10 Benefits Of Nutritional Yeast
Nutritional yeast, affectionately known as nooch, is a form of inactive yeast. It’s generally made from sugarcane and beet molasses, and this particular form of yeast is known to contain a huge amount of different nutrients. Nutritional yeast is yellow and comes in flake-like granules that can be added to many foods. Many vegetarians and vegans use nutritional yeast as a substance for cheese because they share similar flavors – both are creamy and can be made into thick, sauce-like consistencies.
Nutritional yeast is a great source of the B vitamins, which are not always easy for vegans and vegetarians to get. It is generally fortified with vitamin B12, which is one of the most difficult nutrients for people to get if they don’t eat animal products.
Nutritional yeast is also a great source of complete protein. All of this makes nooch a great thing to include in everyone’s diet, not just vegans and vegetarians! Let’s now outline some of the most prominent health benefits attributed to nutritional yeast so you can see why you should include it in your kitchen.
Nutritional Yeast Benefit #1: Enhances Immunity
In addition to the vitamins and minerals that nooch contains, it also contains a number of other nutritional compounds that are known to boost immunity. Beta-1,3 glucan, trehealose and glutathione are all compounds that nutritional yeast provides in abundance and have been linked to an improvement in immune function.
Tests were done on athletes and it was proven that those who consumed nooch before their marathons had higher levels of endurance and reported better on values for their general health.
Nutritional Yeast Benefit #2: Fights Bacteria and Viruses
Nutritional yeast is often prescribed in Germany as a form of natural, herbal protection from viruses and bacteria. It comes in as the fourth most commonly-prescribed herbal antiviral.
Furthermore, nutritional yeast has actually been proven to be very useful in fighting candida. Since nooch is not an activated yeast, it cannot further contribute to candida. Instead, its nutritional makeup helps to ward it off. It has also been proven to be good at fighting E. Coli and salmonella.
Nutritional Yeast Benefit #3: Enhances Digestion
Again, Germany is leading the research in regard to this particular aspect of nutritional yeast. It has been studied in the country for its ability to help restore appetite to people who have lost theirs, and also to help fight diarrhea.
Another reason that nutritional yeast can help people improve digestion is by providing a healthy alternative to cheese and dairy for those who are lactose intolerant. Nutritional yeast contains a similar amount of protein and many of the same nutrients as dairy products but will not cause any problems related to lactose.
Nutritional Yeast Benefit #4: Provides Protein
Nutritional yeast is one of the few non-meat substances that provide the body with a complete protein. It contains enough essential amino acids for your body to create usable protein, which makes it an attractive source of nutrition for people who don’t like to eat meat.
By providing us with protein, nutritional yeast helps to ensure the proper development of our bones, muscles, and tissues. It also helps to regulate the health of our skin.
Nutritional Yeast Benefit #5: Enhances Skin and Hair
There are a few ways with which nutritional yeast can help to enhance the health of our skin and hair. First off, it contains most of the vitamins in the B complex. Vitamin B5 and vitamin B7 have been shown to be particularly useful in helping to improve the health of our skin and hair, as well as our fingernails.
Nutritional yeast also provides protein, which is important for the regulation of our skin. Protein is important to help prevent the emergence of wrinkles and other signs of aging.
Nutritional Yeast Benefit #6: Helps Pregnant Women
Nutritional yeast can be a great way for a woman to ensure that she has a healthy pregnancy. Of course, it’s important to ensure that you get a wide variety of foods if you’re pregnant. However, nooch is a great way to provide a hefty dose of protein and B vitamins.
Folate is particularly important for pregnant women, and a single tablespoon of nooch provides 1,059 mcg of folate. This will easily provide more than the daily required dose of roughly 600 mcg.
Nutritional Yeast Benefit #7: Enhances Metabolism
One of the most important functions of the B complex vitamins is to help the body maintain its metabolism. B vitamins are involved in the processing of carbohydrates and ensure that our body can make energy out of the sugars and other foods that we consume.
Without B vitamins, we will be unable to properly process the foods that we eat. Fortunately, nooch contains a significant amount of almost all of B vitamins we need. Some varieties are fortified to include all of them.
Nutritional Yeast Benefit #8: Managing Mental Health
Another thing in which B vitamins are highly involved is the maintenance of our mental health. This is particularly true of vitamin B12, and while nutritional yeast doesn’t actually produce vitamin B12 on its own, a majority of brands will fortify their nooch with B12.
A vitamin B12 deficiency has been commonly linked to increased levels of depression and anxiety. B vitamins work together to help ensure that the brain gets enough energy and that the neurotransmitters involved in the brain can function properly. Consuming nutritional yeast can help restore you from a B vitamin deficiency and prevent the related anxiety or depression.
Nutritional Yeast Benefit #9: Fights Oxidation
Oxidation is a natural process that occurs as free radicals emerge in our body and cause damage to our cells and tissues. Free radicals and oxidation can lead to diseases like cancer and arthritis if left unchecked.
Foods like nutritional yeast contain compounds known as antioxidants that work to disarm these free radicals. Nutritional yeast, in particular, contains glutathione and selenomethionine, two powerful antioxidants that are known to help the human body effectively fight off free radicals.
These two nutrients are also known to be effective at helping to remove heavy metals from the body, as well as helping to detoxify the body.
Nutritional Yeast Benefit #10: Lowers Cholesterol
At least one study has been done linking nutritional yeast to lower levels of cholesterol. This particular study was done on men who were consuming 15 grams of beta-glucan, a nutrient found in nutritional yeast.
Over the course of two months, their cholesterol levels were lowered by about 6%. This is not a huge amount but considering how easy it is to add nutritional yeast to your diet, it’s worth mentioning.
