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Nutritional Yeast vs. Vitamin Supplements

Nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast–often, Saccharomyces cerevisiae–that is yellow in color and has a nutty and cheesy flavor. It is a reliable food source for vitamins, especially B-complex vitamins such as folic acid. It is also an excellent source of protein (52%) and contains essential amino acids–making it a very popular choice for vegans. Some products are fortified with vitamin B12, which is produced separately from bacteria. Because of its rich nutrient content, nutritional yeast is a very good choice to include in a daily diet, instead of taking synthetically formulated vitamin supplements. Some of the benefits of nutritional yeast vs. vitamin supplements are discussed here.1. Flavor When it comes to the flavor of nutritional yeast vs. vitamin supplements, nutritional yeast is the winner. Nutritional yeast has a nutty, cheesy, and creamy flavor that makes it an excellent cheese substitute–in fact, it is often used by vegans as a substitute to parmesan cheese. Nutritional yeast comes in the form of flakes or powder, and can thus be sprinkled to almost anything–from popcorn, bread, and vegetables, to pizzas, pastas, and casseroles.Meanwhile, how many vitamin supplements can be used to flavor or enhance food? This alone gives you enough reason to go for nutritional yeast (vs. vitamin supplements). Because of its unique flavor and the many versatile ways it can be added into food, nutritional yeast (vs. vitamin supplements) are easier to ingest and administer to kids and adults alike. Furthermore, nutritional yeast is low in fat and salt, making it perfect for those who are watching their weight.2. Natural vs. synthetic Nutritional yeast vs. vitamin supplements is different in how they store nutrients. Nutritional yeast is naturally grown–providing vitamins and nutrients at their natural state. It is not processed, and therefore, is a whole, organic, food vitamin. Inorganic vitamin supplements on the other hand–those that are not obtained or extracted from whole foods–are usually synthesized in high concentrates. Some say that vitamins and mineral elements are so complex and dependent upon each other, that when they are separated, they can no longer provide the same nutritional effect on the body.Thus, high concentrations of synthetic vitamins may not be beneficial. On the other hand, nutritional yeast provides vitamins in their complete form–including all their parts and cofactors–because they are derived from whole foods.3. When vitamin supplements are better Of course, nutritional yeast is not always better. Some ingredients and contents of vitamin supplements are not found in nutritional yeast and may be needed to counter deficiencies of meet Recommended Daily Allowances. When weighing nutritional yeast vs. vitamin supplements, it is still advisable to consult a physician to find out what’s best for you.IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that the sale and distribution of nutritional yeast and vitamin supplements are unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration Board. As much as you can, buy only products from a manufacturer that strictly follows and adheres to the GMP standards. This assures you that the product contains the right amount of ingredients and dosage indicated, and that it is free from known contaminants.

Peer Mentoring and Mental Health Recovery

A peer mentor is typically seen as someone to look up to in a professional sense; someone who knows the ropes, someone to guide you, someone to protect you from making the mistakes they made, and someone to go to when you are unsure or need advice. Peer mentors exist at the school level with upper classmen mentoring underclassmen, and are a well established institution in numerous professions. Recently, however, the use of peer mentors in the mental healthcare field has found its way into American practices. Interestingly enough, peer mentors for mental health recovery treatment plans differ quite remarkably in reference to their duties between the American model of support and that developed by practitioners in the United Kingdom.In cutting-edge American mental health facilities, one is beginning to notice the development of peer support groups and peer mentors. These peer mentors are mental healthcare consumers well on their way to successful recovery who have been employed by the facility they are receiving care from to help those at lower functional levels with similar diagnosis.The benefits implicit therein are that the peer mentor has first-hand knowledge of what the mentee is experiencing. They understand the withdrawal pains. They can empathize with the frustrations of self-forgiveness. And they can guide mentees to more productive paths. Furthermore, peer mentors humanize the face of mental healthcare for each individual consumer; the treatment becomes relatable and believable because it is coming from the mouth of someone with the mentee’s very same diagnosis who has picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and made a success of themselves with the prescribed treatment plan.In the U.S. context, peer mentors are typically a supplementary service; they are not primary care, they merely act as another factor of treatment. They exist to teach mental healthcare consumers how to function properly in the world again; mentors teach mentees how to get to the bus, how to get a transit card, where to get their groceries, where the bank is, etc. Professional providers still maintain their position as primary care giver and occupy the main psychotherapy role. Mental healthcare consumers argue this is very beneficial for mental health recovery, but would like to see more out of their peer mentors.In the United Kingdom, however, peer mentors almost take the place of primary care givers in regard to psychoanalytical duties. When an individual with a mental illness experiences a downswing, it is their peer mentor who receives a call, not their doctor. This comes at a loss, however, for in taking on such a high-level role, peer mentors in the United Kingdom tend to ignore lower-level functions such as re-educating their mentees on the necessities, such as how to catch the bus, where to get their transit pass, etc with the expectation that the mentee’s support network will take on such duties.The inconsistency in how the concept of peer mentors and peer support groups is approached is symptomatic of the differences between American and U.K. mental healthcare beliefs. In the United Kingdom, mental illnesses are seen as a communal responsibility; they are not shameful, it is merely the job of an individual’s support network to emotionally and physically encourage the individual throughout his/her treatment plan. In the United States, however, a mental illness is seen as an impurity in the family, and is followed far too frequently with alienation from social support groups.Thus the U.K. peer mentors, as in following with their culture, take the lead in guiding mentee’s through troubled water they have already traversed. In America, mentors must take on the lonely role of the mental healthcare consumer’s only support group, thus teach them the necessities of life while leaving psychological treatment to the doctor.Both approaches have their benefits for mental health recovery. Consumers seem to indicate preference towards approaching their peer mentors with day-to-day problems rather than a psychologist or psychiatrist who may sympathize, but not empathize, with their diagnosis, thus profess favoritism towards the U.K. model. Contrarily, however, one cannot change an entire culture, and American consumers enjoy the basic knowledge bestowed upon them by peer support groups; thus express a need for the American style as well.Peer mentors can prove immensely influential in mental health recovery with regard to providing motivation and hope. Hope is a critical factor in recovery from mental illnesses, as can be read in my article Spirituality and Hope in Mental Health. Peer support, and its role in mental health recovery, is yet to be firmly established in the American context however; thus we must wait with abated breath as the movement grows to see what role peer mentors will take on next.