**REVIEW** Nutritional Yeast Flakes (by Sari Foods) ****UPDATED****

What if I told you about an edible product that:

• is Non-GMO
• is Vegan
• is Kosher
• is Halal
• is Gluten Free
• is Dairy Free
• is Low Sodium
• is Non-Toxic
• has No MSG

And, wait. What if I also told you that adding this product to your diet might help:

• Fight aging, promote cellular repair, and guard against free radicals
• Curb appetite and promote natural and healthy weight loss
• Boost immune system, energy levels and overall sense of well-being
• Increase memory, clarity and mental function; eliminate brain fog
• Improve sleep; reduce insomnia, depression and ongoing fatigue
• Balance hormones, improve mood and reduce feelings of irritability
• Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers

Since this was the first I was hearing of nutritional yeast, I wanted to check out some information. When I saw how it's "often high in B-12" (and could potentially cause some calcium deficiency), I wanted to know more about it. I am still reading what doctors have to say about nutritional yeast flakes, but at least one of them has a positive take.

But back to the flakes I am getting to try out.

Okay, so first thing that you could say is that I copied all of that right off the back of the package of the product. I did, yes. This package:

This is Nutritional Yeast Flakes from Sari Foods. It's the first time I've heard of what I think must be a real "wonder food", but I wanted to give it a try. Let's face it, if the flakes do even half what the packaging claims, it's worth trying out, right?

I noticed two things right off when I saw the package. First, it was "Ancient Egyptian Superfood", then it was "P.S.: Tastes like cheese!"

Okay.

By the way, this is what the flakes look like:

Ingredients: Large nutritional yeast flakes (deactivated, dried yeast. Free of Candida Albicans.
They are flaky (obviously) and a little bit powdery. (Once I opened the package, I ended up storing the flakes in a plastic baggie because the original package seal was loose and prone to spilling.)

Once I got over my irritation with the package's seal, I looked around for something to try the flakes on. Usually, I try stuff by adding it to my coffee but, since I'm not interested in cheese-flavored coffee, I needed to go a different route.

First, I just dipped a finger into the flakes for a little raw taste test. And, um... No. There was a cheese-like flavor, but "like" yeast-flavored Cheese Puffs dust. Ick.

So, I moved on to adding the flakes to food. What better food to add something "cheese-like flavored" to than a burrito? Amma rite? Obviously. This way, the flakes weren't half-bad. Usually, for my version of the home-made burrito, I take a flour tortilla, add some seasoned ground beef (or taco meat), lettuce, tomatoes and a quarter to not-quite-half-a-cup of cheese. Just roll that bad boy up and get busy. This time, I used only a sprinkle of cheese and added roughly a tablespoon of the yeast flakes.

The verdict: Not bad. Not bad at all. I could get used to eating the flakes on the right food - which is great because I'll be get rid of some fatty stuff and (hopefully) benefiting from the flakes.

So far, all I've found to use it on is the burritos (and I love) those burritos. I think the trick is to use the flakes on any food that is bland and needs some added bang, or on foods that are well-seasoned and compatible with the cheese-like flavor. I have a holiday visitor who made the excellent suggestion for using the flakes on some homemade kale chips. That got me to thinking that the flakes would also be delicious when sprinkled on popcorn (similar to the way I use Parmesan cheese).

However you decide to use them (and there are plenty of recipes floating around), the flakes are worth checking out. Sari Foods will also email you an ebook of recipes for the yeast flakes and their other products.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I
only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

UPDATE: One of my regular (a favorite) blog readers had something to say about nutritional yeast that I want to share with you. The following are her comments/experiences (BTW: Thanks, dollface!)

I love this you have to be very careful what you choose to put it on...but overall it is delicious and it does taste like cheese especially when used on top of pasta dishes. it is very beneficial to a nursing mother it certainly helps increase your milk supply. I used brewers yeast, ground flax and natural oats to help with my milk supply with J. but the Brewers yeast was the most beneficial! One time while I was nursing I got a flu so terrible I was dehydrated and had to go in for fluids. I was so worried about my milk supply and we were running low on the stored bottles we had. I ate Brewers yeast on 2 meals in one day and the next day it was like everything was back to normal I even had extra. Brewers yeast is just another name for this.