Unfortified Nutritional Yeast
(Originally published at https://CornFreeHippie.com)
Nutritional yeast is an awesome addition to a corn allergic’s pantry. More about that below, but first let’s address why it may be problematic for us, then discuss solutions and end with recipes / ideas for use.
Why nutritional yeast is a problem
Most nutritional yeast on the market is fortified which means vitamins are added. Those of us in the corn-free community know, or are learning, that most vitamins on the market are derived from corn and therefore are a no-go.
Before I found a solution, which was no easy task, I used to use the fortified version and did not understand why a superfood was causing me such problems.
But one day I found 2 1 SOLUTIONS: Sari Foods and Foods Alive are is unfortified nutritional yeast brands. Both It can be found on amazon.com. Like many safe foods, these are pricey, but they are both tasty and add so many possibilities to our food options. UPDATE (Aug 2021): The Foods Alive webpage now states that its nutritional yeast is grown on corn, if you have an allergy to corn, please trial with caution if you choose to do so. For those with MTHFR genes and / or need to avoid synthetic b vitamins, Foods Alive may still be a good choice.
Ideas for use
“What are my options?”– you ask.
As seen in the pictures below, KALE CHIPS! These are such a nutritious snack and so tasty that even choosy kiddos will enjoy them. The best part is that you can customize your desired seasonings.
FAUX CHEESES: Nutritional yeast is used in vegan cooking to replace cheese and since much of the cheese on the market in the U.S. include corn or corn derivatives, this is great news for those of use who miss cheese sauce, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella. Check out my recipes for Cashew cheez crumbles/spread and Cashew cheese dip (vegan, paleo).
Make your own Stock Powder / All-Purpose Seasoning (paleo, vegan). Nutritional yeast adds a depth of flavor to homemade stock powder.
Great addition to LACTATION COOKIES / VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE OATMEAL COOKIES for those who are gluten-free and need the extra boost. My version is enjoyed by the Mini-Foodies as well as my Foodie-in-Crime. (Recipe coming soon).
***NOTE: For anyone who would like to read more about Sari’s Nutritional Yeast details, here is the link . Here is the information as of 10/8/2020: “Our Nutritional Yeast is non-GMO and grown naturally in the United States on a mixture of sugar cane and sugar beet molasses and dried at a low temperature to ‘deactivate’ it.“ As you can see, there is no corn according to the process, but as we all know with the corn allergy, your mileage may vary. For those with the MTHFR gene who avoid fortified foods, this is a good option.
