In The Spotlight: Cooking With CBD

Cooking with CBD How Leah Vanderveldt, author of The CBD Kitchen, harnesses the powers of this trendy plant to create a host of healthy dishes

- Chris Mann

When wellness expert and recipe developer Leah Vanderveldt sought out CBD oil to manage her anxiety and severe period pain, she found calming, anti-inflammatory relief— and culinary inspiration. The cookbook author devised dozens of ways to make the hemp-derived compound (which, unlike its counterpart THC, has no psychoactive effect) more inviting to those uneasy with its cannabis origins and earthy taste.

“I found CBD, while really popular at the moment, was intimidating for a lot of people when it first started gaining momentum,” Vanderveldt says. “When I talked about using it, I found people to be curious, but skeptical—or even scared to use it. So I wanted to clear up any misconceptions and share different ways for people to incorporate it into their routine. I know that the flavor of CBD is very strong, so finding ways to include it in meals can make it more palatable.”