Nutritional yeast offers a bevy of health benefits, especially for those individuals following a vegetarian or vegan diet. While this type of yeast has been popular in the non-animal ingesting crowd for many years, its benefits can help herbivores and carnivores alike. Nutritional yeast has a nutty, cheese-like flavor, which makes it easy to incorporate into your diet.

LEARNING ABOUT NUTRITIONAL YEAST
Nutritional yeast comes from a type of yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which has many uses. Active forms of this yeast can be used to make bread, kombucha or beer. Inactivated nutritional yeast, on the other hand, cannot be used for these purposes, but also doesn’t lead to yeast overgrowth or infection in your body. Inactivated nutritional yeast comes in a dried, flaked form.

Nutritional yeast grows on sugar beets, sugar beet molasses or sugarcane molasses. In some cases, nutritional yeast can be grown on grains. It’s important to verify with the manufacturer how it was grown if you follow a gluten-free diet. Nutritional yeast is primarily grown for supplemental use.

NUTRITIONAL YEAST BENEFITS
Nutritional yeast has many health benefits and is a rich source of many nutrients. Nutritional yeast includes at least 17 vitamins, 14 minerals, amino acids, phosphorus, chromium and much more.

Nutritional yeast contains vitamin B12, which is crucial for the production of red blood cells and for producing myelin, the protective insulation around your nerves. B12 most often comes from animal sources, which makes nutritional yeast attractive for vegans and vegetarians.
Vegans and vegetarians also can benefit from the high protein content of nutritional yeast. Two tablespoons of nutritional yeast contain nine grams of protein, which is more than one cup of milk, a large egg or one ounce of beef.
Nutritional yeast has antibacterial and antiviral properties, which make it useful for treating chronic acne, diarrhea, loss of appetite and it helps stimulate the immune system.
A great source of folic acid, nutritional yeast has many benefits for pregnant women, or those trying to get pregnant. Folic acid helps prevent spina bifida and other major birth defects. If you’re not trying to get pregnant, folic acid plays an important role in cell maintenance and production.
Nutritional yeast provides three grams of fiber per tiny serving. Fiber helps with overall gut health and functional digestion. Fiber helps our systems regulate blood sugar, giving us more sustainable stores of energy throughout the day.
Wondering how to incorporate nutritional yeast into your diet? Try using it as a parmesan cheese alternative on popcorn or spaghetti. It also can be mixed into soups, curries and stews to add flavor and help them thicken. Nutritional yeast blends well with vegetable dishes, especially kale, peas and carrots. Add both flavor and health benefit to your diet by incorporating nutritional yeast, which is available at Livonia Glatt Market.

SOURCES:
Sorting Out Yeast: Nutritional and Brewer’s. Mercola.com. April 4, 2016.
Seinberg, Sara. 5 Reasons Why I’m Obsessed With Nutritional Yeast. Mindbodygreen.com. January 11, 2013.