I discovered nutritional yeast this year. It took quite a while for me to even know it existed but since I found out about it, I've been hooked! Many vegetarians and vegans like using nutritional yeast for it's cheesy, nutty flavor.
So, what are the health benefits of nutritional yeast? And...how do you incorporate it into your diet? Here are some facts and suggestions.
PROTEIN: If you are a meat eater, you probably don't have to worry about getting enough protein in your diet. However, there are vegetarians and vegans who need extra help getting the protein they need. Along with lentils, beans, quinoa, soybeans and nuts, you can get additional protein by adding nutritional yeast to your meals. One ounce contains 14 grams of protein and 79 calories.
FIBER: Nutritional yeast has lots of fiber. Nutritionists recommend eating 25-30 grams of fiber a day. Nutritional yeast will provide more than 7 grams in an ounce.
B VITAMINS: The yellow color in nutritional yeast comes from the B vitamin riboflavin. It is rich in B-complex vitamins which makes it important for people not getting their B vitamins from other sources. Many brands of nutritional yeast also contain vitamin B12 (Red Star is one of them; Bragg's another but do your research and don't rely solely on that for your B12 consumption). Why is B12 so important? It is essential for red blood cell production which carries oxygen through the blood to your body's tissues. It also maintains the myelin sheath that insulates nerve cells (people with MS have a damaged myelin sheath). Vegetarians and vegans will not get their B12 from plant sources so if you are one, you need alternative ways to get this very important vitamin.
Be sure to store nutritional yeast in a dark place, because light degrades its riboflavin stores.
Now, how do you use nutritional yeast? Here are some suggestions I found on ecorazzi.com. Enjoy!
Pop Corn - Sprinkle the powder along with a drizzle olive oil and a dash of sea salt onto popcorn just popped for a cheesy touch.
Pizza - Top a pizza with different roasted vegetables and a great marinara sauce and add nutritional yeast - if you don't eat cheese - you'll get the cheesy flavor.
Bread Crumbs - Use nutritional yeast to hold together veggie burgers or any other patty that would normally require bread crumbs.
Pasta - Skip the grated parmesan and sprinkle nutritional yeast atop warm pasta along with some garlic powder and a drizzle of olive oil. The combination of flavors makes for a dish that doesn’t miss a thing.
Roasted Vegetables - Stir nutritional yeast into roasted vegetables instead. When warmed by the vegetables, the yeast creates a creamy, smooth sauce.
Roasted Nuts - Roast nuts that have been tossed in some nutritional yeast. The roasted flavor will be augmented and the nuts will have a slightly cheesy coating on the skin.
Creamy Cooked Greens - Cooked spinach pairs well with cream and cheese, but you can replace those heavier add-ins with a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast and then watch as the bare spinach suddenly becomes decadently creamy and bold in flavor.
Baby Formula - If a baby is using formula in place of breast feeding, it is recommended to add nutritional yeast to the infant formula. Nutritional yeast provides B12, iron and folic acid, which are essential to growth.
Pizza - Top a pizza with different roasted vegetables and a great marinara sauce and add nutritional yeast - if you don't eat cheese - you'll get the cheesy flavor.
Bread Crumbs - Use nutritional yeast to hold together veggie burgers or any other patty that would normally require bread crumbs.
Pasta - Skip the grated parmesan and sprinkle nutritional yeast atop warm pasta along with some garlic powder and a drizzle of olive oil. The combination of flavors makes for a dish that doesn’t miss a thing.
Roasted Vegetables - Stir nutritional yeast into roasted vegetables instead. When warmed by the vegetables, the yeast creates a creamy, smooth sauce.
Roasted Nuts - Roast nuts that have been tossed in some nutritional yeast. The roasted flavor will be augmented and the nuts will have a slightly cheesy coating on the skin.
Creamy Cooked Greens - Cooked spinach pairs well with cream and cheese, but you can replace those heavier add-ins with a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast and then watch as the bare spinach suddenly becomes decadently creamy and bold in flavor.
Baby Formula - If a baby is using formula in place of breast feeding, it is recommended to add nutritional yeast to the infant formula. Nutritional yeast provides B12, iron and folic acid, which are essential to growth.
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