Nutritional Yeast Raw?

[VitalHarvest]

I am confused.

Years ago, when I first started out on my raw journey, I researched whether certain common (to vegans) foods were truly raw or not. I'm not remembering the details as this was about 11 years ago, but I do remember learning that nutritional yeast was, in fact, heated above 112 degrees.

But I'm seeing it called for in many of Alissa's cheese substitute recipes.



Can anyone fill in the gaps in my understanding? And thanks. :)

[Damzlfly]

Not a raw food, but living with active cultures...

[VitalHarvest]

Aaaaaha. . . Ok, so, then that is how it qualifies as a raw and living food. Gotcha. Thanks! ;)

[Damzlfly]

Yep, same goes for Kombucha and a couple others that I can't think of right now (migraine brewing AAAAHHHHH :( :( :( )

[andypdx]

Well....

The organism that is commonly referred to as "yeast" IS a living organism, and is sold as "active dry yeast" for use in baking, but I don't know if I would say this about the product we call "Nutritional Yeast".

Lesaffre Yeast Corporation, the company that makes Red Star Nutritional Yeast has this to say (http://www.vegsource.com/talk/raw/messages/99920932.html)... link#2 (http://www.lsaf.com/fraMain.asp?Division=NutritionalYeast&Section=FAQ)


Lesaffre Yeast Corporation derives its primary grown nutritional yeast from pure strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown on mixtures of cane and beet molasses. After the fermentation process is completed the yeast is harvested, thoroughly washed, pasteruized, and dried on roller drum dryers. The special growth medium and unique drying process are the secrets to the exceptional performance and flavor of Red Star® nutritional yeast.

It appears that they've taken a living food, and they have pasteurized it during processing.

The ingredients for "Vegetarian Support Formula (http://www.lsaf.com/fraMain.asp?Division=NutritionalYeast&Section=Consumer&File=VegSupport)" Nutritional Yeast are...

Inactive dry yeast, niacin (B3), thiamin hydrochloride (B1), riboflavin (B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), Vitamin B12.

SO... is it raw? Well, I don't know how anything pasteurized could be considered raw, so I say no. Does this mean you shouldn't eat it? Well, that's up to you. I'm striving to be 100% raw, so I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Why is this ingredient found in so many raw recipes? Heck if I know. I see maple syrup in lots of raw recipes as well.

Again let me stress that every individual should decide for themselves how far they want to go towards raw. But, in order for anyone to be in a position to even MAKE this type of decision, one must know what the boundaries are. Never assume that ANYTHING is raw. Do the research for yourself. I'm still learning new things every day.

There is another interesting write up on Nutritional Yeast here (http://www.daystarbotanicals.com/nutritionalyeast.html). Again, don't take anything as this link for granted, but use it as fodder for your continuing personal research on the subject.

[Shirleyh]

Hello! Living foods are suppose to be healthy supplements. Some people say Kombucha is suppose to be raw when the water is cooled down from making the green tea. That is why people choose high raw so they can add living foods.

[SchoolOfRAWk]

Kombucha is raw - it is fermented AFTER it is brewed.

And NY is widely considered to be very good for you. Especially the few tbsp most eat every few weeks. ;)