Nutritional yeast has gained popularity as a Superfood for vegans, vegetarians and those who require a dairy-free or gluten-free diet. It is useful to understand the difference between this type of yeast and the type of active yeast we commonly use for baking bread and brewing beer. That yeast enables bread to rise, for instance, and beer to ferment. Nutritional yeast, however, is an inactive or deactivated yeast, produced especially for consumption as a nutritional supplement.
It is cultivated on a combination of beet molasses and cane sugar and processed through fermentation and pasteurization at high temperatures before being dried and packaged. Some people are sensitive to active forms of yeast, but being inactive renders nutritional yeast more digestible to those more prone to allergies. Sold in the natural food aisles of many grocery stores and in natural food health stores, it comes as flakes or a granular yellow powder in packages.
Benefits of Nutritional Yeast
As more people become increasingly health-conscious and embrace vegetarianism or veganism, they seek reliable information on products and ingredients that supply nutritional benefits of meat in a vegetarian diet. Switching to plant-based meals can come with a few challenges in meeting some of the nutritional requirements, in particular, sources of iron, protein, fiber and vitamins B, including B12. Nutritional Yeast is a natural supplement that offers all the benefits of these nutritional elements and is very versatile and easy to incorporate in your meals. From soups, curries, pasta, rice to popcorn and savory snacks, this food supplement is simple to use anywhere.
How to Use Nutritional Yeast
1. Rice or Pasta
With a cheesy, nutty flavor, nutritional yeast lends itself wonderfully to a variety of pasta and rice dishes. If you're vegan, you can replace the cheese in sauces for pasta by adding it to a base prepared with olive oil, garlic and a generous sprinkling of the yeast along with vegetables of your choice with pasta. You can also add it to rice to create a flavorful dish by mixing it with vegan butter or olive oil, diced onions, broccoli, chopped carrots or other vegetables. Use it in ways you would use a cheese such as Parmesan to enhance the flavor and nutrition with fewer calories and very low fat content of regular cheese.
