April 1936. "Housing alongside Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad. Milwaukee, Wisconsin." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Carl Mydans for the FSA.
Submitted by Jeff Lichtman on Thu, 05/08/2008 - 1:54pm.
Brewer's yeast, a byproduct of beer brewing, is sometimes used for direct human consumption. The yeast is usually killed before being sold for this purpose. Yeast is very high is B-complex vitamins.
The Red Star brand of yeast is still commonly available, including nutritional yeast.
Many of the B-vitamins complex tablets or capsules available today in your supermarket or pharmacy are derived from yeast -- though there are formulations which state specifically on the label that they are not yeast-based.
The clay-eaters you mention don't just think "they need the minerals." It is a physical compulsion, and known as Pica disorder. Its usually considered to be driven by a biochemical or iron deficiency. (Guess the pickles and ice cream just didn't satisfy, huh?)
Steve Miller
Someplace near the crossroads of America
Submitted by Anonymous Tipster on Sun, 04/27/2008 - 6:49pm.
Yeast was recommended for pregnant women and people with acne in the 20s and 30s. No, I don't know why, but that's what my mother, now 88, tells me. She doesn't remember the theory, and she guess it's just folklore, kind of like those pregnant women who ate white clay because they thought they needed minerals.
