As a beginner, I have learned I need to be careful. This raw food recipe for "popcorn" looked very good, but it included an ingredient I had not yet run across: nutritional yeast. I researched that kind of yeast and found that it is "pasteurized, or heated at very high temperatures." More about the process [pdf].
A person following the raw food lifestyle who is a purist will not eat a processed food such as nutritional yeast. Is there nutritional yeast that is non-processed? Is that even possible? I don't know, but was not able to find any non-processed nutritional yeast in my 'net travels. Do you know of any? Until I discover contradictory information, I will consider nutritional yeast processed.
Just because an ingredient is in a recipe that purports to be raw food does not mean that it is raw. If you run into an ingredient about which you know little or nothing, become a food sleuth.
This post brings up a question most raw foodists ask themselves. People following this lifestyle will eventually need to decide how much of a purist they want to be. All raw? Mostly raw? Half raw? Sometimes raw? What are you?
I hear that nutritional yeast can add "great flavor" and that it provides lots of good nutrients, including vitamin 12 which can be low in a vegetarian diet. Are you going to give this yeast a try?
Me? I have not yet decided, but certainly not for the first couple of weeks. I want those days to be real-deal raw.
