What if I told you that I have an obsession with fungi.
¿ gag ?
Sounds pretty disgusting… right? You don’t ever hear someone saying “Wow, I could really go for some fungi rn.”
The words “nutrition” and “yeast” don’t sound v appetizing, yet nutritional yeast is featured in many vegan recipes. I’m not a vegan, but I use nutritional yeast on the daily.
So… What is Nutritional Yeast?
Nutritional yeast, AKA “nooch”, it is made from a single-celled organism, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, which is grown on sugar cane and beet molasses. It has a yellow color and is often found as a condiment in the form of flakes, granules, or powder form with a cheesy and nutty taste. No animals are harmed to create this fungi, so vegans can consume nutritional yeast. Vegans often use it as a cheese replacement, to thicken sauces or dressings.
I’m not a vegan, but as I said, I’m OBSESSED with this stuff. I buy nutritional yeast in the flake form and sprinkle it on salads and p-corn! I love the nutty, cheesy taste and the health benefits make me forget that this thing comes from “Saccharomyces Cerevisiae”.
Nutrition
- In one serving, nooch provides…
- Protein – 9 grams of easily digestible protein
- Fiber – 4 grams
- Thiamine (vitamin B1) – Thiamine is used by nearly every cell and supports energy levels and metabolism; 1 T of nutritional yeast has 180% of your daily value of vit B1.
- Vitamin B12 – Contrary to belief, B12 isn’t naturally in nutritional yeast! Nutritional yeast is fortified with B12 to promote proper red blood cell formation, neurological function, and DNA synthesis; boosts mood, energy level, memory, digestion, and more! 1 T of nutritional yeast has 40% of your daily vit b12.
- Folate (vitamin B9) – Folate is very important for pregnant women to get adequate amounts of folate to prevent birth defects like spina bifida
- Why B vitamins? Heres why: it’s essential for healthy hair, helps convert our food into energy, impact fat burning, and sleep. Often, we are depleted in B vitamins when we are stressed; cash me sprinkling nutritional yeast on everything during finals week!!
Do you use nutritional yeast? How do you like to use it?