Yeast: Nutrition & Benefits

by Arpita Wadhawan
Yeast

Put in straight words, nutritional yeast is actually deactivated yeast sold commercially as a food product. It is generally a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In the vegan world, nutritional yeast is seen as a wonder food. It is also used as an ingredient in vegetarian cooking too.

Sold in the form of a yellow powder or flakes it is easily available at food stores. Nutritional yeast is a good source of vitamin B complex and minerals. It has a cheesy, creamy and a very nutty flavor. So much so that vegans often use it in place of cheese as a topping or a flavoring agent.

On an average, two tablespoons (about 30 ml) of nutritional yeast provides 60 calories with 5 g of carbohydrates and fiber, protein (providing all nine amino acids the human body cannot produce. It is also a source of iron. The popular food products of vegemite, marmite and vegan cheese are made of nutritional yeast.

Yeast

Nutritional yeast is grown specifically as a food product. To produce it, the cells are grown for many days on sugar rich molasses. This is then deactivated with heat, harvested, washed, dried and crumbled and then packaged. There are two types of nutritional yeast.

  • Fortified – This contains synthetic vitamins which are added to boost the nutrient value.
  • Unfortified – This doesn’t contain any added vitamins or minerals.

Nutritional yeast is very adaptable and can be used for any type of diet or cooking style. It is very low in calories, practically fat free. It is low in sodium and is sugar free, and gluten free too. It contains powerful anti-oxidants which help to repair body cells and helps to flush out environmental toxins.

It helps to boost the body’s immunity and reduces the frequency of infections. It helps to lower the cholesterol levels substantially. Though it is safe to use nutritional yeast, those allergic to it should abstain from using it.

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