A bottle of nutritional yeast can be easily obtained from your local health foods store. No, it’s not for those who love to bake as it’s a deactivated form of yeast — it’s no use for making pastries and other baked treats. Rather, nutritional yeast is for people who like to be healthy!
Nutritional yeast is popular among vegans. Usually, they employ this yellow ingredient as a substitute for cheese, thanks to its nutty and cheesy flavor. But thanks to its savory taste, nutritional yeast can be added to a lot of dishes!
What makes nutritional yeast so appealing (other than its characteristic flavor) is the fact that it’s dense in nutrients. Vegans, in particular, love it because it is loaded with B vitamins. Since some of the top food sources of B vitamins are meat and various animal products that vegans cannot consume, they turn to B vitamin-rich nutritional yeast for energy synthesis and healthy nerves and brain.
Nutritional yeast is also regarded as a complete protein. This means that it supplies all the 8 amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein, that your body cannot manufacture on its own. Plus nutritional yeast has fiber, magnesium, zinc, and a little of iron and manganese.
Furthermore, this very popular cheese substitute is very low in saturated fats and very low in cholesterol, saving your arteries from being clogged, your blood pressure from being high, and your risk of heart disease from being increased! Oh, a 1/4-cup serving of nutritional yeast only contains 60 calories, so it’s friendly to your waistline!
Here are some of the scientifically-proven health benefits provided by nutritional yeast:
- A stronger immune system. Experts say that nutritional yeast possesses antibacterial and antiviral properties. It’s for this reason exactly why its addition to your everyday diet can help make your body more defended against invading microbes that can cause a host of infections and diseases
- Better digestion. Since nutritional yeast is free of gluten and lactose, it’s perfect for individuals who develop unfavorable reactions upon the ingestion of those. In addition, scientists say that the inclusion of nutritional yeast in the diet is especially beneficial if you are suffering from diarrhea.
- It supplies protein. We all know that protein is essential for muscle building and maintenance, and that’s why protein-rich nutritional yeast should be added in your everyday diet. Protein is also essential for healthy skin, hair and nails, and for the proper functioning of the cells and normal hormone levels.
- Energizes the body. Since nutritional yeast is loaded with B vitamins, its consumption can help in the synthesis of energy, thus making you feel full of life. Nutritional yeast is also perfect for those who are trying to lose weight. Aside from being low in calories and fat, it also helps speed up the metabolism.
- Healthier pregnancy and baby. One of the nutrients found in nutritional yeast is folate. According to medical experts, folate helps prevent birth defects. What’s so wonderful about folate in nutritional yeast is it’s all-natural, unlike synthetic folic acid which can be unsafe for pregnant moms when taken in large doses.
These are the amazing health benefits of nutritional yeast. So how can you include it in your regular diet? Here are some very smart tips:
- By sprinkling it. A lot of people love sprinkling nutritional yeast on popcorn. But you can also sprinkle it elsewhere — on pasta dishes, salads and others.
- Adding it to steamed veggies. Do you hate the taste of steamed vegetables but love the health benefits they offer? Make them taste better with the addition of nutritional yeast!
- Using it as thickener. Rather than use cream that’s loaded with calories and fat, you can use nutritional yeast to thicken soups and stews.
- Pairing it with beans. Just about any dish that contains beans will go very well with nutritional yeast, most especially something that’s spicy!
