# Nutritional yeast - yay or nay?



## JSerene (Nov 4, 2004)

I started adding nutritional yeast to dd's babyfood, but recently saw a website claiming that despite all the nutrients, it's a neurotoxin. The site claimed it is made by the same process that is used to make MSG. In and of itself, I don't see how that makes it a neurotoxin, but no further information was given, and I couldn't find anything else online about it. Does anyone here know? Do you feed it to your families? Thanks.


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## ~member~ (May 23, 2002)

We love it! Although I never fed any of my babies it, as it is quite potent. I usually put 2 tbls on a huge bowl of popcorn, or 1 tbls when baking meatloaf.
I haven't found anything else I like it on, as it does have a unique taste.

Let's see, as soon as my kids were able to eat popcorn safely, then they ate it.

I wouldn't mix it in baby food, though. Just one serving of popcorn and my urine is bright yellow(just proving how packed it is) and I always make sure we drink lots and lots of water.


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## papaya (Jul 4, 2004)

We also use it in popcorn, my brother uses it on his spaghtetti....but just a sprinkling. I have heard mixed things about it. Never about it being a neurotoxin. But some don't believe in eating any kind of yeast at all. I don't know why but I am curious.


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## JSerene (Nov 4, 2004)

The book I have on making baby food recommends adding it. Would it be safer just to give a multivitamin, I wonder?


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## wurzelkind (Oct 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JSerene*
The book I have on making baby food recommends adding it. Would it be safer just to give a multivitamin, I wonder?


You're talking about Super Baby Foods Book, right? I started giving it to dd after 12 months as well because I wanted to reduce the amount of meat she was getting (she sooo *loves* her meat!







) and she started to get a little picky (which was over after a short time anyway) but stopped if after a while as she disliked the taste and smell of it.
I on the other hand ate a lot of Nutritional Yeast as my late mum was a veggie and we never ate a lot of meat at home (maybe once a month at all?!), mostly fish and I had some deli meats occasionally. We put it over salads, veggies and pasta dishes as far as I remeber (I was only 9 when she died) and I didn't like it much because of the smell but I ate it.

The idea of putting it on popcorn appeals a lot to me and I am going to give it a try this evening.







up I have read on vegan blogs/websites that you can make great cheese sauce with Nutritional Yeast and I'd like to hear from someone who turned from omnivore to vegetarian to vegan if it *really* tastes similar?!

On the Multivitamin - I haven't found one yet that is safe to give to children under 2 or even 3 years of age. IMO as long as he gets a broad variety of veggies, fruits, grains and dairy products there's no need for it.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

I had recipes for formula (my body just doesn't lactate the way it should) and every single one called for nutritional yeast. They were all okayed by my docs (naturopaths, homeopaths and MD's alike) Granted it was a small amount, but ds got it every day from almost birth.
I made the mac and not cheese last night that was posted by another MDC member. It was awesome. Everyone devoured it-even dh who wasn't impressed that I was making mac and cheese with no cheese (we're vegan though dh just decided to become so two weeks ago.) It came very close to the real thing, although I will admit that it was more along the line of cafeteria mac and cheese than mac and cheese out of a box. Dh even took leftovers to work today! I also agree with the multi vitamin thing. It's not necessary unless your kiddo is super picky and not eating well (and that's a whole separate issue!) I will say that JuicePlus is fine for babies and there are several good quality-safe-liquid multivitamins for kiddos. It just takes some searching to find what you're looking for. Be sure to avoid vitamin A (even as beta carotene, really) and high amounts of iron. I'll look for some good links.


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## nomadmom (Mar 30, 2003)

We use it and love it! I've never heard anything negative about nutritional yeast, although the only place I've read about it is in veg*n cookbooks. As others have said, we use it on popcorn (delicious!) and also stirred into soups and pasta dishes, sprinkled on mashed/baked potatoes... and my most recent discovery is that it's excellent in grits.


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## Saundra (Jul 13, 2002)

Elisabeth, could you please post the recipe for the mac and not cheese? It sounds like something my ds would really like. I did a search for it but couldn't find it.


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

Veganpapi posted it. It was in this months vegetarian thread under nutrition and good eating. I have no idea how to move it over here...hopefully you can find it!
Oh, and I saw my nutritionist/herbalist today. She said it's perfectly fine and there is no legitimate source that says otherwise. So-yay!


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## TwinMom (Dec 27, 2001)

We love nutritional yeast; everyone in the family uses it. We always sprinkle it on pasta, but it's also good on plain rice or certain soups (like potato







).

I'm rereading Super Baby Foods and am confused as to why she thinks nutritional yeast and brewer's yeast are the same thing. She uses them interchangeably, but they are different. I don't know what that's about, but I do know that we love nutritional yeast!

If you haven't already, check out Joanne Stepaniak's Uncheese Cookbooks (I think there are two). I have _The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook_, which has the most AMAZING recipe for vegan mac & cheese. I'm telling you, I dream about it and have to eat it the entire next day, it's that good. There's a lot of nutritional yeast in it, but that's what give it a cheesy flavor without the dairy. I'm







for it!


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## Panserbjorne (Sep 17, 2003)

THere are a couple of mac and cheese recipes in the Ultimate book. Which is the one you're in love with? I gotta try it!


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## TwinMom (Dec 27, 2001)

The one I love is actually just a recipe for the sauce; I can't remember what it's called. The facing page is a recipe for nacho sauce, I do know that. Oh, man, it's soooo yummy!


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## lavanda (Jan 11, 2006)

i have a question about brewers yeast.
is it o.k., beacuse i read some thing about yeast/candida thing..

tell me, what is nutri. yeast? is it better?
i would like to take something instead of sintetic folic acid..
brewers yeast is a good source, but what if a colonize candida?


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## melissa17s (Aug 3, 2004)

I am still waking up, so hopefully my answer makes sense... I had read that nut. yeast and brewers yeast were the same yeast strain, but grown on different sources- brewers is grown with hops or something related to brewing beer. Nutritional yeast is grown on molasses, so the end product is different flavor and some nutrients. Neither are active, but they are loaded with B vits. Neither yeast was supposed to feed candida because the yeast strains were unrelated.
http://www.efn.org/~sundance/NutritionalYeast.html
http://www.foodsubs.com/LeavenYeast.html


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