What is Nutritional Yeast?
Yea, I wasn’t quite enthused to come to the realization that I had a sensitivity towards dairy. How would I be able to enjoy cheese anymore (well at least in a social setting)?! Lo and behold, I came across a vegan food blogger substituting cheese in a mac and cheese recipe with nutritional yeast. To be honest, that didn’t seem appetizing. BUT, the video promised it tasted sooooo good. Also there were so many other videos that were promising the same result, often throwing in tempting terms like “umami” & “savory. That got me hooked.
So like what is nutritional yeast? According to a blog post on UMass Med, it is scientifically known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and it one of the three main types of yeast. So essentially there is baker’s yeast, which is used to leaven bread then brewer’s yeast, which is used to brew beer and finally nutritional yeast. In this version, the yeast cells are actually inactive since they are killed during manufacturing. So you wouldn’t be able to substitute nooch (nickname for nutritional yeast) for brewer’s or baker’s yeast.
Furthermore, there are actually two different types of nutritional yeast; unfortified and fortified. Unfortified yeast doesn’t provide any vitamins or minerals as it only contains the vitamins and minerals that are naturally produced by the yeast cells as they grow. Fortified yeast contains synthetic vitamins that are added to boost the nutritional content. This one happens to be the most common one that is sold in stores. Nooch is commonly sold as these yellow flakes or powder and is naturally low in sodium and calories and is fat-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, and vegan (Healthline). In fact, fortified nutritional yeast contains high levels of vitamin B12 and folic acid, both of which help your body make and maintain your DNA and red blood cells (Webmd).
So this seems like a “superfood” for vegans, providing essential vitamins and minerals that one’s body needs and wouldn’t normally get in an animal product inclusive diet. AND according to Webmd, my favorite one stop shop for a medical diagnosis, a forth cup of nooch is 45 calories and 6 grams of protein. Whereas, 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese is 80 calories and 7 grams of protein (Myfitnesspal).
All in all, nutritional yeast sounds to be like this amazing food product. Why shouldn’t I use it then? Well for me, it’s all about the taste. Yea sure, it may be half the calories and just as much protein as cheese but I really don’t care for that. Cheese is DELICIOUS. I truly would like to thank that person that looked at moldy milk and was like ooo I have something here (potentially an “I Was Just Curious” topic for the future). I mean think of grilled cheese, pasta, PIZZA, a brie dip, a fat slap of cream cheese on a toasty NY style plain bagel (f u Cali), cheeseburgers, ANY PANEER DISH, raclette, spanakopita, quesadilla, khachapuri, the list is ENDLESS; is nutritional yeast the answer to these dairy food cravings to a dairy intolerant weakling? Obviously, no.
I tried that “mac” and cheese recipe. I tried it and hated it, no shade to the creator or anything. I believe it is because clearly I feel so passionately for cheese. I get where the savory element is coming from. To me it was something that looks so similar to fish food flakes and what I would expect for fish food flakes to taste like. It just wasn’t the perfect swap for me. I swear this isn’t an ode to how much I dislike nutritional yeast but rather a lengthy frustration about my poor gut health. But you know what they say…hot girls have IBS.
Links to websites mentioned/referenced:
https://www.umassmed.edu/nutrition/blog/blog-posts/2020/2/nutritional-yeast--nourishing-or-no-go/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nutritional-yeast#basics
https://www.webmd.com/diet/nutritional-yeast-good-for-you
https://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/mozzarella-cheese-finely-shreaded-1-4-cup-806715509
https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-nutritional-yeast-3376833
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323245#benefits