Q&A: What's the difference between nutritional yeast and yeast extract?

What's the difference between nutritional yeast and yeast extract?

For people new to Vegan cooking, neither the word ‘nutrition’ nor the word ‘yeast’ would conjure up a mouth-watering image. But the truth is, it happens to be a health food ingredient which cannot be ignored, not because of its nutritional value but because of its flavour. In case you're wondering, yes it is vegan. Although many people associated yeast with bread, on its own yeast is gluten free!

What is it Nutritional Yeast?

Nutritional yeast is made from a single-celled organism, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, which is grown on molasses and then harvested, washed and dried with heat to kill it. Because it is inactive, it doesn’t froth or grow like baking yeast does. Nutritional Yeast is a good vegan source of B vitamins and adds a nice "cheesy" taste to raw food salads. And don’t you worry; no animals are harmed in this process because yeasts are members of the fungi family, like mushrooms, and not animals.

Benefits:

1.Nutritional yeast is a rich source of fibres, one of the crucial elements for functional digestion. With around three grams of fibre in each small servings, it regulates the blood sugar level in our bodies thus, helping us sustain our energy throughout the day.

2. Spinal Bifida and other major birth defects in pregnant ladies can be avoided by consumption of folic acid, which is also one of the ingredients in nutritional yeasts.

3. A great source of protein, nutritional yeast provides a whopping nine grams of it. That is equivalent to consuming one ounce of beef, one large egg, and a cup of milk.

4. Since it doesn’t have any added sugar, it is low on the glycemic scale. Eating low sugar foods helps those who are keeping a watch on their waistlines and diabetes. Thus, it makes nutritional yeast a great choice across the table.

What is yeast extract?

Yeast Extract is a flavour enhancer that is added to foods to give them a more salty, savoury taste. It is a good source of chromium, which has health benefits such as lowering the insulin and combating diabetes. Also, it is a decent source of phosphorous, manganese, copper, zinc, and lithium. Yeast extract is extracted in a lab, meaning it does not occur or grow naturally on its own, and it does have a high concentration of glutamate (Like tomatoes).

Beauty Benefits

Yeast extract contains a high concentration of antioxidants that help neutralise harmful free radicals present in the environment. It's also got moisturising and soothing properties, which makes it a good additive to any aloe vera cream if you're sun burnt.

Like This?

Read: Q & A: Can I get Vegan Mayo off the shelf?

Read More: Q&A: Why Silk is NOT vegan!