Are you looking for something plant-based and savory for topping your favorite soups, pasta, or any dish? If yes, consider nutritional yeast.

Well, nutritional yeast makes the perfect addition to a vegan diet because of its high vitamin B12 and protein content. This delicious superfood tastes similar to cheese and nuts, making it a great cheese substitute in many recipes.

You can find nutritional yeast in any organic store in the form of flakes and as a spread. Well-packed with several nutrients, it provides many health benefits. Let’s know about those benefits through this blog!

Nutritive Value Of Nutritional Yeast

The cheesy-flavored superfood has an amazing nutritional profile. One tablespoon(around 5 grams) of nutritional yeast consists of:

• 20 calories
• 2 grams- of protein
• 1 gram- of fiber
• 2 mg- of calcium
• 88 mg- of potassium
• 3.95 mg- Vitamin B1- thiamine
• 3.23 mg- Vitamin B2- riboflavin
• 15.31 mg- Vitamin B3- niacin
• 1.96 mg- Vitamin B6
• 5.87 mg- Vitamin B12

Know the Top Health Benefits Of Nutritional Yeast

1. Prevent Iron Deficiency In Vegans

Mainly, you will find Vitamin B12 in animal-derived foods like fish, eggs, meat, and dairy products. Longtime vegans can struggle to intake the right amount of Vitamin B12 which can cause a deficiency of iron(anemia). In many cases, there is a risk of fatigue and neurological disorders.

Luckily, nutritional yeast, a plant-derived source of Vitamin B12 provides about 260% of the body’s daily needs in just a half cup. A good amount of Vitamin B12 helps to support DNA, healthy nerves, red blood cells, and detoxification pathways.

2. Provides Protein Source For Vegan

With a varying source of Vitamin B, nutritional yeast is also a complete protein source. This means it is rich in 9 essential amino acids that are required to intake from food as the body is unable to make itself.

Amino acids are the great building block of protein. If you are vegan, you can struggle to get all the 9 amino acids from plant-based foods. So, add nutritional yeast to your everyday meal. Just 16 grams is enough which provides 8 grams of protein, boosting the protein content of any food.

3. Support Immune System

Two types of carbohydrates are found in nutritional yeast, reducing the risk of bacterial infection. Those carbohydrates are- beta-glucan and alpha-mannan, preventing infection by blocking the activity of bacteria in the intestinal lining and boosting the immune cells.

4. Controls Diabetes

High-glycemic index foods are the cause of blood sugar spikes, which leads to severe health issues with time. Among the problems, diabetes is very common today. So, to maintain a blood sugar level, add low-glycemic index food to your routine diet.

Among the low-glycemic index superfoods, nutritional yeast is the best to go for. It won’t increase blood sugar levels, thus controlling diabetes.

Ways To Use Nutritional Yeast

1. As A Cheese Substitute

If you want to use cheese in any recipes, use nutritional yeast flakes as a cheese substitute to keep the dish light and healthy. This superfood is much lower in calories and fat than the actual cheese.

You can sprinkle it over your potatoes, roasted veggies, rice, stews, casseroles, and porridge. For the strong flavor, a pinch or two is enough.

2. In Your Soups

Just a little quantity of nutritional yeast is enough to make your warm soups fully packed with Vitamins-B. To add a good amount of nutrition and a savory flavor, sprinkle a tablespoon of nutritional yeast flakes as a topping.

In addition, you can mix this nutrient-dense yeast into your soups to give a creamy taste. Add it when the soup is at a boil and almost to be blended. Keep in mind that the yeast should not be heated over 100 degrees Celsius as it can eliminate the essential nutrients.

3. Add In Your Pasta

If you are a vegan, bake a delicious cheese pasta using a cheesy taste like nutritional yeast. Simmer olive oil, a little amount of flour, and soya milk. Next, mix nutritional yeast and stir constantly until it gets thickened. Also, sprinkle pepper and salt for the taste.

Nutritional yeast is completely salt-free and serves as a tasty seasoning for simple dishes like spaghetti.

4. Shake Your Popcorn

Mix nutritional yeast with your popcorn adding a pinch of salt and shake them all together. Here, your low-fat, low-calorie, and mouth-watering snack is ready.

Nowadays, ‘Nooch’ popcorn is becoming famous and is easy to prepare at home. Just take a pan with little oil in it, drop corn kernels in it, and cover it with the lid. Wait for seconds to let the popping sound come out! Shake the lidded pan to spread the flavorful goodness. Enjoy!

5. Bake Home-Made Pizza

If you are looking for the healthy version of Pizza, bake homemade pizza switched with nutritional yeast instead of cheese.

Once the pizza is ready, sprinkle the delicious nutritional yeast flakes before topping the basil, and tomato sauce. This hack superbly works wonders for thin base pizzas, where top-quality seasoning takes attention.

Summing Up

Well, we hope you have clearly understood how versatile nutritional yeast is. From sourcing a great amount of vitamin B types to potentially strengthening immunity, it provides several benefits.

Adding cheesy taste-rich nutritional yeast flakes in any of the recipes is indeed ideal if you are vegan.