What the Heck is Nutritional Yeast?

This is a much simpler question to answer. Yeast is deactivated by 'killing' it with heat, which is done after it has been allowed to grow. This 'dead' yeast - I'm sure that'll have some omnivores screaming, "hypocrite" at the vegetarian and vegan community (for anyone who feels the urge to say it, yeast is a type of fungus) - is then ground into powder, which resembles cornmeal, or crumbled into flakes, which look a bit like fish food.

That all seems simple enough, so you may be wondering if it's possible to make nutritional yeast at home. While it is, theoretically, possible, the species of yeast used for making nutritional yeast may be harder to get hold of than traditional bread or brewer's yeasts. 

Nutritional yeast is usually made from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and could take up to a week to 'culture'. It's also worth bearing in mind that many branded nutritional yeast products come fortified with vitamin B12, which should make them the best choice if you're purchasing nutritional yeast for its many health benefits.

As mentioned above, nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor. Unsurprisingly, therefore, it's often used to make vegan 'cheese' or as a substitute in dishes, like lasagne, mac 'n' cheese or on top of pizzas. 

However, it can be used for many other things, and can even be eaten alone. Some of the most popular uses for nutritional yeast include, shaking on top of popcorn, in mashed potato or on roasted vegetables to offer that creamy flavor. 

There are endless ways nutritional yeast can be used, just take a look at some of the titles below.

Although it doesn't sound like it offers much in the way of healthy goodness, nutritional yeast ain't called 'nutritional' for nothing.

Full of protein and amino acids, nutritional yeast is particularly beneficial for those on a vegan or vegetarian diet. Moreover, it is full of vitamins, including the all important B vitamins. And, as mentioned above, many brands of nutritional yeast are fortified with B12, which is a great little vitamin that we humans rarely consume - unless in foodstuffs fortified with it.

The other positive things to mention about nutritional yeast is that it is low in fat and salt. Now, considering that it's often used as a substitute for dairy products, which are generally high in fat and salt, nutritional yeast offers a really healthy shift.  

Depending on where you live, nutritional yeast may be easy or hard to get hold of. Most health food stores will stock it, but not all. And, as I've discovered, some employees at health food stores won't even know what you're talking about when you ask, "do you stock nutritional yeast?"

The good news is, if you haven't got a good health food store near you, there are a large number of online suppliers, who offer an array of branded nutritional yeast products, like the ones listed below.