Nutritional Yeast - Finding the Best Brand (Product Review Part 2)

I discovered nutritional yeast and it took over my life. I avoided trying it for so long because it sounded gross, but once I tried it, I was hooked.

<< See: Part 1 What is Nutritional Yeast?

It didn't take me long to realize there is quite a difference between brands. Obviously it isn't sold at all grocery stores, and I didn't want to go to the trouble of ordering it online, so I set out to find the best that I could find sold locally in Calgary / Canadian grocery stores.

I'm sure most health food stores will carry the product, but I tracked down four types sold near me: unidentified brand from Bulk Bin, Red Star brand from Community Natural Foods, Purely Bulk from Superstore, and Bob's Red Mill from Superstore.

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THE CONTENDERS
I've been able to find four different brands of nutritional yeast at my local grocery stores.
From left to right:
1. Generic (unidentified brand from Bulk Barn... the clerks didn't know)
2. Red Star (from bulk bin at Community Natural Foods)
3. Purely Bulk 
4. Bob's Red Mill

1. Bulk Barn Generic  2. Red Star  3. Purely Bulk  4. Bob's Red Mill

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APPEARANCE / FLAKE SIZE
Nutritional yeast comes in sizes ranging from large flakes to fine powder. I tend to prefer larger flakes because of the texture when sprinkled onto salads and popcorn. If you're cooking it (such as into pasta or sauces) it doesn't matter. But I definitely tend to use it sprinkled into food more often and I find that I enjoy the texture of the larger flakes.

Generic / Red Star (bulk from Community Natural Foods) - Both the bulk products were fairly powdery -- probably from getting knocked around when getting put into the bulk bins and subsequently getting scooped out again.

Bulk Barn sample (flake size fairly similar to Red Star brand, not pictured)

Purely Bulk had the largest flake size. Like I said, I put this into my salad, and I definitely like it better as a large flake due to the texture than just as a powder.

Purely Bulk - largest flakes

Bob's Red Mill had a medium flake size compared to the other contenders (although its packaging does say that it is 'large' flakes).

Bob's Red Mill - medium flakes

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NUTRITION
Most the products are pretty comparable in nutrition. This stuff is seriously a nutritional powerhouse.

From the Bob's Red Mill label (per 1/4 cup or 12g serving):

• Calories 50kcal
• Protein 6g
• Carbohydrate 5g
• Fiber 3g
• Fat 0.5g
• Sodium 0mg

Bob's Red Mill Nutritional Info

Awesome right? Low-cal, high-protein, high-fiber. Also suitable for certain diets: sodium free, gluten free.

I did notice that some brands online highlight that their product have been fortified with vitamin b12, which is a common deficiency of many vegetarians and vegans.

I couldn't get any info on the bulk products, but it appears that Purely Bulk is not fortified, while Bob's Red Mill is fortified. There is 7mcg of vitamin B12 per 1/4 cup (12g) of Bob's Red Mill. To put things into perspective, the RDA for vitamin b12 is 2.4mcg for most adults. But do take note that this stuff is naturally high in all vitamin B's anyway -- you're probably getting too much vitamin B if you're eating this on a regular basis.

That being said, vitamin B is a water-soluble vitamin and luckily does not deposit in the fat. You end up just urinating it out. Studies have also found that higher doses of vitamin b12 do not seem to be toxic. Sure. I found this out the hard entertaining way: my pee was bright neon yellow and I remember learning in school that vitamin B makes your pee that color. Anyway, don't be alarmed at the bright yellow pee. Just stay well-hydrated, and eat your nooch in moderation.

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COST
1. Bulk Barn  - $1.99 per 100g
2. Red Star (bulk from Community Natural Foods)  - $2.99 per 100g
3. Purely Bulk - $6.99/180g = $3.88 per 100g
4. Bob's Red Mill - $8.25/226g = $3.76 per 100g

The cheapest was the Bulk Barn variety at only $2 per 100g, with Purely Bulk as the priciest still only at $3.88 per 100g. Not a big price leap either way, but I guess if you are eating as much of this stuff as I am, it is good to know.

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TASTE
This was fun - to try all four types side-by-side. On their own, they all taste OK for the most part*. Cheesy, nutty flavor from all of them. But when you have them next to each other, you can really tell the difference.

1. Bulk Barn - This was by far the worst nutritional yeast ever because it tasted like bulk bins: it tasted like a mix of all the seasonings and spices stored adjacent to the nooch at the store. Gross. Not sure what brand this was, but I feel like the low turnover of this kind of product at a place like Bulk Barn (as compared to a health food store) surely didn't help.

2. Community Natural Foods  - This was my second favorite. Nutty, cheesy, just the way you want it to taste.

3. Purely Bulk - By far the best flavor. Lots of nutty flavor. Lots of umami flavor. Cheesy, nutty, delicious. Awesome!

4.  Bob's Red Mill - Sour. What the heck? I was really hoping to like this one since I am usually a huge fan of their products. But it literally tasted a bit sour and not cheesy at all. Maybe I'd gotten a bad batch?! The package said that it was best stored in the fridge/freezer.. but really, all of these products were purchased from the store at room temperature. This product was only marginally better than the Bulk Barn one, sadly.

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OVERALL

Best: Purely Bulk
Worst: Bulk Barn

Purely Bulk

• Best flavor by far. Lots of umami flavor and absolutely delicious. I could (and do..) eat it by the spoonful.
• Nice large flakes.
• Nutritionals: comparable to other nooch. I didn't need it to be fortified with vitamin B12, and it wasn't. Vegetarians/vegans might want/need that in their nooch, but I'm good without the add-in.
• Most expensive of the lot. But a tub of the stuff (180g) lasts me long enough and is certainly worth it.

Nutritional Yeast - What is it? (Product Review Part 1)

Nutritional Yeast. Neither of those words sound appealing nor appetizing. It sounds at best maybe like something you would add to your plant feed.

It took me a really long time to try nutritional yeast for the first time. I'd seen many health food bloggers mention it before and use it regularly in their diets. But whenever I was at the grocery store, I felt it was hard to commit to spending $8 on a large tub of the stuff that could very well make me want to vomit... (don't worry, it was much the opposite).

One day I saw it at my local health food store in the bulk bin. I was hooked instantly -- I bought a small bag of it and started putting it into different foods, and the rest is history. From that point on, I've been buying it as a staple; it shows up on my shopping list just as regularly as milk and eggs. :)

Since the first time I tried it, I have been on a mission to find the best nutritional yeast available.


What is it?
Also known as "nooch", nutritional yeast is a type of dried and deactivated yeast that is commonly used as seasoning or condiment ingredient in vegan and vegetarian diets. It has a cheesy and nutty taste, with plenty of umami flavor. It is typically sold as flakes or as fine powder and can easily be used as a straight seasoning (eg. on salads or popcorn), or cooked into food to impart a cheesy flavor to certain dishes (eg. pasta, casseroles).

The strain of yeast cultured to make nutritional yeast is usually Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The sample is cultured for several days in a sugar-based medium such as cane sugar or beet molasses. The yeast is then heated to pasteurize the product and dried to create the flaky / powdery product that is sold in grocery stores.

Delicious large-flake nutritional yeast

Nutritional Information
Nutritional yeast is naturally low in calories, low in fat, high in fiber, and high in protein. There are about 10-15 calories per tablespoon (depending on whether you buy flakes or powder). This makes it a great supplement for individuals who are watching their calories but looking to get in some extra fiber and protein. Some nutritional yeast products with also be additionally fortified with vitamin B12 which is a common deficiency among vegetarians and vegans.

Side note: if you eat too much vitamin B12, your body will pass a lot of it in your urine as vitamin B is a water-soluble vitamin. It turns your urine bright yellow, so if you're wondering why your pee is more yellow than usual.... consider yourself warned.

Nutritional Info from Purely Bulk package

Nutritional Info from Bob's Red Mill package

Uses of Nutritional Yeast
Because of its nutty and cheesy flavor, nutritional yeast is often used as a substitute or partial substitute in place of cheese for vegetarian/vegan version of certain recipes. For instance, it can be used to make cheese sauces for pasta dishes.

My favorite way to use nutritional yeast is still the most basic -- I really enjoy sprinkling it straight onto salads and popcorn. Sometimes I will mix nutritional yeast with garlic powder and a pinch of salt to give it additional flavor and then put it on my salads.... and that tastes delicious too.

.. and then sometimes, sometimes, I just eat it straight from the container with a spoon. Because I like it just that much. :)


See: Part 2 for my comparative product review.

Holy Crap Cereal (Product Review)

Holy Crap mixed into yogurt (pre-soak)

Holy Crap is an organic cereal that is a mixture of just a few simple ingredients (all organic):

• chia seeds
• hulled hemp hearts
• buckwheat
• dehydrated fruits (cranberries, raisins, apple)
• cinnamon

The product was first made popular by the television show Dragons' Den. In fact, I heard about it for the first time on the show. The Dragons had fairly positive feedback about the taste of the cereal, so I was really interested in trying it out -- especially because it's supposed to be pretty healthy.

Holy Crap Cereal - "Dragon's Blend" made popular on the TV show Dragon's Den

The cereal is made in British Columbia, but is now available in stores throughout Canada (shipping available to the US). The local grocery store sells it for $10.99 per 225g bag, which is pretty darn expensive considering you get about 8 servings out of the entire bag if you follow their suggested serving size (28g). Then again, this is in comparison to regular grocery cereal --- if you're comparing it to organic cereals, you fall in a similar price range.

That being said (and for full disclosure), I had actually been fortunate enough to pick up some samples from the company when they were giving them away at a 5K/10K race(!) I was super excited and couldn't wait to try it. :)

This is what it looks like in the bag, before hydration. Hmm.

In the mix: Chia seeds, hemp hearts, buckwheat, dehydrated fruit (apple, cranberries, raisins), cinnamon

They have two suggestions for preparation: soak with a bit of milk, or stir into yogurt.
I added it to my favorite yogurt mix (non-fat Liberte plain Greek yogurt and Source lemon-meringue-parfait yogurt...yum!). I actually am not a fan of raisins or cranberries so I picked around those when I was scooping from the bag. Hee. (Side note: the company also sells a product called 'Skinny-B' which is basically the same thing as Holy Crap, but minus the dried fruit.)

My favorite yogurt mix: Liberte 0% Greek with Source Lemon Meringue Parfait

Let soak for 15 minutes until everything got hydrated.

Time to eat. It was a really interesting texture in the yogurt. The chia seeds have a bit of a slimy/slippery quality to them (but not in a bad way), while there was a bit of a bite from the hemp hearts and buckwheat. There was only a small amount of apple and cinnamon, which didn't really add or detract much from the texture of flavor profile.

Hydrated Holy Crap in yogurt

This cereal doesn't really have a strong flavor --- I thought at first maybe it was the flavor of my yogurt overpowering the flavor of the cereal, but then I tried it again just soaked in a bit of 2% milk, and again there wasn't a distinctive flavor. I definitely preferred it in yogurt rather than in milk though.

The main highlight of this cereal, for me, is the nutritional value rather than the flavor. High in fiber, a source of omega fatty acids, a source of iron, and low in sugar... this cereal definitely beats out most other cereals from a nutritional standpoint.

Holy Crap - ingredients and nutritional info

Final verdict?

This cereal is definitely a super healthy food choice and a quality product, but is not remarkable for its flavor. I would buy it mainly for the nutritional benefit, and that it adds a neat texture to my yogurt. Their website also features some recipes that suggest using it in baked goods, salads, and beverages -- definitely looks to be worth a try too.

Because a lot of it is just chia seed, you could probably make a comparable replica of the cereal using chia seed and your favorite dried fruits (... hmmm!). It is on the pricier side when compared to regular grocery cereals, but is reasonably priced as an all-organic product. I definitely liked this product and would eat it from time to time. I'm not a big fan of dried fruits, so I am glad they thought of making 'Skinny-B', which I will definitely check out soon.


TL;DR

Pros

• Healthy: high in fiber, source of omega fatty acids, source of iron, etc.
• Good quality ingredients (all organic)
• All "real" ingredients -- no additives or preservatives, no flavorings (but requires refrigeration after opening
• Friendly to various diets: no sodium, low sugar, gluten-free, kosher

Cons

• Pricier than most regular cereals (~$11 per 225g bag; yields about 8-9 servings)
• Taste is OK, but not remarkable
• Requires a small amount of wait-time for cereal to soak (10-15 minutes) - not ideal if you're the type that rolls out of bed and out the door