Questions about nutritional yeasts?!
Questions about nutritional yeasts?
Does anyone know what the nutritional values are for yeast?
Specifically I am looking for the levels of b vitamins in both enriched and unenriched yeast.
I am also curious how they boost the vitamin content. Do they offer the yeast more nutrients or do they add it with artifical vitamins?
Besides shelf life is there a reason to choose active, dried, flaked or other varieties of yeast? Is there a change in the nutritional quality? What is the shelf life for different types of yeast?
I think that is it for now, I would really appretiate any assistance.
3 days ago
Thank you to anyone willing to offer even a piece of the puzzle. I am trying to work out a diet of calorie restriction, whole raw(where possible) foods. Yeast is one part of the puzzle. My goal is a balanced diet without artifical suppliments of any kind. I am a little low on B1, B3, B5 and B6. Nothing critical but my body needs more then average to maintain healthy levels.
Answers: 3 days ago
Thank you to anyone willing to offer even a piece of the puzzle. I am trying to work out a diet of calorie restriction, whole raw(where possible) foods. Yeast is one part of the puzzle. My goal is a balanced diet without artifical suppliments of any kind. I am a little low on B1, B3, B5 and B6. Nothing critical but my body needs more then average to maintain healthy levels. Well, I can only help with some of your questions.
Here is the nutritional info for Red Star Vegetarian Support Nutritional Yeast:
1 1/2 tablespoons
60 calories
1 g fat
5 mg sodium
7g carb
4g dietary fiber
8g protein
b1 640%
niacin 280%
folic acid 60%
selenium 32%
iron 4%
roboflavin (b2) 565%
b6 480%
b12 133%
zinc 21%
I believe nutritional yeast (aka brewers yeast although I've heard it's supposed to be different - my market may just have it labeled wrong since it's bulk) is fortified with the nutrients mentioned above, EXCEPT for b12, which is the vitamin vegans usually lack because they don't get it from dairy. If you need the b12 supplemented kind, get the Red Star brand Vegetarian Support.
Nutritional yeast is inactive. If it were active it would get all foamy when you added it to something wet, I imagine.
The tastes are absolutely different - you don't want to go sprinkling granulated active yeast on anything except for breads or recipes that call for it. Flaked stuff is used as a seasoning mostly. A lot of fake-cheese sauces are made with it.
As for the vitamin content, I'm not sure about everything else, but the b12 comes from some kind of bacteria. Sounds scary, I know, but everything I've read indicates it is very important to get b12 if you're vegan.
I know this wasn't everything you asked, but I hope it helps a bit. I love sprinkling the stuff in recipes - it's got a very good flavor - sort of brothy. I just used some in a spinach pie I've got baking for dinner! I buy primary-grown (not a brewing by-product) dried nutritional yeast flakes. It is fortified with B vitamins; I'm not sure how much it would have on its own, if any.
A 16 gram serving has, inter alia:
45 calories
0.5 g fat
5 g carbs
4 g fiber
8 g protein
Thiamin (B-1) 640%
Riboflavin (B-2) 570%
Niacin 280%
B-6 480%
Folic Acid 60%
B-12 130%
You use active yeast for baking, nutritional yeast for eating. I believe the powdered versus flaked is just a matter of personal taste.