The Benefits of Nutritional Yeast
An underrated ingredient, nutritional yeast can have a surprising number of benefits.
It is an inactive yeast (a deactivated strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae aka a good fungi!), produced from sugarcane, whey, blackstrap molasses or wood pulp. It is also known as ‘nooch’ or savoury yeast. When the yeast is harvested, it is washed, concentrated and then pasteurised (heat treated) so that it stops growing. It is then crumbled, flaked or turned into granules and sold in bulk or pre-packaged forms. It is frequently found in the condiment or baking section of your supermarket and other food stores. You should hopefully be able to easily access both a fortified and un-fortified version.
Nutritional yeast is yellowish in colour and has a tangy, nutty, cheesy flavour. There are many uses for nutritional yeast. You can even sprinkle it (like salt) over your popcorn, salads, cheese toasties, or smoothies or; stir it into soup, stews, macaroni cheese, pasta etc. It will also work as a thickener. The only thing it can’t do is be used like bakers’ yeast for baking as it is an inactive yeast.
Nutritional yeast gives you an extra nutrient boost thanks to it being a low calorie, complete protein super-food. It is jam-packed with vitamins and minerals, in particular B-complex vitamins, iron, zinc and selenium. It’s also gluten free; and low in calories, fat, and sodium. Looking at the nutrition facts of fortified nutritional yeast in more detail, 1 serving (85g or ¼ cup) contains:
- 60 calories
- 9g protein
- 0.5g fat
- 5g carbohydrates
- Almost 22g fibre
According to The Journal of Fungi ‘Several clinical investigations have declared the related yeast Sacchromyces. cerevisiae var. boulardii a biotherapeutic agent due to its antibacterial, antiviral, anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory properties. Thanks to all the great components found in nutritional yeast it can have the following benefits:
- Improve gastrointestinal function: It can be especially beneficial for those with diarrhoea, appetite loss and certain types of sugar malabsorption.
- Improves immune function: This includes repairing your cells, and preventing cancer. Nutritional yeast also has helpful anti-‘bug’ properties especially against ‘bad’ yeasts like candida, and those ‘bugs’ that are often in the news-salmonella and E.coli. This is partly through its probiotic effects.
- Good source of protein: protein is a super essential food component, found also in meats, fish, dairy, nuts, seeds, eggs, beans etc. Protein is an essential building block for humans and is made up of amino acids. Nutritional yeast contains at least 9 of the 18 so called essential amino acids that our body can’t make, that instead we need to ingest. This makes it a helpful tool for vegans and vegetarians who can find it challenging to get enough protein in their diet to provide these essential amino acids.
- Contains high vitamin B12 (especially if fortified): With around 6% people being deficient in B12 according to surveys (though the true number, based on my patient group, is likely higher) it is important to supplement with B12. B12 has many essential benefits including production of our oxygen carrying red blood cells, DNA synthesis, energy production, and supporting our nervous system.
Lastly, let’s talk about the safety of nutritional yeast. If you have a yeast allergy, then theoretically, you may react to nutritional yeast. However, it is likely you won’t, due to how nutritional yeast is processed and deactivated. However, as a general rule, it is always best to cautiously try new foods by using small amounts, e.g. a teaspoon, to see if you react to it.
So give it go, you may find it’s your new favourite ingredient. And because of its cheesy flavour your kids may too!
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