts, and grains. There are plenty of processed vegan food options that allow you to get your fix of sweet, savory, and everything in between.
If you’re thinking the vegan no-gos above wouldn’t work out for you for many reasons — where you live, what food options are available to you, your household dynamics — that doesn’t mean you can’t go vegetarian or lean toward a plant-based diet. Diet is a spectrum, after all, and you can feast more towards the bunny chow end of it than the polar bear feed end.
The difference between plant-based eating and a vegan diet is:
There are still ample benefits when you eat plant-based, even if you aren’t 100% vegan. Which brings us to our next point...
The facts are simple: A plant-based diet can help prevent heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. It may also help improve cholesterol, decrease the risk of cancer, and protect brain health.(4) You know, no big deal or anything….
CBD oil is also derived from plants — hemp, hemp, hooray! — and it shares some of the same advantages. More on that in a moment.
Eating more plants and less animal products doesn’t only benefit humans, either. It also reduces the environmental footprint of your diet.(5) And, because our complex food system isn’t always kind to animals, choosing not to eat animal products can help sway the system in a more humane direction.
Whatever the “why” behind your plant-based foodie goals may be, CBD is a plant-based friend to herbivores and the veggie-curious alike.
Let’s peel these layers back to better understand how CBD oil fits into a plant-based life.
One of the reasons a plant-based diet is so darn good for you is the nearly magical properties of plants.
In addition to vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, plants contain a powerful type of antioxidants called polyphenols. These microscopic superheroes are able to save cells from damage, in turn preventing cancer and other diseases.(6) Talk about some super foods!
CBD oil is a hemp (or marijuana) extract that’s naturally rich in polyphenols, especially terpenes and flavonoids. That means every dose of CBD is an extra boost to your clean eating efforts.
Research has found that polyphenols can:
This short list is really the tip of the iceberg lettuce (“cos” we all know how many layers that veg has) of what polyphenols can do for you.
To learn more about polyphenols in CBD oil and CBD’s benefits, head to the CBD For Health section of our blog in the top menu bar.
If eating plants is part of your approach to be gentler on the earth, CBD oil will fit right in!
CBD oil can be extracted from any variety of cannabis sativa L. That could be a strain of marijuana, which is cannabis with more than 0.3% THC, the psychoactive compound in the plant. But CBD is more abundant in hemp, which has virtually no THC.
The 2018 US Farm Bill made industrial hemp (hemp with up to 0.3% THC) legal.
Now that industrial hemp is federally legal, it has a multitude of approved uses from food to fuel to fibers for clothes and paper. And don’t forget CBD oil! The entire hemp plant can be used in some way.
On top of all that, hemp is a fast-growing crop that helps regenerate the soil. And it does a stellar job of capturing carbon from the atmosphere.(10) It should really get a medal or something for being so awesome.
Since conventional hemp farming can involve pesticides and other agricultural chemicals, be sure to choose products made with organically-grown hemp.
CBD is easy to come by these days, and you may be tempted to start using any CBD product you find. But not all CBD is right for a plant-based diet. Here’s what to look out for to make sure your CBD oil aligns with your diet and ethics.
While pure CBD oil is plant-based, other ingredients in CBD products aren’t. Even if you aren’t strictly vegan, it’s a good idea to carefully inspect the ingredients so you know exactly what you’re putting into your body.
With additives like non-vegan sugar and animal-derived gelatin, CBD vegan gummies can be especially hard to come by. We know finding vegan CBD products can be tough enough, so we clearly list all ingredients in our vegan gummies and vegan-friendly CBD oil drops. At Pure Craft, we also clearly mark our vegan products with a leafy “Vegan” seal on our website — so it’s quick and easy for you to shop with confidence.
CBD oil made from non-organic hemp may contain traces of toxic chemicals. Those chemicals aren’t good for your body or the planet.
When you go for organic CBD oil — like the stuff you find at Pure Craft — getting a superior product. Plus, you’re supporting hemp farmers using organic and sustainable methods.
You may have noticed that some vegan supplements and CBD products have more of an effect than others. That’s likely at least due in part to bioavailability — the absorbability and usability of the CBD by your body.
One sure-fire way to improve bioavailability is through nanotechnology, a process that makes the particles super tiny. Nano-optimized CBD oil is the best way to juice every bit of goodness out of your vegan CBD regimen.
Nutrient-dense, plant-focused diets have many health benefits associated with them. With its wealth of botanical goodness, CBD oil could be a simple way for you to level-up your vegan, vegetarian, or veg-heavy diet even more.
You may have to do a bit of searching to find cruelty-free CBD products made from organically-grown hemp. But considering the wellness wins CBD can bring to your lifestyle, it’s worth a few minutes of research. At the end of the day, you’ll feel good knowing that your plant-based purchase is doing good for your body, the planet, and animals.
References
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