What Is Nutritional Yeast (Nooch)

Nutritional Yeast, ‘Savoury Yeast Flakes’, or, to give its less-clinical colloquial name, ‘Nooch’ is a dietary supplement and flavour enhancing ingredient commonly utilised by those who practice the vegan diet. Nooch is widely used to increase the intake of vitamin B12 and add taste to a dish. 

As the name suggests, Nutritional Yeast is a form of deactivated yeast (S. cerevisiae), low in fat and sodium while high in vitamins and proteins. Many studies indicate that it may well help lower your cholesterol, give your immune system a boost, and potentially even protect you against oxidative damage. 

What Nutritional Yeast is Used For?

Vegan Cheese Alternative

Nooch is often used as an alternative to cheese in vegan dishes as many have observed it taste similar to parmesan without the salty after taste. Many vegans use Nutritional Yeast as cheese flavouring in meals such as Vegan Mac and ‘Cheese’, Vegan French Toast, and Dairy-Free Carbonara.

Snack Enhancement 

Nutritional Yeast has been know to be used in Cinemas as an alternative topping for popcorn. In fact, Nutritional Yeast popcorn isn’t the only instance you’ll find of Nutritional Yeast is used as a snack. Dehydrated Kale Chips with Nutritional Yeast have become a customer favourite amongst Wholefood Earth customers. 

Supplementing Vitamin B & B12 In a Vegan Diet 

Being vegan or vegetarian doesn’t always come with being healthier. However, studies have shown that people who self-identified as living a vegetarian lifestyle are more health-conscious than the general population. Perhaps as a consequence of being asked, “if you don’t eat meat, where do you get your protein” has had the knock-on effect that vegetarians are more likely to research their intake actively. 

It should be no surprise that those who have chosen a vegan diet are often aware that Vitamin B12 is hard to come by without meat or dairy intake. As such, vegans will often use Nutritional Yeast as a means by which to supplement the recommended 2.4 mcg per day intake. 

Who Uses Nutritional Yeast?

Vegans and The Health Conscious 

Based on our market research at Wholefood Earth, it appears the majority of people using Nutritional Yeast are health conscious vegans and vegetarians. Although not exclusively. From sprinters to bodybuilders, we’ve spoken to all manner of customers in the athletics and sports world who adore nutrition yeast for its Chromium and sixteen amino acids, which can help with weight loss and muscle repair. 

The Digestively Challenged

We have observed that while some eat Nutritional Yeast specifically to help with digestive issues or mitigate the effects of lactose intolerance. 

Those That Just Like the Taste

Nutritional Yeast has is a relatively unique taste. It approximately resembles a savoury cheese with a nutty overtone. 

What Can I Make with Nutritional Yeast?

While many simply use Nooch as a “sprinkle on” condiment for meals in a similar fashion to parmesan cheese, Nutritional Yeast can be cooked in directed to some dishes, including Vegan Mac and ‘Cheese’, Vegan French Toast, Dairy-Free Carbonara.

Nutritional Yeast recipes usually do not involve any preparation of the Nooch itself, but having other ingredients, melted into it.  

How Is Nutritional Yeast Made?

Nutritional Yeast is an ingredient usually cultivated on a mixture of cane and beet molasses for a week, harvested, washed, fortified with B12, and dried. You can find out more about how nutrition yeast is made, as well as, how, and why nutrition yeast is fortified with B12 on our blog. 

Is Nutritional Yeast Healthy?

Nutritional Yeast is healthy food in almost any definition of the term. It is highly nutritious, provides extra protein, is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, and contains a good mixture of trace minerals such as zinc. 

There are claims throughout the health industry that Nutritional Yeast Healthy may help boost immunity[11, 12] and lower cholesterol levels due to its levels of beta-glucan[2 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10].

You can find the full nutritional information on our product page or packaging. 

What Does Nutritional Yeast Taste Like?

Nutritional Yeast is a flavour of it's own. An approximation of the flavour is that of a savoury cheese with a nutty overtone. It's closest resemblance is to that of parmesan without the salty after taste. However, this is a similarity, not a direct comparison in much the same way butter and margarine are not identical but adequate substitutes in some contexts. 

Contrary to assumptions made by many first-time 'noochers', Nutritional Yeast does not taste like the yeast found in beer, nor a yeast extract such as marmite. 

Where Can I Buy Nooch?

The question of where to buy Nutritional Yeast can simply come down to convenience, cost, and quality. 

While you may be able to pick up Nutritional Yeast at the Supermarket in the UK, the brands and qualities fluctuate from one to the next. 

Our 5 star average (based on 386 reviews) gives us the confidence to say the best place to buy Nutritional Yeast online is right here at Wholefood Earth.