Nutritional Yeast, B12, Protein, IGF-1 and more...
QUESTION: I discovered nutritional yeast as a flavoring substitute for my beloved cheese in many dishes a few days into going vegan. Now I bet I have gone through a pound of the stuff in one week. I am wondering if there is a negative impact from eating too much of it? Also I have read that nutritional yeast has B-12 in it, does that mean I don't need to take a B-12 supplement if I am eating the yeast?
ANSWER: Nutritional yeast is often used by vegans and vegetarians because it is thought to be a good source of B vitamins and protein and some think of it as a good source of B12. As you mentioned, it is also often used as a cheese substitute in some recipes. Some people even use it in a shaker as a Parmesan cheese substitute. However, I am not a fan of nutritional yeast, I don’t use it myself and don’t recommend it. It’s calorie density is 1700 cal/lb, virtually the same as sugar. If you find it useful in some recipes, use it sparingly as a condiment as you would sugar. The following links will take you to a discussion on each of the topics you mentioned.
Nutritional Yeast and B12
Nutritional Yeast, Protein and IGF
Negative impact from eating too much nutritional yeast?
Brewers Yeast vs Nutritional Yeast
Misc
In Health
Jeff
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