Have you ever heard the statement that if you eat a “healthy well-balanced diet”, you don’t need to take any supplements? Or, that if you eat Paleo, or Vegan, or Raw, (or whatever diet being espoused) your body will receive exactly what it needs for optimal health? I know I have. And it’s unfortunate. I say unfortunate because it’s not based on the evidence available to us. It is a well-researched fact that over the last 60 years, soil quality has become so poor that even a person eating a “near perfect” diet will be deficient in some critical minerals and vitamins.

I get asked often about nutritional yeast: what is it, do I need it, why should I use it, how should I use it and what brand should I use. Let’s start with the basics for those who aren’t aware of what it is. Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that is sold as a food product and marketed primarily to plant based eaters. Nutritional yeast is made from a single-celled organism called Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, cultivated on molasses, and then harvested, washed, and dried using heat processing to deactivate it. You can find nutritional yeast in individual containers or in the bulk bins of your local health food store.

I often hear clients and program members say that there are certain people in their life — family members, friends, or or co-workers, who have concerns with their “changed” eating style. They wonder: where will you get protein? Isn’t this extreme? This seems unhealthy? Don’t you need dairy for calcium? As you all know, there is so much seemingly conflicting information that is presented to people in the media, from their doctor, the internet, and every person who has a “nutrition” related blog (and I use the word nutrition with caution).

Detoxification is the process of cleansing our internal organs from environmental pollutants, food toxins, and toxins like alcohol, medications and parasites. Our bodies are designed to get rid of waste and rely on our colon, liver, lungs, kidneys, skin and lymph glands to do the job.