Grocery Spotlight: Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast has been a favorite flavoring in the vegan world for years, but lately it’s starting to garner more mainstream attention. It is an inactive form of the yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the same strain used to leaven bread, except it has been pasteurized and dried out to extract its nutritional benefits. Nutritional yeast has a nutty, unami flavor, and is especially favored by vegans for adding a dairy-free cheesy flavor to meals. The flakes add a subtle savory taste when sprinkled on top of roasted veggies, stirred into soups, or added to a scramble or grain/pasta dish- use it really anywhere that you would grated parmesan cheese. One tablespoon provides just 20 calories, with 3g of protein and is packed full of B vitamins. Many brands are even fortified with vitamin B12 – a B vitamin normally found only in animal sources and often lacking in vegan and vegetarian diets. Pick some up to today and get ready to discover your new favorite seasoning!