Vaping continues to be a popular choice for many consumers, especially for vapers who enjoy a quick, discreet hit of a THC oil cartridge. While vaping is pretty mainstream, even veteran vapers have questions from time to time. One of the most interesting questions we regularly get from customers is, "Does vaping have calories?"
In this article, we'll take a quick look at whether or not vaping has calories if it can make you gain weight, and if it interferes with certain, niche diets (like keto).
Should You Be Counting Calories While You Vape?
The short answer is "technically yes, but practically no." Vaping does have calories, but the amount is so small that it won't have a meaningful effect on your weight. You should note that this applies only to e-liquids or vape juice. If you're vaping THC oils, you're getting so few calories that it would be difficult to measure.
How Many Calories Are In a Vape Hit?
Most estimates set the calories in vaping at about 5 per 1 ml of liquid. So, for example, a full 30 ml bottle will have roughly 150 calories.
To put this in context, a typical can of soda has about 150 calories. Considering how long a 30 ml bottle of vape juice last for the vast majority of vapers, you aren't going to get meaningful caloric intake from vaping.
If you look at THC oil vaping, it's even less calories. THC oil doesn't contain vegetable glycerin, which is where the bulk of calories in vape juice comes from. If you're concerned that your favorite oil cartridge is going to make you gain, you can vape worry-free (though you should be on the lookout for the munchies)!
Where Do Vaping Calories Go?
This is an ongoing debate. Vape juice does have calories, but whether or not you can absorb those calories through your lungs in any meaningful way is currently unknown. There is a very good chance that you can't absorb vaping calories at all, which means it doesn't matter how many calories are in your preferred vape juice.
Can Vaping Make Me Gain Weight?
Since there isn't any evidence that you can gain calories through your lungs, that means there isn't any evidence that vaping will make you gain weight, either. In fact, Herbert Gilbert, the first person to file a patent on a vaping device, originally marketed his invention as a possible weight-loss tool. Currently, there's nothing to suggest that you can gain weight through vaping.
What About Vaping While Fasting or on a Keto Diet?
Not only is there no evidence to suggest you can gain weight from vaping, there also isn't evidence that vaping can alter your blood sugar. Vaping won't impact a keto diet, and it won't have a negative physical impact if you are intermittent fasting. Feel free to vape without worrying about ruining either one of these diet regimens.
If you're fasting for religious reasons, it'll be up to you whether or not vaping is appropriate.
Vaping and General Health
Just because you can't gain weight from vaping doesn't mean there aren't concerns to keep in mind. Specifically, you should keep in mind the dangers that are associated with vaping nicotine. If you are vaping THC or CBD oils, there aren't any concrete health issues to be concerned with for now, but research in this area is still pretty early and ongoing.
If you're vaping THC or CBD as part of managing pain or mental health, you should talk with your doctor about any specific concerns you may have, especially if you take prescription medication. Keep in mind that the best strains of weed for someone else may not be the best strains for your specific needs!
Conclusion
You won't need to worry about gaining weight from vaping, so feel free to vape guilt-free! It's pretty easy to find a vape pen for sale online, and we would love to answer specific questions you may have about a vape pen that will work for you.
