Benefits and Uses of Nutritional Yeast
Recipes and Ideas for Using Nooch as a Vegan Dietary Supplement
Oct 5, 2008
Loved by vegans and the health-conscious, nutritional yeast is one of those delightful foods that tastes great as well as being a health food.
How Nutritional Yeast is Made
Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast, meaning it can't be used to rise bread. The yeast is grown on cane and beet molasses. B vitamins derived from bacteria are added during the growing process. Then the yeast is dried and sold in flake or powder form. The appearance may differ according to brand, ranging from bright yellow to pale brown.
Nutritional yeast (often abbreviated to 'nooch' or 'newt') is not to be confused with brewer's yeast, a byproduct of the distilling process, or breadmaking yeast, which is kept active.
Nutritional Benefits of Nooch
Nutritional yeast contains high levels of B-complex vitamins, which help humans manage stress levels and aid in cell metabolism. Nutritional yeast is often added to pet foods to help dogs and cats maintain shiny coats and general health. In humans, B vitamins also help support a good metabolic rate, protect against pancreatic cancer and keep skin glowing.
Nooch is popular among vegans and vegetarians for containing the elusive vitamin B12, which is difficult to obtain outside animal products.
Nutritional yeast also contains folic acid and essential fatty acids.
How to Add Nutritional Yeast to Your Diet
The flavour of nutritional yeast is distinctive and savoury. It is commonly referred to as 'cheesy', and indeed is often used as a substitute for cheese; a more accurate description might be 'a mild Vegemite flavour'.
Nutritional yeast can be used in the following ways:
- sprinkled with olive oil over popcorn
- sprinkled on a baked potato with yoghurt or olive oil
- added to a white sauce to make a 'cheese' sauce for pasta, lasagna or vegetarian cauliflower cheese
- used to season chicken or fish
- added to bread dough for a 'cheese-stuffed' taste
- added to gravies, stews and soups
- sprinkled on salads
- eaten in grilled 'uncheese' sandwiches with onion and tomato sauce
For the more daring, nutritional yeast can be used to make a brick of 'uncheese'. Acting more or less like regular cheese, uncheese is made by combining nutriional yeast flakes with a boiled agar mixture and blending until smooth.
Buying Nutritional Yeast
Most health stores and some grocery stores stock nutritional yeast. The product may be known as 'savoury yeast flakes', and may be available in bulk as well as packaged. Brands include Red Star, Lotus, Healtheries and Engevita. Nutritional yeast can also be purchased in pill form, for those who ant the nutrients but don't like the taste.
