Written by Catherine Saxelby
on Wednesday, 08 April 2020.
Tagged: flavour, health, healthy cooking, healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, msg, nutrition
I’ve heard about nutritional yeast, or yeast seasoning, more than a few times now. It's been around for a long time in vegan and vegetarian restaurants and for good reason: fortified nutritional yeast provides a rare non-animal source of vitamin B12. So, what actually is it and what can you use it for?
Even though I could read up about it, there’s no shortcut to actually buying it and having a try. Which is what I’ve done - although I suspect that a 127 gram (4.5oz) jar of the flakes will last me for years, probably past the use-by-date of 5/2022!
According to Wikipedia, nutritional yeast is made by ”culturing a yeast in a nutrient medium for several days. The primary ingredient in the growth medium is glucose, often from either sugarcane or sugar beet molasses. When the yeast is ready, it is deactivated with heat and then harvested, washed, dried and packaged.”
Don’t confuse it with:
Nutritional yeast is the inactivated form of a strain of yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in other words, it can no longer ferment. It is the same species as baker’s and brewer’s yeast, though they are all different strains of that species.
Many love its salty, nutty and slightly cheesy taste and it makes a great vegan alternative to Parmesan cheese.
This is a handy sprinkle to use if you’re trying to cut down on salt OR are a vegan looking for a nutrient-rich addition to your diet. Apart from the cost, it’s a handy addition.
Catherine Saxelby has the answers! She is an accredited nutritionist, blogger and award-winning author. Her award-winning book My Nutritionary will help you cut through the jargon. Do you know your MCTs from your LCTs? How about sterols from stanols? What’s the difference between glucose and dextrose? Or probiotics and prebiotics? What additive is number 330? How safe is acesulfame K? If you find yourself confused by food labels, grab your copy of Catherine Saxelby’s comprehensive guide My Nutritionary NOW!
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