Nutritional yeast is a seasoning that is popular among vegans and vegetarians. One of it’s most common uses is in vegan “cheese”. But is nutritional yeast healthy?
What is Nutritional Yeast Made of? Nutritional yeast is a fungus that is grown in tanks or vats of a sugary liquid made from whey, molasses, sugar beets, or another growing medium. (These growing mediums are usually genetically modified [GMO].) At the end of the growth period, the yeast is heated and dried.
Is Nutritional Yeast Good for You? You’ve probably heard of monosodium glutamate (MSG). Monosodium glutamate is a food additive made from glutamate and used to enhance food flavors. There are many health concerns with the use of MSG, such as its ability to cause cellular hypertrophy and distortions in the epithelia of the stomach. Consuming MSG has also been linked to headaches, metabolic disorders, Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, neurotoxic effects, and other issues.
Although nutritional yeast does not contain MSG, it is very high in glutamate – the same chemical in MSG.
Glutamate and Neuron Function Glutamate is a non-essential amino acid, which means our bodies make this amino acid, and we do not need to get it from food.
Glutamate functions as an excitatory neurotransmitter, which means that it excites nerve cells and causes them to send messages. These messages regulate nearly all the functions of the brain and the body.
Because of this, glutamate plays a crucial role in everything from our thinking to memory to our muscle movements to our appetite and nearly everything that occurs in your body.
The body needs glutamate, but, as previously mentioned, it makes its own. We don’t need to get it from food. What’s more, the body tries to maintain a relatively low level of this amino acid because too much glutamate causes overstimulation of neurons, which causes them to fire too many messages too rapidly. When the nerve cells are continuously activated like this it can lead to cell exhaustion and often death of the cell.
Excess glutamate is toxic. Some of the issues caused by too much glutamate include:
ALS
Alzheimer’s disease
anxiety
Huntington’s disease
fibromyalgia
obsessive compulsive disorder
Parkinson’s disease
Too much glutamate may also contribute to learning difficulties, migraine headaches, and chronic pain.
The body’s efforts to regulate this amino acid “to prevent excessive activation of glutamate receptors that can result in cell death” can be best supported by eating a healthy diet of unrefined, plant-based foods. When we eat a healthy diet, our body naturally produces just the right amount of glutamate.
Some foods, such as pork chops, aged cheeses, cured meats, bone broths, roasted chicken, fermented foods, some processed foods, mushrooms, yeast extracts, and nutritional yeast contain extremely high levels of glutamate. None of these high-glutamate foods are beneficial for health, yet they cause an overload of glutamate in the body.
Nutritional yeast is a stimulating food. For the best health of both body and mind, the best course is “abstinence from every stimulating kind of food, and the proper use of wholesome, simple food, which God has provided in abundance.” Whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains contain very small (safe) amounts of glutamate. Legumes contain higher amounts but still within the safe range.
Glutamate is a gustatory stimulus. It makes our brains think that food taste better by exciting brain neurons and taste buds.
Just like some other flavor enhancers that are added to packaged foods, nutritional yeast artificially increases appetite and cravings for some people. It disturbs the leptin-mediated hypothalamus signaling cascade, which can lead to obesity.
Interestingly, many naturopaths will recommend nutritional yeast to individuals with poor appetite, and some veterinarians recommend giving nutritional yeast or Brewer’s yeast to an animal who is not eating to stimulate appetite.
Glutamate is also suspected to inhibit the release of melatonin.
Melatonin is a hormone produced by your body that regulates your sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin also helps regulate your blood glucose levels, your body weight, and your hormone levels, and more.
A low level of this hormone is associated with inability to sleep well, anxiety, hormone imbalances, and weight gain.
The consumption of nutritional yeast also raises uric acid level in the body. High uric acid levels are linked to high blood pressure, uric acid kidney stones, and chronic kidney disease, insulin resistance, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
Note: The effects of consuming nutritional yeast accumulative. Symptoms may not appear at once, but rather gradually over time.
Are there beneficial nutrients in nutritional yeast?
One of nutritional yeast’s claim to fame is that it contains vitamin B12. The truth is that the B12 in nutritional yeast is added B12 – the synthetic variety. One can just as well get this vitamin from a supplement.
Unlike sweet potatoes, oatmeal, apples, carrots, buckwheat, and pears, nutritional yeast does not grow in the garden, in the orchard, or in a field of grain. It is a manufactured, highly-concentrated, man-made food.
Given the health issues associated with nutritional yeast, I set out to create recipes that taste yummy without this ingredient. Feel free to check out my creamy Fettuccine Alfredo, indulgent Cheesy Potato Casserole, and luscious Herb Gravy.
Here are some delicious vegan cheese recipes without nutritional yeast.
References
Eweka, A.O, et al. Histological studies of the effects of monosodium Glutamate on the stomach of adult Wistar Rats Ann Biomed Sci 2007
Xiang Q, et al. Characterization of the key nonvolatile metabolites in cheddar cheese by partial least squares regression (PLSR), reconstitution, and omission, Food Chemistry 2023
Dubey, R.C, et al. Industrial Exploitation of Microorganisms. New Delhi: I.K., 2010
van der Merwe GK, et al. Ammonia regulates VID30 expression and Vid30p function shifts nitrogen metabolism toward glutamate formation especially when Saccharomyces cerevisiae is grown in low concentrations of ammonia, The Journal of Biological Chemistry 2001
Vandenbeuch, Aurelie, Sue C Kinnamon, Glutamate: Tastant and Neuromodulator in Taste Buds, Advances in Nutrition, 2016
Zhou, Y, and N C Danbolt, Glutamate as a neurotransmitter in the healthy brain, Journal of Neural Transmission 2014
Miladinovic T, et al. Overview of Glutamatergic Dysregulation in Central Pathologies, Biomolecules, 2015
Jack Samuels, Truth in Labeling Campaign
Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills
Kathleen Holton, et al. Dietary correlates of chronic widespread pain in Meru, Kenya, Nutrition 2018
Sheldon, Amanda L, Michael B Robinson, The role of glutamate transporters in neurodegenerative diseases and potential opportunities for intervention, Neurochemistry International 2007
Pooja Kumar, Dietary Glutamic Acid, Obesity, and Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Schizophrenia, Psychiatry 2021
Jan Lewerenz, Pamela Maher, Chronic Glutamate Toxicity in Neurodegenerative Diseases—What is the Evidence? Neuroscience 2015
Sheldon, Amanda L, Michael B Robinson, The role of glutamate transporters in neurodegenerative diseases and potential opportunities for intervention, Neurochemistry International 2007
Ellen White, Medical Ministry, 283 Another quote from the book Peter’s Counsel to Parents may also be of interest to Christians: “The enemy has arranged matters so as to ensnare the greatest number. He leads men and women to use stimulating food and food that beclouds the nerve-power of the brain, so that they are unable to distinguish between right and wrong, between good and evil.” Ellen White, Peter’s Counsel to Parents, 26
Yamada H, et al. Metabotropic glutamate receptors negatively regulate melatonin synthesis in rat pinealocytes. Journal of Neuroscience 1998
“BBB [blood brain barrier] permeability can occur via the overactivation of NMDA receptors which cause excitotoxicity, but other events such as head trauma, infection, neurotoxic exposures, high stress, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress can also lead to permeability of the BBB.” Neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress are tightly tied to excitotoxicity. Fahimeh Martami, Kathleen F Holton, Targeting Glutamate Neurotoxicity through Dietary Manipulation, Nutrients 2023
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