Health Benefits of Nutritional Yeast & Brewers Yeast

Have you ever been confused between Nutritional yeast and Brewer’s yeast? Still do not know Is brewers yeast the same as nutritional yeast? We will help you to verify both with clear details of how each yeast is made, how we can use them, and what are their possible health benefits.

Both Brewer’s yeast and Nutritional yeast are popular health supplements with plenty of essential micro and macronutrients. Both are made from the same strain of yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a one-celled fungus.

Yeast is a single-celled fungi, and, like mushrooms, they are neither plants nor animals. Those are entirely safe to consume. You can also find both Brewer’s yeast and nutritional yeast in health food stores. Both have different flavors and nutritional profiles.

Let see the variation between these two nutritious foods. So, you can choose which you really need.

Difference Between Brewer’s Yeast and Nutritional Yeast

Yeast plays a crucial role in the human diet for thousands of years. This fungus is a significant ingredient in beer, bread, and a range of other baked foods. Over the past few years, people started using a specific type of yeast called nutritional yeast, which is named after its high nutritional content.

Yeast has many health benefits from boosting the immune system, lowering cholesterol levels to improving blood pressure and sugar levels.

Brewer’s yeast is an important ingredient used in the preparation of bread and beer. The other names are Baker’s yeast, Medicinal yeast, and Dried yeast fermentate.

To remember, Nutritional yeast is a deactivated version of baker’s yeast grown on various sources, including whey, blackstrap molasses, and sugar beets.

The nutritional yeast has a mild nutty and cheesy flavor meanwhile brewer’s yeast has a bitter taste, but the bitterness is found low in some products. Both yeasts are inactive that they won’t make bread rise or generate a yeast overgrowth in your body. Also, they are rich in vitamin B, proteins, and fibers, which are essential for the metabolism of food and withstand stress.

Nutritional yeast is popularly used as a vegan substitute for grated cheese as it tastes like cheese because it is rich in vitamin B12, which lacks a vegan diet.

How Yeast are Grown?

Brewer’s yeast is a traditional byproduct of the brewing industry. It’s used as the main ingredient in the production of beer and bread. This type of yeast converts its food through fermentation into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Brewer’s yeast is usually got in two ways;

• Bred on Beets

While breeding on sugar beets, it obtains a slightly sweet, nutty, and cheesy flavor. Generally, brewer’s yeast is cultivated as a food supplement and is bred on beets and dried at a high temperature. This process deactivates or kills the live enzymes, thus resulting in a non leaving yeast that will not ferment at all.

• Bred on Grain

Brewer’s yeast is usually grown on grains, especially barley. When it is obtained as a byproduct of making beer, it has a trace of bitterness and unpalatable taste.

• Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is naturally produced by growing yeast in a nutrient medium for several days. The main ingredient in the growing medium is glucose, either from beet molasses or sugarcane. Once the yeast is ready, it is deactivated with heat and then harvested, washed, dried, and packed.

Nutrition Profile of Both Yeast

The vitamins and minerals present in yeast depend highly on the medium on which the yeast was grown. Both the nutritional and brewer’s yeast are “fed” different diets, as they slightly differ from each other.

• Brewer’s Yeast

Brewer’s yeast is high in specific B vitamins, including niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, and folic acid. It is also loaded with protein and fiber, with only trace amounts of fats.

Both nutritional yeast and brewer’s yeast naturally contain an excellent magnesium source. Overall, brewer’s have a much higher concentration of minerals. Both potassium and selenium are found in relatively high amounts, like chromium, which is a crucial mineral for cell health and blood sugar regulation.

Brewer’s yeast is sold as a flake, capsules, or powder form.

• Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is loaded with a good source of proteins, fiber, riboflavin (B1), Thiamine(B2), Pyridoxine (B6), potassium, and zinc. Products that are manufactured using simple glucose mediums are limited to these nutritional benefits.

Though, most nutritional yeast supplements include synthetic nutrients to the growth substrate. Yeast that is grown in this way has large amounts of specific vitamins and minerals.

The exact makeup of the added nutrients will decide the nutritional composition of the final product. In general, these healthy yeast products contain many of the minerals that are naturally found in brewer’s yeast.

These fortified products contain B12, which is an essential vitamin that vegans cannot get in their diet unless they take a supplement. Moreover, this vital nutrient is not found in brewer’s yeast.

How Are They Used?

Both have different taste profiles, and these two food supplements are used frequently in different ways.

• Brewer’s Yeast

Brewer’s yeast is mostly found in capsule form and taken with water like other traditional supplements. It’s generally used in alternative medicine to promote digestive health. Also, it’s proven to treat several health conditions, including flu, colds, diabetes, and diarrhea.

This type of product will not go through the debittering process customarily because the consumer hasn’t tasted it.

Debittered products are available in the form of both thin flakes and fine powder. Both forms work well in juices, protein shakes, and smoothies. But be alert, even these less bitter forms can have a bit of funky, a “wet-grain” taste.

Pairing these products or serving them with overpowering flavors is recommended while adding them to drinks. Some products that come flavored or pre-sweetened tend to be more appealing. However, these products are not pure and do not provide the same nutritional benefit.

• Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is a unique strain of yeast and it’s not the same as baking yeast, since the nutritional yeast cannot be used alternatively with active yeast in recipes. Nutritional yeast has a savory, cheesy, salty, and umami flavor that resembles cheese, and makes a perfect replacement for dairy cheese in many recipes. Few people say that it adds a nutty flavor to the dishes. It can be more creamy when added to hot dishes, yet it adds more texture when added to cold dishes.

Many cheese lovers sprinkle it on the top of sauteed vegetables, parmesan, spaghetti, other shredded cheeses, and even salads. By adding one or two teaspoons of this yeast to your dinner, you can quickly turn a healthy supplement into a tasty condiment.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF NUTRITIONAL & BREWER’S YEAST 

Each of these yeast products has a slightly different nutritional value and they both offer various health benefits. Let us look closer at some specific health benefits they offer.

• Brewer’s Yeast Health Benefits

Brewer’s yeast is a natural supplement that may boost up energy levels and strengthen the immune system. It is a rich source of zinc, iron, protein, magnesium, chromium, potassium, and selenium. It also has a great source of vitamins that provide thiamine (B-1), riboflavin (B-2), niacin (B-3), pantothenic acid (B-5), pyridoxine (B-6), biotin (B-7), folic acid (B-9).

Brewer’s yeast has probiotic properties, which make it an effective way to prevent diarrhea. Brewer’s yeast is also used to treat other digestive tract disorders, including traveler’s diarrhea, diarrhea caused by antibiotics, lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, and clostridium difficile colitis.

Brewer’s yeast contains glucose tolerance factor(GTF), a compound with chromium’s biologically active form. The brewer’s yeast may help to control the sugar levels of patients with type 2 diabetes due to naturally occurring chromium.

The chromium in the brewer’s yeast may also help in lowering cholesterol levels. Moreover, the brewer’s yeast supplements can lower bad LDL cholesterol while raising good HDL cholesterol.

Some studies have shown that brewer’s yeast can impact positively the immune system and improve the body’s defenses against viral lung infections such as common cold and flu.

Brewer’s yeast may also help to maintain healthy skin, eyes, mouth, hair and even reduces the chance of developing skin cancer.

Besides lowering cholesterol, brewer’s yeast may also reduce blood pressure because it has high amounts of calcium, potassium, and magnesium. All these help in the reduction of blood pressure. Some studies also suggest that a higher intake of minerals can reduce heart disease or stroke and high blood pressure.

A natural supplement of brewer’s yeast can improve cognitive function and mood in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Also, it contains lithium, a component traditionally used to treat mood disorders. Plenty of naturally occurring brewer’s yeast can aid in improving mood in former drug users. Moreover, the nutrients in the brewer’s yeast may reduce fatigue and improve recovery after physical exertion.

Some studies have also found that supplements with brewer’s yeast also promote weight loss and decreased fat production.

• Nutritional Yeast Health Benefits

Nutritional yeast is a flavorsome addition to any meal and an excellent way to increase the nutritional value of the diet. It has a good source of protein, fiber, and a full spectrum of vitamin B, including riboflavin, folate, thiamin, niacin, B6, and pantothenic acid.

This savory yeast also contains antioxidants and essential minerals like magnesium, zinc, chromium, phosphorus, and selenium.

It contains a full spectrum of vitamin B and high-quality protein supports healthy skin, hair, and nails. Vitamin B is vital for many processes in the body and your overall health. They can help us feel less tired and more focused. It also supports the formation of red blood cells.

If you suffer from chronic fatigue, having a supplement with nutritional yeast could reduce those issues and keep you more energized. Moreover, the fiber present in the nutritional yeast promotes gut health.

This nutritional seasoning contains beta-glucan, a specific fiber that supports bone density and immunity, reduces cholesterol, blood pressure, and potentially lowers cancer risk. It also has been proven to lower bad cholesterol levels due to the presence of beta-glucan.

Nutritional yeast comes with several potent antioxidants, including selenomethionine and glutathione, which protect the cells in our body from potential cell damage caused by free radicals.

Research has found that yeast strain in nutritional yeast can reduce inflammation resulting from bacterial infection, supports the immune system, and treats diarrhea. It has also been found that the chromium-enriched yeast had lowered fasting blood glucose levels and cholesterol in an animal model. It has also improved glucose sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes.

Finally, nutritional yeast also supports a healthy pregnancy. If you are planning for pregnancy, then you can take 400-800mcg of folic acid every day to prevent congenital abnormalities and to support fetus growth.

Bottom Line

Yeast is typically considered a highly nutritious vegan food with several potential health benefits. Thus it can be used to add more proteins, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals to meals. Many studies suggest that both nutritional and brewer’s yeast may protect against chronic diseases, boost immunity, and lower cholesterol.

Anyone can enjoy yeast, as they are highly safe, and are readily available in grocery stores and some health food stores. Also, it is now available from online retailers.