IS NUTRITIONAL YEAST KETOGENIC?

livewell
March 21, 2024
Eric kent

Introduction

Nutritional yeast indeed sounds healthy, but is it ketogenic? As the name shows, nutritional yeast is a yeast but in powder form. It is a highly nutritious food with many health benefits. This type of yeast is used to add extra flavor to dishes like salads and soup. Some people wonder if it is suitable for the keto diet.

Well, the answer is yes. Nutritional yeast is considered ketogenic as it has low carbohydrates. It is not inherently ketogenic, but it can considered ketogenic due to the low amount of carbohydrates and high fats. Let’s go through the details that prove that nutritional yeast is ketogenic.

What Is A Ketogenic Diet?

The medical world has made many advances, but health issues remain. Health problems like obesity, heart disease, weak immune system, inflammation, and diabetes are some common issues that people have. They are a worldwide health hazards that lead to high adult mortality rates. These diseases result from poor dietary habits and unhealthy lifestyles.

An appropriate diet can help mitigate the risks of these diseases. One diet regime considered the most effective diet is the ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet is high in fats and low in carbohydrates, helping you to burn fat.

A ketogenic diet mainly helps reduce weight but also lowers other health risks. This diet has low carbohydrates, moderate protein, and high fats. Generally speaking, the distribution of macronutrients is between 30% and 35% protein, 5% and 10% carbs, and 55% and 60% fat.

Learn about the Ketogenic diet and its clinical significance at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/.

What Is Nutritional Yeast?

Nutritional yeast is a yeast that is rich in nutrition and it is flake-like. It is called nutritious yeast because it contains many healthy ingredients. It is made in large tanks filled with liquid containing sugar. The liquid is then rinsed and fermented. Nutritional yeast is then heated to destroy the contaminants and given a powder form.

Nutritional yeast is bright yellow and can also be found in solid form. It smells like corn chips and smells fantastic and is usually used as a topping to add flavor and cheesy texture to food.

Vegans can also consume nutritional yeast because it is an organic food product. Adding nutritional yeast to your meals means adding extra minerals and vitamins. It has many health benefits, like building your immune system, weight loss, and protecting you from cellular damage.

However, nutritional yeast cannot be used in all meals. It differs from other yeasts like baker’s and brewer’s. Nutritional yeast is an inactivated version, so you cannot use it for certain things like bread. You cannot use it in the making of beer as well. If you use it to make bread or beer, it may taste bitter.

How Is Nutritional Yeast Ketogenic?

People usually wonder what makes nutritional yeast ketogenic, and the answer is the low content of carbohydrates. Nutritional yeast has a high content of fats and a low content of carbohydrates. Despite its high content of fats, it is ketogenic.

Regarding the keto diet, carbohydrates and fats are the main discussion topics. The diet is ketogenic when it has low carbs. In ketosis, you take food high in fats and low in carbohydrates.

Nutritional yeast and ketosis

Nutritional yeast plays a vital role in maintaining ketosis. Consuming as low carbs as possible is usually suggested while maintaining ketosis. Food that has high fats and low carbs amount helps you feel full.

Since nutritional yeast has high fats and low carbs, it can be considered ketogenic. Nutritional yeast can be added to your keto diet because consuming it makes you less hungry. Consuming nutritional yeast can help in burning fats and releasing energy.

In most cases, the body’s tissues produce most energy from carbohydrates. Nevertheless, the body dramatically drops insulin secretion when the daily carbohydrate intake is limited to fewer than 50 grams. The body then starts to deplete the stored glycogen and it causes metabolic changes.

The body tissues have a shortage of carbohydrates, leading to two crucial metabolic processes: gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis. During ketogenesis, the body breaks fat into fatty acids and releases energy.

Here, you can include nutritional yeast into your keto diet as it helps in ketogenesis. It contains low carbohydrates, high fats, and fiber. So, eating nutritional yeast makes you feel full and you can go all day without eating. It also contains essential vitamins and proteins, helping your metabolism to remain ketoic.

Nutritional Profile Of Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast contains several essential components such as fats, carbohydrates, fiber, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Each element has its health benefits.

Protein

Nutritional yeast has a high amount of protein. It offers a protein of 44.8 grams per 100 grams. If you are on a keto diet, nutritional yeast is a good food choice because it will give your body an excellent amount of protein. You can get 8 grams of protein in just two tablespoons of nutritional yeast.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrate is another crucial component of nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast provides 37.1 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams. If you are on a low-carb diet, consuming nutritional yeast is best for you. It has 5 grams of carbohydrates per serving. In addition, it is low in sugar, helping you to maintain body sugar levels.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is one of the essential vitamins that help to keep you healthy. It plays a vital role in enhancing your immune system and metabolism. Food containing vitamin B12 gives you energy as it converts food into energy.

Nutritional yeast contains vitamin B12. If your body needs vitamin B12, you do not have to take other dietary supplements; you can just eat nutritional yeast.

To learn about dietary supplements and their function read our blog Luma Nutrition Which is a Good Brand for dietary supplements.

Fats

Nutritional yeast also has a healthy amount of fats. Fat is crucial for your keto diet, serving 6.9 grams of fat.

Iron

Your body needs iron, a vital element of physical development. This component helps to make hormones and, most importantly, myoglobin and hemoglobin. Iron deficiency can cause many health problems, like anemia (low blood cells). In such cases, a person can increase his RBCs with an iron-rich diet, such as nutritional yeast.

Learn more about anemia at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3685880/.

Your body can obtain the required iron from nutritional yeast. You can get 5 percent of iron with one serving of nutritional yeast.

Fiber

Food with fiber is a crucial component of a healthy diet. It improves your heart health and metabolism. Fiber also helps you to control the sugar level in your blood and decrease cholesterol levels.

Fiber is present in nutritional yeast. Two tablespoons of nutritional yeast serve about 5 grams of fiber. If you are thinking of consuming food high in fiber, you must consume nutritional yeast.

Essential minerals

Nutritional yeast has both macronutrients and micronutrients. It also contains minerals like calcium and potassium, helping your body with electrolyte balance. Electrolyte balance is essential when you are following a ketogenic diet.

Consuming nutritional yeast can help you with essential minerals. It contains 901.4 mg per 100 grams.

Nutritional Yeast And Health Benefits

When discussing nutritional yeast, we think of an extra element added to meals for taste. However, nutritional yeast has health benefits as well. Nutritional yeast is more than a cheese substitute. It contains nutrients that are beneficial for your well-being. Some of the health benefits of nutritional yeast are:

Improve digestion

Adding nutritional yeast to your meals can help you improve your digestive system. Probiotics are present in nutritional yeast. These probiotics help digest food and improve gut health. They also help increase nutrient adsorption.

Additionally, if you are dealing with stomach issues like diarrhea, you can use nutritional yeast. The probiotics in nutritional yeast can help you with stomach problems. However, consuming too much nutritional yeast can upset your stomach.

Anti-inflammation

According to some studies, nutritional yeast contains powerful anti-oxidants. Antioxidants fight free radicals that may cause health risks. These compounds are also known for their anti-aging and anti-inflammation qualities.

Read our blog Foods to Avoid While Aging to learn in detail about foods and aging.

Consuming a healthy amount of nutritional yeast can help you with anti-inflammation. This antioxidant-rich food will protect your cells from damage and reduce the risks of causing diseases.

Boost immune health

Nutritional yeast has two main carbohydrates: beta glucan and alpha mannan. Studies suggest that these carbohydrates help your body fight bacteria and viruses. These carbohydrates reduce the risks of causing infections and boost your immune system.

Moreover, carbs present in nutritional yeast can help to activate immune cells. These immune cells then target gut bacteria, viruses, and fungi to improve immunity.

Weight loss

The problem of obesity is increasing every year. Its prevalence has increased leading to a rise in various diet plans. The ketogenic diet is one of the diet plans that people typically follow to fight obesity. Since nutritional yeast is ketogenic, it can be incorporated into your meal.

Nutritional yeast has low carbohydrates and high fats. A study found that people who consume low-carb food tend to reduce weight more quickly than those who take low-fat food. Adding nutritional yeast to your food can help reduce weight.

Reduce sugar levels

People who have high sugar levels can also consume nutritional yeast. If you adhere to a diet that is low in carbs, it will enhance glucose control. Using nutritional yeast in food can reduce sugar levels in your body. It can also reduce the risk of developing diabetes.

Support heart health

It is believed that nutritional yeast supports your heart health and reduces the risk of heart disease. A low-carbohydrate diet and high-fat can reduce the bad cholesterol in your body, also known as low-density lipoprotein.

How to Incorporate Nutritional Yeast Into Your Diet?

You can incorporate Nutritional yeast in your diet as an extra element. Nutritional yeast can be used as toppings in salad and food. Adding it to your meals will give you a flavor. Not to mention, it will be beneficial for your well-being.

Additionally, nutritional yeast should be kept in a cool and dark place. You can preserve its vitamins and proteins this way. When you appropriately store nutritional yeast, it can last for several months or even years. You can incorporate it in foods like:

Smoothies
Pasta
Salads
Popcorn
Soups

Summary

Nutritional yeast is ketogenic because of the low carbohydrate and high fat count. Using nutritional yeast as a topping can give your meal a flavor. Consuming it also has several health benefits, like improving digestion and heart health, boosting the immune system, reducing inflammation, and many more. However, it is essential to take a healthy amount. Overeating nutritional yeast can upset your stomach and cause health issues.

FAQ

Hello, What Can We Help You Find?

Are you looking for something? We are here to assist you. These are the questions
asked by our customers tell us yours.

Why is nutritional yeast included in the keto diet?

Keto dies is low in carbohydrates and high in fats. It helps reduce weight and provides health benefits. Similarly, nutritional yeast has low carbohydrates and high fats, which are included in the keto diet.

Does nutritional yeast contain folic acid?

Yes, nutritional yeast contains folic acid that helps to increase the red blood cells in your body. This folic acid also helps to fight diseases like anemia caused by iron deficiency.

Are there any health benefits of consuming nutritional yeast?

Yes, there are many health benefits of consuming nutritional yeast. It helps to improve the digestive and immune systems and reduce risks of heart disease, inflammation, and sugar levels in your body.

Does nutritional yeast have a high amount of carbohydrates?

No, nutritional yeast does not have a high amount of carbohydrates. It contains a high amount of fats and a low amount of carbohydrates.