Yeast..Wait, Whaaaat??

What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you hear yeast? If you imagine an infected private body part then shame on you, dirty pervert! Hahaha, just kidding! Most people think of that, yeast being something that is dirty and gross. Some people who have made bread products know you need active yeast to make a nice and fresh bread. And a lot of people just can’t imagine eating a heaping tablespoon of yeast, but I sure can. At least with nutritional yeast I can, and I do.

Most sources recommend that vegans and most vegetarians supplement their diet with some sort of B12 supplement or eat a lot of nutritional yeast daily. I’ve read some conflicting reports on the subject. Some are very adamant that such people take a supplement every 3 days, while some others expand on the subject of how our body synthesizes it’s own B12 and that it really isn’t necessary to add any to your diet unless you have something called pernicious anemia. This anemia isn’t caused by a lack of B12 in the diet, scientist say, but the absence of a substance called the intrinsic factor. At this point in the game I have been supplementing (when I can remember) with a vegan liquid form of B12 and I also eat quite a bit of nutritional yeast, because it is delicious.

I’m not worried about the whole B12 issue. I know I eat a lot of nutrient dense food, I supplement here and there, and my family eats enough nutritional yeast that we have no reason to worry. We are all healthy, energetic, and happy, as most vegans are! I have never come in contact with any people who follow a vegan lifestyle who are lacking B12 or are strung out to get as much of it as they can.

So what is nutritional yeast? It’s an inactive yeast, yellow in color, flaky (imagine the thinness and flakiness of a goldfish flake), and nutty/cheesy in flavor. I got my first bag of yeast from a company called Foods Alive, and I was very impressed not only with the yeast but the company as well. We met Michael and Ellen Moor             at the Universal Light Expo in October and they were so extremely nice and knowledgeable. They were excited about our newly begun vegan lifestyle, the fact we’d been married for three years, and by our beautiful baby girl! It was nice to have support and encouragement from a complete stranger, yet someone that we made an instant connection with. They make everything themselves and are very invested in the quality of their products. FoodsAlive.com is their website and I strongly encourage you to check out their products. The flax dressings are delicious, especially the Mike’s Special Blend. Oh my goodness that stuff is out of this world delicious! I love supporting companies that are truly looking out for my best interest and who take pride in their products.

My little yellow flaky friend! 

You can put nutritional yeast in or on whatever you please. I love to sprinkle it on burritos, tacos, casseroles, pastas, rice and beans. You can add it to any gravies or sauces, Micah makes our vegan mac ‘n’ cheese with it and every time I eat it I have to search for my socks because those suckers get blown right off! So don't be afraid, swipe you a bag and dig in!!!!