MONDAY NUM NUM"S: NUTRITIONAL YEAST AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR CHEESE (pour it over everything)
If you are like me you have problems with cheese. Not the, "high-school mentality gossip," or "you killed my dog," kinda problem but the,"I really shouldn't have eaten that," and "my stomach hurts," kinda problem. Oh the discomfort, the bloat, the fart! Do I have the solution to your cheese fix - those other problems require a spine and a good self-esteem- Adding nutritional yeast as a substitute for cheese, to your food makes it a delicious, enjoyable and easy addition to your food choices – for a variety of food lifestyles (aka: diet, gluten free, dairy free, Paleo,Vegan etc)! I'm telling you, carnivore, herbivore or like most of the world, omnivore, this stuff is yummy and really good for you so you have got to give it a go.
-It is a source of a complete range of amino acids that humans need to synthesize proteins.
-One ounce of nutritional yeast contains 14 grams of protein!
-A fantastic alternative to animal-based protein (if you're into that kinda thing).
-It is a good source B vitamins, especially B-12, which is critical to vegans and vegetarians, as there are no reliable plant based sources that contain vitamin B-12.
-Source of selenium, potassium, zinc, folic acid and iron.
-Naturally low in sodium.
-High in fiber.
-Anti-inflammatory.
-Nutritional yeast is not a dairy product.
-It is not a wheat or grain product. (Naturally Gluten Free!)
-It is free of sugar (even though at one point it was fed sugar to grow!)
-It is free of added preservatives.
Different yeasts have different effects on the body: beneficial, harmful, and neutral. For example, yeast overgrowths of the Candida genus cause inflammation and discomfort. This is what is commonly referred to as a “yeast infection,” jock itch, or thrush. BUT, nutritional yeast is NOT related to it. Nutritional yeast is one of the good guys!
2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp onion powder
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth or in a pan to warm it up. Add up to 1 additional tablespoon of water to achieve your preferred thickness. Spoon over veggies, meat, whatever.
WHAT THE HECK IS THAT FLAKY YELLOW STUFF?
Nutritional yeast is (prepare for proper schooling) a strain of yeast from the Saccharomyces genus that is fed for approximately 7 days, allowed to ferment* and then harvested, washed and dried. During this process, it is ‘deactivated,’ which is a fancy way of saying it dies… and can NOT grow in your body!
*A note on fermentation (sadly you won't get drunk): Basically, all it means is that the microorganism doesn’t use oxygen to metabolize its food source.
BENEFITS B!TCHES
-It is a complete protein.-It is a source of a complete range of amino acids that humans need to synthesize proteins.
-One ounce of nutritional yeast contains 14 grams of protein!
-A fantastic alternative to animal-based protein (if you're into that kinda thing).
-It is a good source B vitamins, especially B-12, which is critical to vegans and vegetarians, as there are no reliable plant based sources that contain vitamin B-12.
-Source of selenium, potassium, zinc, folic acid and iron.
-Naturally low in sodium.
-High in fiber.
-Anti-inflammatory.
WHAT IT AINT'
-Nutritional yeast is not an active, living yeast!-Nutritional yeast is not a dairy product.
-It is not a wheat or grain product. (Naturally Gluten Free!)
-It is free of sugar (even though at one point it was fed sugar to grow!)
-It is free of added preservatives.
Different yeasts have different effects on the body: beneficial, harmful, and neutral. For example, yeast overgrowths of the Candida genus cause inflammation and discomfort. This is what is commonly referred to as a “yeast infection,” jock itch, or thrush. BUT, nutritional yeast is NOT related to it. Nutritional yeast is one of the good guys!
It has a yummy nutty, cheesy flavour, similar to parmesan cheese. Go ahead Vegans, have your cheese fix. Even though it was alive before, you will be interested to know that yeast is a eukaryotic organism of the kingdom fungi. A fancy way of saying that it is closer to the mushrooms you like to masticate, than it is to meat or even meat by-products. Your moral compass can point due north. If you couldn't care less that it was once alive (a la Paleo) nutritional yeast requires some processing, but it fits the standards for the Paleo Diet. Yes, you have to feed the yeast, give it time to eat, and then kill it (dry it) in order to eat it… but then again—you do the same thing to beef. So if the processing is a concern… that is going to have to be a personal call. Either way stop thinking so hard and eat it because it's yummy and nutritionally dense.
CRAZY EASY CHEEZY SAUCE
Serves 2 or 1 if you don't share. There are other recipes out there but this one is CRAZY EASY!2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp onion powder
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth or in a pan to warm it up. Add up to 1 additional tablespoon of water to achieve your preferred thickness. Spoon over veggies, meat, whatever.
Comments
Post a Comment