A Beginner’s Guide to Cooking With CBD
Cooking with CBD is becoming increasingly popular due to its associated health benefits. Cooking or baking with CBD oil can seem difficult for first-timers, but you’ll be adjusting recipes and creating your own in no time.
Whether you’re craving something sweet or savory, here are some easy ways to incorporate CBD oil into your daily diet and why you should consider it.
What is CBD and what does it do?
CBD (short for “cannabidiol”) comes from cannabis, the same plant used for marijuana and hemp. While some products of the cannabis plant can get you high, CBD does not — it’s a natural healing remedy and does not contain any THC. After extraction from the cannabis plant, CBD is typically diluted with carrier oils, such as coconut or olive oil.
Research shows that incorporating CBD oil into your diet can help relieve chronic pain by reducing joint inflammation. CBD can also improve sleep quality and has anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects. CBD is thought to activate serotonin production in the brain, and it even has the potential to slow and reduce the spread of cancer cells in the body. These are just some of the main reasons for the popularity boom of CBD products from websites like Organic CBD Nugs, and why there are now so many ways to consume the substance, from vapes to gummies.
How do you cook with it?
Recipes that incorporate CBD oil are primarily focused on sweets because of CBD’s inherent bitterness. Before using CBD in cooking, it’s recommended that you infuse the oil with a fat or oil-based ingredient, like butter. That is because CBD is fat-soluble, meaning it dissolves can be better absorbed in that regard. Some CBD like Bluebird Botanicals CBD can come premixed with an oil base to facilitate absorption and provide nutrients so check carefully when you are buying a CBD product for cooking.
If you haven’t bought CBD oil before, you should do some research before spending any money. There are different brands and types of CBD to try out. Try starting out with something like Receptra CBD, which shows batch and potency information. Scientists and doctors consider CBD safe for human consumption due to a lack of serious side effects. However, it’s still a good idea to research the products you buy and ask a doctor if you have any doubts about incorporating CBD into your diet.
If you’ve never cooked with CBD before, start small — the taste of CBD oil is strong and it’s easy to use too much of it. It’s better to remake the recipe with a larger amount of CBD if you like it than to waste oil.
Basic recipes
Now that you’re familiar with all the benefits of CBD oil, how do you start? To test out different kinds of dosages without wasting too much time on preparing your food, try incorporating CBD oil into your smoothies. There are a ton of smoothie recipes which include CBD oil as an ingredient, but you can always try making your own. Smoothies are also a great way to mask the bitter taste.
For something sweeter, try making CBD oil-infused chocolate chip cookies. All you have to do is choose your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and add half an ounce of unflavored CBD oil to each cup of softened butter. For the best results, mix your CBD and butter together before adding any other ingredients.
Another great recipe idea to try is CBD-infused guacamole. Start by mashing three pitted and peeled avocados together in a bowl, and add the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, CBD oil, and lime juice. A teaspoon of CBD oil is recommended to prevent the guacamole from becoming too runny. Again, make sure to mix all ingredients thoroughly. You can add your guacamole to tacos, burritos, or just eat it plain with chips.
CBD (short for “cannabidiol”) comes from cannabis, the same plant used for marijuana and hemp. While some products of the cannabis plant can get you high, CBD does not — it’s a natural healing remedy and does not contain any THC. After extraction from the cannabis plant, CBD is typically diluted with carrier oils, such as coconut or olive oil.
