Nutritional Yeast


Nutritional Yeast

Welcome to The Best Natural Foods Topics of Interest Section. This page provides an overview of the topic of nutritional yeast. You can find more detailed information about nutritional yeast and other important dietary topics in our new book, The Best Natural Foods on the Market Today.

Nutritional yeast is a tasty product you can find in natural foods markets. These yellow flakes are a pure strain of yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In the same family as edible mushrooms, yeast has been used in food and beverage production for more than 5,000 years. Today, the same strain is used to brew beer, make wine, and leaven breads as well as develop the nutritionally-rich food called nutritional yeast *.

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. It is then used by food manufacturers in food products, added to boost the nutrient levels in pet foods, and simply packaged for sale in natural foods stores.

Red Star® is the leading producer of this product, providing almost all of the nutritional yeast sold in the bulk section of natural foods markets. Vegans (strict vegetarians) have used it for years as a source of vitamin B-12, an essential nutrient found primarily in animal products. Health seekers who strive to eat primarily a whole foods diet use nutritional yeast because it tastes really good with certain foods and adds extra nutrients to their diet. It can be added when you cook quinoa in quinoa recipes, in salad dressings made with flax seed oil, or even sprinkled on top of free range chicken.

Unlike active baking yeast, nutritional yeast is grown solely for its nutritional value. It should not be confused with brewer’s yeast, a by-product of breweries and distilleries. nutritional yeast is a low-fat, low-sodium, kosher, non-GMO food that contains no added sugars or preservatives. The cane and beet molasses used in the growing process does not make nutritional yeast sweet and is not a source of simple sugars.

Ingredients of Red Star Nutritional Yeast:

Inactive dry yeast, vitamin B3, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12

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

If you are interested in adding nutritional yeast to your diet, you may also be interested in exploring almond butter, Organic Valley organic milk, and the healthy smoothie recipe which can be found in The Best Natural Foods on the Market Today- A Yuppies Guide to Hippie Food, Vol.1. In addition to great recipes and valuable coupons, this book also talks about the benefit of omega 3 eggs and the role trans fat plays in our diet.

*Important Note: Nutritional yeast DOES NOT contain active yeast.  It is generally considered acceptable in moderate amounts for those following a diet designed to manage Candida albicans. Also, remember that there is a significant difference between brewer’s yeast and nutritional yeast.
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