What is yeast used for?

Nutritional Yeast, Your Health Ally

When it comes to a healthy diet, we think of varying and balancing our daily food choices, but yeast rarely springs to the mind to improve the quality of the food we eat. Nutritional yeast, also called NOOCH, is just doing that! It brings a nutritional boost to our diet, as well as adding a unique touch of flavor to it. Nooch is the pinch of magic that enhances and spices up our daily diet, so we can indulge and thrive.

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Nutritional Yeast, Your Health Ally

Yeast, at the Heart of the Human Diet for Ages

It was only in the nineteenth century that scientists demystified the process of fermentation. But fermentation has been at the center of the human diet for considerably longer. Fermentation processes were present in any human culture, long before yeast was discovered, and the process of fermentation was understood. Whether yeast is used to raise dough, brew beer, make wine, or cure meats, fermentation is foundational to our civilizations. It was a magical way of preserving and preparing food without cooking, long before fridges and ovens were invented. Today, we are rediscovering the benefits of fermentation, not only for health reasons but also for the taste it imparts. We know so much more than our ancestors about yeast and fermentation, but until now, yeast keeps its magical power to improve our diets. A wealth of benefits to discover and to taste.  

 

Nutritious and Rich in Taste

The nutritional richness in tastes and flavor of Nooch is a result of how it is made. Nutritional yeast is grown, starting from bread yeast, or Saccharomyces cerevisiae  yeast, in fermentation chambers on a carbohydrate-rich base. This process also poetically called ‘yeast breathing’, multiplies yeast cells and forms proteins. Finally, the yeast is heated, pasteurized, and dried to make it nooch. These processes add unique aromas and flavor, without adding any salt.  

 

Yeast is a remarkable ingredient, present in functional foods, available as a dietary supplement, or simply added, in the form of powder, flakes, or crisps, to your favorite recipes. 

 

A punchy package of nutrients

Its biochemical composition, which is perfectly well known today, reveals a wide variety of nutritious substances. Yeast is made of complete protein, containing all 9 amino acids the body cannot produce, fibers that contribute to a well-functioning gut, minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds. These are all needed by our organism to function properly but are not always present in sufficient quantity in our everyday diet.   

For many decades now, yeast, used in foodstuffs, has been the subject of countless studies and scientific publications that unanimously recognize its extraordinary nutritional qualities and certain therapeutic benefits. Its nutrients play a role in any metabolic function in the body, from immunity to mobility, over reproduction, and women’s health to mood and cognition health. These include naming a few, folate or vitamin B9 for conception and pregnancy and vitamin K2 for mobility and joint health.  

Also, digestion and gut health benefit from yeast and its precious nutrients.  

Probiotic yeast helps to balance the bacteria in the gut. Several hundred different species are present in the human digestive tube and human health depends on the stability of this microbiota.  Probiotic yeast like Saccharomyces boulardii helps to maintain this fragile balance and therefore healthy bowels. Many of us know and refer to probiotics as “good” or “helpful” bacteria, helping us better digest what we consume. Our gut is the epicenter of so much of our health, awareness, and interest in solutions to support healthier digestion, and therefore happier bellies, have been and are still growing. 

 

To Cover Nutritional Needs More Easily

You do not have to be ill or suffer any condition or impairment, to benefit from the nutritional richness of yeast. Enriched with vitamins B or minerals and trace elements like selenium, chromium, or zinc, yeast can compensate for nutritional shortcomings. Yeast became first popular to pimp and enrich vegan diets and recipes. But people with low energy needs or on a diet might find it tricky to provide for all their nutritional needs without a little help from supplements or food enrichment. Nooch is a simple way to cover nutritional needs more easily, for many. 

 

A Unique and Rich Taste

And when it comes to taste, nutritional yeast or Nooch is really one of a kind. There are five basic tastes: sweet, acid, salty, bitter, and umami. Nutritional yeast taste is often referred to as umami-like, which is a brothy, meaty taste, but that doesn’t cover the load. Some would say its flavor is nutty or cheesy, others would call it salty or earthy. Nutritional yeast is an ingredient that enhances flavor naturally. Unlike monosodium glutamate which is an additive. Definitely, yeast needs more than one qualifying adjective to describe its taste. Nooch comes in easy-to-use powder, flakes, or crisps, to sprinkle over or stir in your favorite recipes and is convenient to use and store. All will have their own distinct aroma, flavor, and color. Flakes and crisps also add an extra crunch to the bite, an appreciated feature to enhance texture in a blink. Nooch adds flavor, spice, and aroma to your favorite recipes, without adding a pinch of salt.  

 

In a nutshell, yeast makes a savory and nutritionally sound seasoning.  

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