Is Nutritional Yeast Really Nutritious?

The Truth About Nutritional Yeast & Why I No Longer Eat It.

Have you ever heard of nutritional yeast? When I first transitioned to vegan and raw foods, I didn't hear about it until I started getting into raw vegan cheese recipes. At the time, I wasn't aware of nutritional yeasts' dirty little secret, so it was part of my diet. I truly thought it was healthy, not realizing it was not as healthy as I thought it was...

Is nutritional yeast really 'nutritious' yeast? Is nutritional yeast healthy? Maybe on the 'nutritious' side, but not on the health/healthy side...

What is Nutritional Yeast?

Nutritional yeast (a.k.a 'nooch') is a deactivated yeast (and fungus) that is grown on sugarcane or beet molasses in a carefully controlled environment. It comes from a single-celled organism of fungi called, saccharomyces cerevisiae. The yeast is made by culturing it in a nutrient medium for 7 days. After the 7 days of culturing, the yeast is ready. At this point, the yeast is killed (deactivated) with heat (heated above 115 degrees, which is not considered raw), then its harvested, washed, dried, and packaged. The yeast is killed (deactivated) to release any microorganisms and bacteria it may contain. 

Nutritional Yeast Benefits

Nutritional yeast is packed with vital nutrients. It's an excellent source of protein (it contains 18 of the 22 amino acids), vitamin B12 (which is why most vegans love it), vitamin A, (beta-carotene to improve eyesight), great source of folic acid, and high in 15 different minerals, including iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, chromium, and selenium. Nutritional yeast gets its yellow color from the b12 vitamins it contains.

So, if nutritional yeast is a superfood, providing powerful benefits....

Why Did I Stop Eating Nutritional Yeast?

I eliminated nutritional yeast from my diet 2 years ago, after finding out that it naturally contains MSG. For those of you who've never heard of this toxic killer ingredient, MSG is short for 'MonoSodium Glutamate'.

Here are some of the MANY dangers of MSG. It doesn't take a 'health expert' to know MSG is dangerous. Just look at the dangers...

• causes blindness (instead of improving eyesight, MSG damages the retinal cells that help improve eyesight!)
• causes headaches
• damages the brain and brain cells
• leaves to nervous disorders
• depression
• obesity
• fatigue and disorientation 
• nausea
• weakness
• chest pains
• tiredness
• short of breathe
• inflammation
• sweating
• burning 
• numbness
• rapid heartbeat
• upset stomach
• sadly, the list goes on and on! 
  

You should avoid MSG at all costs! Be aware because MSG is hidden in most of your foods!

When I found out that nutritional yeast naturally contains MSG, I quite disappointed. Nutritional yeast was my favorite. The good news is, you can replace
nutritional yeast with turmeric powder! I've been using turmeric powder in my cheese recipes ever since eliminating nutritional yeast from my diet. Nutritional yeast is a neurotoxin that converts into MSG in the body. How healthy is that so-called 'superfood'?

When shopping for turmeric powder, make sure it is pure, real, raw, organic, and non-GMO. There are some turmeric powders out there that contain added fillers, preservatives and turmeric copy-cats, so consider yourself warned. Turmeric powder makes a great nutritional yeast replacement, not only because it's healthy and free from MSG, but because it has that nice yellow color... just like nutritional yeast! Although turmeric is a root that doesn't actually taste like cheese, it makes a perfect addition to my rawesome cheese recipe because it gives raw vegan cheese recipes a natural yellow color (like cheddar cheese!) and tastes cheesy inside the recipe. (note: since the base of the cheese recipe has nuts and seeds that taste naturally cheesy, adding turmeric along with other seasonings, will make the recipe more cheesy!) You gotta try the recipe for yourself, and you'll be amazed how amazingly delicious (and cheesy!) the cheese tastes! 

 

Most vegans love to use nutritional yeast for both its flavor and benefits; I used to be one of them. It tastes cheesy, nutty and it's a great source of vitamin b12. Nutritional yeast is not a health food I recommend consuming.

Like always, I encourage you to do your own research on this, so you can see for yourself. If you consume nutritional yeast or know anyone who does, please share with them this post.

What are your thoughts about this? How do you see nutritional yeast? Post your comments below!

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