Nutritional Yeast

One of my favorite health food store products is nutritional yeast. Delicious little yellow flakes with a salty, cheesy flavor. I was first introduced to this wonderfood by my birthing class instructor, Holly. She suggested it as a healthful topping for popcorn. As a lover of popcorn I, of course, had to try it right away. Tried it. Loved it. Can't live without it.

Nutritional yeast should not be confused with brewers yeast (a by-product of beer) or baking yeast (a leavening agent). According to bestnaturalfoods.com, "Each batch of nutritional yeast is grown on a mixture of cane and beet molasses for a period of seven days. B-vitamins are added during the process to provide the yeast with the nutrients it needs to grow.  When harvested, the yeast is washed, pasteurized, and dried on roller drum dryers before it is ready for market". Nutritional yeast is produced specifically to be a nutritional food supplement. Speaking of the nutritional benefits of nutritional yeast, here they are:

Nutrients	Per 1 heaping tablespoon
Calories	60
Total Fat	1 gram
Carbohydrate	7 grams
Fiber	4 grams
Protein	8 grams
Sodium	5 milligrams
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)	640% Daily Value (DV)
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)	560% DV
Vitamin B3 (niacin)	280% DV
Vitamin B6	480% DV
Folic Acid	60% DV
Vitamin B12	130% DV
Selenium	30% DV
Zinc	20% DV

Clearly, nutritional yeast is an excellent source of B vitamins. According to associatedcontent.com, nutritional yeast is "one of the only non-animal sources of B12. B12 is important for healthy red blood cell production and is vital for normal nerve function since it maintains the myelin sheath that insulates nerve cells. A deficiency in B12 can cause irreversible nerve damage". It's also an excellent source of protein and fiber while low in fat, calories, and sodium. 

So how can you include this superfood in your diet? Try it in place of parmesan cheese or salt... on top of vegetables, popcorn, pizza, salad, chicken, pasta, soup, chili, etc... The possibilities are endless. Put some in a shaker and put it out with the salt and pepper. Make it accessible to yourself and your family and you'll find that you use it all the time! 

the myelin sheath that insulates nerve cells. A deficiency in B12 can cause irreversible nerve damage. One caveat. Not all nutritional yeast is a good source of B12, so it's important to do a little investigation before buying it". So how do you include this super food in your diet? Use it in the place of salt on things like popcorn, vegetables, eggs, rice, chicken, or potatoes. Put it in salad dressings, on toast or english muffins, or in soup or chili.