Brewer's Yeast - It's REALLY good for you!!!

One morning, while in the kitchen getting ready for school, I witnessed my father eating a large piece of Blueberry Pie.  I said, “Mummy, can I have pie too?”  She said YES – on one condition.  You need to have some brewers yeast too.  Being 7, I thought – no problem.  Let me just say, I have an acquired taste for it having started drinking it so long ago.  Mothers are so sneaky aren’t they?!  I had pie for breakfast from then on whenever I wanted, and always drank my yeast.  Here’s the question (dating myself) – how did she ‘know’ way back then…it had to be about 1969?

Over the years, I've read the label on cans of yeast you buy in health food stores, and remembered most of what you need to know.

Here's what I remember, and know:
- B Complex (vitamins), all of them, and in ratios balanced by mother nature, as they were intended and needed
- All the 'essential' Amino Acids (see below for more)
- A bunch of minerals like Selenium, Chromium, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Copper, Zinc...
- Protein (I recall something like 25% of your daily requirement)
- I recall a tingling sensation on the back of the neck back in college when I took it then, and researched it.  Histamines are released from the Riboflavin, and you feel it on your neck as a sudden hot flush.  After taking yeast regularly for a few weeks, this slowly passes. Today, it doesn't happen to me at all, but may happen to you.

I purchase my Brewer's Yeast in bulk at the local Health Food store, as yeast flakes - dissolves better than powder.  I store it in a metal can, and put two heaping tablespoons full in water-diluted juice.  I also include a tablespoon of powdered greens (another blog)...and drink it right down. 1-2-3...DONE!  C'mon, after reading this, so far, don't you want to run out and get some?  Just so you know - I can't get my kids to drink it.  Then again, there's no blueberry pie sitting around to bribe them with!

Health Benefits from Google Search Results
1. Being an excellent source of chromium, an essential trace mineral, brewer’s yeast serves as an antioxidant, ridding the body of harmful toxins and free radicals. This promotes healthy cell renewal and regeneration.

2. Brewer’s yeast also has an organic compound called glucose tolerance factor or GTF, which helps the body in maintaining normal blood sugar levels. It aids the body to make use of insulin more efficiently. This is why many individuals who have diabetes use health supplements made from brewer’s yeast.

3. It also strengthens the body’s immunity against illnesses and diseases. This is primarily because brewer’s yeast is a good source of selenium, another essential trace mineral which is known to be effective in improving the functioning of the immune system and in the stimulation of antibodies.

4. The selenium in brewer’s yeast can also help in making the thyroid function more efficiently, preventing hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and goiter.

5. Brewer’s yeast has also been recommended as a natural supplement for boosting fertility, especially in men.

6. The B complex vitamins in brewer’s yeast is effective in enhancing an individual’s physical appearance as they can improve the condition of the skin, hair and eyes. These vitamins also help in breaking down fats, carbohydrates and proteins. They are also essential in maintaining the healthy functioning of the digestive and the nervous systems.

7. The high amount of protein found in brewer’s yeast contains all the essential amino acids needed to build and repair tissues, bones, muscles and cartilage. The protein in brewer’s yeast can also help in enzyme and hormone production.

8. Studies have shown that brewer’s yeast can lower the levels of bad cholesterol or LDL while raising the levels of good cholesterol or HDL in the body. This can help in reducing the risk of several diseases such as hypertension, strokes and heart attacks.


I like this stuff:
Amino acids are critical to life, and have many functions in metabolism. One particularly important function is to serve as the building blocks of proteins, which are linear chains of amino acids. Amino acids can be linked together in varying sequences to form a vast variety of proteins. Twenty-two amino acids are naturally incorporated into polypeptides and are called proteinogenic or standard amino acids. Of these, 20 are encoded by the universal genetic code. Eight standard amino acids are called "essential" for humans because they cannot be created from other compounds by the human body, and so must be taken in as food.

Blog ideas - let's see....which one next?

Here's the thing...I wrote down a list of ideas on a piece of paper, and that piece of paper has been floating around in my briefcase.  So as not to misplace or lose it - it is now electronic for easy referral. Please tell me which topic you would like to see covered next!

Blog Topics:
1. Juicing - Overall Benefits, and various blends for health benefits (one of my favorites is melons)
2. Avocados
3. Brewer's Yeast
4. Organic
5. Hydrogenated Oils
6. MSG - horrid stuff~!
7. What does "All Natural" mean, really?
8. Refined Foods in your diet
9. Eat Healthy - what does that mean?
10. Portion Control
11. Timing is everything
12. The Master Cleanse
13. Nutritional Supplements
14. Importance of a Gluten Free diet
15. Corn Sugar - what's wrong with it?
16. Diabetes - the new American epidemic

I'll start with Brewer's Yeast - that's near and dear to my heart.  My mother introduced it to us kids when we were all very young (I was 7).

It's Saturday - Pot Stickers for lunch?

Have you been to Trader Joes?  They have lots of really good food for less than other places sell it for.  One of my favorites is their pot stickers: veggie, chicken and cilantro, and shrimp.  I'll have one of each!  These are healthy eating...low fat I'm sure, some carbs in the wrapper, and a good balance of veggies in the filling.

I read the cooking instructions on the back of the bag and gave it a try.  That was a couple years ago - now, I've got it down.  Get your wok out, and set the stove for high and add a lot of olive oil (also from Trader Joe's), and start flipping them over and over till they're getting browned.

Once you have the heat up, and the browning going on, add a splash of cold water and slam the lid on it for a minute or two.  Steam gushes through the edge of the lid...then remove the lid, drizzle some soy sauce in, and do some more flipping till the liquid steams off....serve!

I like some hot sauce and discovered Sriracha years ago...garlic hot sauce.

Cheese omelet anyone?

Eggs are good...think about it.  Cheap, easy, and tasty!  This morning's breakfast included a 4-egg cheese omelet. Plenty of protein to start the day with.

Let's see, slice up some onions, grate the cheese, and get the onions sauteing.  Get the frying pan hot while you whisk up some eggs (add a splash of milk and pinch of sea salt).  Olive oil for both, and away you go! Add the cheese and cooked onions to half the cooking eggs, and fold in half when ready...voila!

Cut in half to share with your S.O., and breakfast is served.  I like hot sauce on mine.  Cup of coffee on the side, and you're off to the races.  Cheers!

Look what's for dinner in 15 minutes!

I like to remind people that dinner is easy - you just have to know what you want.  Maybe look in the fridge, freezer and pantry and get some ideas going. After that, it's prep and cook.  If you just do it, and don't let it overwhelm you - it's easy.  Most dinners can be made in under 30 minutes, and sometimes 20.  Also, quick and easy doesn't mean you forego the healthy aspects.  Look what we had tonight...

Years ago, I realized you should have 3 things each time: protein (meat?), starch, and veggies.  So, when you're getting your ideas together, check each one off.  Start with the easy stuff like starch (rice, pasta, or potatoes), and then the meat and veggies.  Caseroles are good because you can combine things.  Our meat choices exclude red meat because we don't buy it (that's a separate blog) - but doesn't mean we don't eat it.  We typically have fish, seafood (shrimp), or chicken.  Frozen - and want it tonight?  No problem.  A sink full of water and submerged frozen food will thaw in under 30 minutes.  Veggies?  What do ya got?  We have broccoli, zuchini, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, and frozen peas and corn always hanging around - run out, buy more. Pick something!  A tossed salad takes minutes.  We buy the organic romaine heads, 3 to a bag and eat one for the family's salad...shred a carrot and slice up some purple cabbage - done.

Here's what we had for dinner.  (A few days ago, ground turkey was on sale.  We use it for so many things I got 4 and froze some.)  We had Turkey burgers, steamed veggies, and French fries.  Talk about quick!  I mixed the ground turkey with seasoned bread crumbs (about a cup), and sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and soy sauce.  4 patties on a plate.  Spread frozen fries on a cookie sheet.  Slice up some zuchini and yellow squash, and carrots. That was about 10 minutes.

Timing dinner is rule number one - you want everything done at the same time so items don't finish ahead of each other and sit and get cold.  You want everything served at once - hot.  Oven on, fries in, start the grill, cook turkey burgers, and start the veggies.  I've got steamed veggies pegged at 8 minutes so they go last.  Tonight was good - everything done at once....all sat down to a hot dinner - nothing over cooked!

Barb and I like Dijon mustard on the burgers.  Ketsup with the fries, and beverages for all - bon appetit!

Fresh Smoothies Anyone?!

I'll just say it right now - we have a VitaMix 5200 machine that we got at Costco one weekend.  The guy was there from corporate, and demo'ing all kinds of healthy mixes: ice cream, soup, cole slaw.  After watching all the cool things you can make with this machine, he asked who wanted to take one home...I did!  What color.....um, white, no, black!

It's been about a year now, and we are always enjoying smoothies.  I will tell you - it's really easy, and the clean up is a breeze.

One recipe I've perfected is the yogurt and fresh fruit smoothie.  We put in a handful of ice cubes, two handfuls of frozen fruit (mixed, or berries), yogurt (1 cup), and water.  Options may include: wheat germ, flax seeds, or protein powder (soy?).

You whiz this up for a minute or so, and everyone gets a glass full.  Our little 2 year old, Aimee, says she needs a smoothie - every time - it's cute!

I haven't considered the calories, or nutritional content yet, but the frozen fruit, yogurt, and wheat germ are simple and good - try it!