Today, a friend asked me about nutritional yeast. It is often fortified with B12 which makes it attractive for those who follow Whole Food Plant-Based guidelines. It's also an attractive source of zinc. Why? It has no phytates! Phytates are known to hinder zinc absorption — see Zinc.

Is nutritional yeast healthy? Yes! Nutritional yeast is awesome! It fortifies our immune system, offering protection against infections like common cold, seems promising for cancer prevention too! See Nutritional Yeast & Immune Function and Nutritional Yeast & Cancer for a collection of Dr Greger videos on the subject. Jeff Novick is not a fan of nutritional yeast — he says that it has high calorie density approaching that of refined sugars: Jeff Novick On Nutritional Yeast.

[Important!] Are there individuals who should avoid nutritional yeast? Yes! See Nutritional Yeast & Autoimmune Conditions for a collection of Dr Greger videos on the subject. Those with Crohn's Disease should consider staying away from all sorts of yeast! Not just nutritional yeast but bread, beer and baked goods of all sorts. For other autoimmune diseases and autoimmune-related diseases, see the last video below ("Hidradenitis Supporativa"). Those with Hidradenitis Supporativa (HS) also show improvements with yeast elimination from their diet.

Baker's yeast: Baker's yeast, Brewer's yeast and nutritional yeast differ in taste and flavor. Even though seem to be essentially the same, are there any nutritional differences? Not sure; see Brewer's Yeast & Diabetes for a summary of interesting studies showing blood glucose control with Brewer's yeast.

Recipes: Nutritional yeast imparts a nutty, cheesy flavor to preparations. For recipes, see Recipes at ForksOverKnives: mac-n-cheese, popcorn, burritos, …

Does nutritional yeast have lead? Some concerns about lead in nutritional yeast emerged a few years ago. See Three Brands of Nutritional Yeast Contain Detectable Lead Levels But The Risks Are Minimal (2015) — NutritionFacts team got 8 brands of Nutritional Yeast tested for lead — only 3 had detectable levels of lead and it would take about 6-7 teaspoons of these brands to cross the lead intake thresholds set by state of California (Prop 65; among the stringest in the world). For pregnant women, Dr Greger suggests staying away from these brands and buying brands with lowest (non-detectable) lead levels.