At Yeast It’s Nutritional!
A Bite-Size Read for Your Health and Your Waistline
Are you a cheese lover? Avoiding dairy? Gluten-free? Vegan or trying to shift to a plant-forward diet? Or a parent to kids that complain about their vegetables? If your answer is “yes” to any (or all!) of these, give nutritional yeast a taste!
Let’s clarify. It’s not the kind you used in the bread baked at the beginning of the pandemic. That yeast, used for alcohol and bread, is a live bacteria grown for the purposes of being a chemical element. Nutritional yeast, however, is a species specifically grown to be its own food product that could be eaten on its own; I recommend using it as a seasoning! It’s perfect on eggs, salads, soups, popcorn, pasta — anything that would taste great with cheese! I also love mixing it up with avocado to make a dip for veggies.
Nutritional yeast is great for our health, not just our taste buds! It is naturally a complete protein, low in sodium, gluten-free, fat-free, sugar-free, and vegan. The impressive amount of B vitamins it boasts makes for an even better food addition for those who don’t eat animal protein, or are looking to healthfully replace animal protein in their nutrition, because they are more likely to have B vitamin deficiencies. Nutritional yeast also contains trace amounts of vital minerals such as zinc, selenium, and manganese. Sprinkling a little on top of steamed broccoli can help introduce variety into meals, improve taste, and ensure all your nutritional needs are met!
For those thinking this all sounds too good to be true, it’s not! But there are some things to keep in mind. As with everything, always read the nutrition labels. There are fortified and unfortified versions of nutritional yeast. When manufacturers use the word “fortified” (it’s also commonly seen with cereals, flours, and bread), it means they’re adding in nutrients, which isn’t always bad but I prefer the unfortified for nutritional yeast. You’ll also want to check the serving size. Just a few tablespoons can give you a whole meal’s worth of protein. In addition, if you have inflammatory bowel issues or are prone to migraines and headaches, you may want to avoid nutritional yeast. It could potentially trigger these sensitivities.
The next time you’re at the grocery store, check out the health food or seasoning aisles to pick up nutritional yeast for your pantry! It’s a great way to add some extra flavor and nutrients without allergens.
