Discussion Board

I would like to have your thoughts on Vegemite and whether it is a no-no. I only tried it 3-4 times in the past few weeks but I am not sure on its nutrition values, if any.

"Vegemite, is an Australian product. It's dark brown food paste made from yeast extract, used mainly as a spread on sandwiches, toast and cracker biscuits, as well as a filling of pastries like Cheesymite scroll, in Australia and New Zealand. It is similar to British and New Zealand Marmite and to Swiss Cenovis.

Vegemite is made from leftover brewers' yeast extract, a by-product of beer manufacturing, and various vegetable and spice additives"

Here is what I found at Livestrong. The only warning a high sodium content.

Thanks Stoumi. What about the other ingredients ?


As a McDougllar will you eat it ?

Is it endorsed by Jeff and John ?

As a human being with taste buds I'd have to say nope you either love it or hate it and I'm not a fan I'm afraid.

I doubt Jeff would endorse it--he's anti-too-much-salt. I sure wouldn't eat it.

I would eat it sparingly because of the sodium content. I do like the taste, especially on bread. Searching the Internet, here was an ingredient list:



The Kraft website cites: Energy: 37kJ, Protein: 1.2g, Carbohydrate (total): 1.0g, (sugars): less than 1g, Fat (total): nil, (saturated): nil, Niacin: 2500µg(25%RDI), Thiamine: 550µg(50%RDI), Riboflavin: 430µg(25%RDI), Folate: 100µg(50%RDI), Sodium: 153mg.

Source

Thanks for your replies. I understand that the taste is a personal preference and national pride.

Does it have nutritious values ?

It is not fattening, right ?


Is it considered processed ? Is it toxic ? Will it overload my organs ?


Can my body easily digest it ?



Your further clarification is appreciated.

It's obviously highly processed and contains artificial preservatives, as well as a LOT of sodium. And it's not esp. nutritious, no. But of course it's not toxic--it wouldn't be sold if it were. And it's pretty obviously low in fat (did you read the listing of ingredients and nutritional breakdown??).

It's not going to kill you, but it's certainly not GOOD for you. If you use it, use it in small amounts only. It's a condiment-it's not food.

Thanks ETeSelle.

When I say toxic, I do not mean in the chemical sense. I mean in the same way that eating meat and dairy and additives and highly processed food are not good for you. Granted I needed to be more precise.


Yes, I read the ingredients. I could not make sense of some of them. Otherwise, I will not be asking.

I lived in South Africa for awhile and acquired a taste for both vegemite and marmite, though marmite is the preferred choice over there. I now use it on occasion in soup or stew instead of using braggs aminos or soy sauce. A spoonful adds a lot of richness and flavor to the broth. Like soy sauce, it is high in sodium and is a condiment, so just use sparingly and on occasion.

Fulenn

I almost forgot: I add a tiny bit, maybe 1/4 teaspoon, to the cheeze sauce that I make because I used to eat it spread on cheese. Now it helps make the cheeze sauce taste more authentic to me.

Marmite lovers in New Zealand are being forced to eat vegemite as Sanitarium closed the marmite factory in Christchurch due to damage from February last years big earthquake. The factory is being repaired but until it opens late this year marmite is off the menu.
There is none left in the country. Despite an early black market where it sold at double the usual price. The NZ Antartic base at Scott Base near McMurdo has 250 large jars that were delivered last year and they are not sharing.
DW loves marmite and despises vegemite like many NZers.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-time ... e-shortage

I also lived in South Africa and I do not recall tasting Marmite. I just wonder how they do differ. Are they usually produded by separate manufacturers? Or is it a natioanl pride ?

I guess it depends on where in S. Africa you live? Don't know, but my friends/acquaintances loved Marmite. It is, to me, very strong compared to Vegemite, but still the same taste. I don't know. I didn't like it at all when I first tried it and I almost always was offered Marmite, not Vegemite. There is a very strong British influence in South Africa which, I assume, is where the Marmite came from.

Where did you live? I was on the south-east coast.

Fulenn

I lived in Eastern Pretoria.

In South Africa, we used to have abundancy of natural fruits and vegies and I never bothered with Marmite as I regarded it as a 'process food'. Something that I enjoyed but totalled avoided it for 10 years. Now that I am doing the biggest change to my diet since I turned vegan 10 years ago, I am questioning everything again and hence my post about it.

I concur with your response. However, I have decided to stick to unprocessed food until I reach my ideal weight and i have 8 kg to go and at the current snail loss rate, it could be months away (unless I intensify my exercises).

Cheers