All About Nutritional Yeast

Although becoming a vegan can have numerous health benefits, there is a high risk of 
missing out on key nutrients like vitamin B12 and zinc. Taking supplements on a daily 
basis can replace these nutrients that vegans tend to need the most. If you want a tasty 
alternative to taking vitamin supplements or to add even more nutrition to your diet, you 
should consider nutritional yeast.  
 

What is Nutritional Yeast?
 
Nutritional yeast is actually the same species of yeast used for brewing beer and baking 
bread with. The scientific name for yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae. However, this 
yeast is processed and prepared in a way that makes it a unique product altogether. 
The primary difference between nutritional yeast and brewer's or bakers yeast is that 
nutritional yeast spores are made dormant during the manufacturing process.  
 
This kind of yeast is used mainly for cooking purposes and can be described as having 
a nutty or cheesy flavor that makes food more appetizing. This is especially true for 
vegan dishes. It can add that "meaty" flavor to foods that make them tasty for 
vegetarians and vegans. Nutritional yeast can be added to many other kinds of foods, 
not just vegetarian or vegan dishes. It can also be taken by itself as a vitamin 
supplement.  
 

Adding Nutritional Yeast to Food
 
If you are vegan, you will love the cheesy flavor that nutritional yeast will add to your 
meals. Nutritional yeast is a gluten-free food, much to the delight of those who are 
allergic to gluten. It can be used as a topping for imitation pasta dishes that are much 
healthier. An example of this is zucchini and squash noodles. After preparing your 
favorite squash and zucchini recipe, sprinkle a little nutritional yeast on top for a flavor 
that can easily replace the flavor of Parmesan cheese.  
 
Use nutritional yeast to season your all-natural mashed potatoes. Instead of adding milk 
and cheese, add a good sprinkle of nutritional yeast instead. If you use olive oil, or 
some other healthy oil of your choice, you will not miss out on the flavor of rich, creamy 
mashed potatoes.  
 

Nutritional Yeast as a Health Supplement
 
Nutritional yeast is very high in protein and contains at least fifteen different minerals. 
These include zinc, selenium and iron. It includes all of the eighteen amino acids that 
are crucial for digesting food, repairing bodily tissues and building muscle. If you take B 
vitamins, you should know that nutritional yeast can provide you with naturally-occurring 
B-vitamin complex.  
 
You can easily make yourself a warm tea made with nutritional yeast for a healthy boost 
in the morning, day or night. Simply boil enough purified water to fill your tea cup. Add 
two tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the hot water and squeeze some fresh lemon 
juice into the mixture. Stir and enjoy it while it's warm. If you want to, you can add a 
spice like cayenne pepper to make it more interesting. As you get used to consuming 
nutritional yeast, you will find more inventive ways of consuming it.
