Monday, September 17, 2012

Nutritional Yeast - What is it? (Product Review Part 1)

Nutritional Yeast. Neither of those words sound appealing nor appetizing. It sounds at best maybe like something you would add to your plant feed.

It took me a really long time to try nutritional yeast for the first time. I'd seen many health food bloggers mention it before and use it regularly in their diets. But whenever I was at the grocery store, I felt it was hard to commit to spending $8 on a large tub of the stuff that could very well make me want to vomit... (don't worry, it was much the opposite).

One day I saw it at my local health food store in the bulk bin. I was hooked instantly -- I bought a small bag of it and started putting it into different foods, and the rest is history. From that point on, I've been buying it as a staple; it shows up on my shopping list just as regularly as milk and eggs. :)

Since the first time I tried it, I have been on a mission to find the best nutritional yeast available.


What is it?
Also known as "nooch", nutritional yeast is a type of dried and deactivated yeast that is commonly used as seasoning or condiment ingredient in vegan and vegetarian diets. It has a cheesy and nutty taste, with plenty of umami flavor. It is typically sold as flakes or as fine powder and can easily be used as a straight seasoning (eg. on salads or popcorn), or cooked into food to impart a cheesy flavor to certain dishes (eg. pasta, casseroles).

The strain of yeast cultured to make nutritional yeast is usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The sample is cultured for several days in a sugar-based medium such as cane sugar or beet molasses. The yeast is then heated to pasteurize the product and dried to create the flaky / powdery product that is sold in grocery stores.

Delicious large-flake nutritional yeast


Nutritional Information
Nutritional yeast is naturally low in calories, low in fat, high in fiber, and high in protein. There are about 10-15 calories per tablespoon (depending on whether you buy flakes or powder). This makes it a great supplement for individuals who are watching their calories but looking to get in some extra fiber and protein. Some nutritional yeast products with also be additionally fortified with vitamin B12 which is a common deficiency among vegetarians and vegans.

Side note: if you eat too much vitamin B12, your body will pass a lot of it in your urine as vitamin B is a water-soluble vitamin. It turns your urine bright yellow, so if you're wondering why your pee is more yellow than usual.... consider yourself warned.

Nutritional Info from Purely Bulk package

Nutritional Info from Bob's Red Mill package


Uses of Nutritional Yeast
Because of its nutty and cheesy flavor, nutritional yeast is often used as a substitute or partial substitute in place of cheese for vegetarian/vegan version of certain recipes. For instance, it can be used to make cheese sauces for pasta dishes.

My favorite way to use nutritional yeast is still the most basic -- I really enjoy sprinkling it straight onto salads and popcorn. Sometimes I will mix nutritional yeast with garlic powder and a pinch of salt to give it additional flavor and then put it on my salads.... and that tastes delicious too.

.. and then sometimes, sometimes, I just eat it straight from the container with a spoon. Because I like it just that much. :)


See: Part 2 for my comparative product review.





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