Over the years, I’ve heard about Marmite but have never tried it. What exactly is it, and is it particularly good for you?
This thick, dark, savory spread, made primarily of yeast extract, is a concentrated source of B vitamins and can be a reasonable (though hardly an essential) addition to a healthy diet, especially if you’re vegetarian or vegan.
With its pasty texture and pungent umami flavor, Marmite and similar yeast products (like Vegemite) are beloved in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, where they are typically used on toast or bagels or added to eggs, sauces, stews, and sandwiches. But it’s certainly an acquired taste, and even Marmite’s UK website acknowledges that not everyone is a fan, with its tagline: “Are you a lover or a hater?” In the U.S., Marmite is available at some specialty grocers and online (you can easily buy it on Amazon, for example).
Production of Marmite first began in England in the early 1900s, after the German scientist Justus von Liebig created it from brewer’s yeast that was a byproduct of beer production. (Marmite does not contain any alcohol, however.) The name “Marmite” comes from the name of the original container—an earthenware pot that resembled a marmite (a French casserole dish).
The style of Marmite sold in the UK lists the following ingredients on its label: yeast extract, salt, vegetable juice concentrate, vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B12, and folic acid), and natural flavoring (contains celery). Marmite (Sanitarium brand) from New Zealand has slightly different ingredients after yeast, including sugar, corn maltodextrin, spices, and herbs, for instance. Both spreads are fortified with more B vitamins than those that occur naturally in yeast.
A portion of original Marmite (8 grams, about one heaping teaspoon) has about 20 calories, nearly 3 grams of protein, negligible fat, few carbs, and about 35 to 75 percent or more of the daily recommended amounts of B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B9 (folic acid/folate), and B12. A downside is its sodium content, about 345 milligrams per serving, which approaches 15 percent of your daily allotment. A reduced-salt version has less sodium.
Because of the added B vitamins, Marmite was a staple in hospitals and schools in the early to mid-1900s before dietary supplements were on the scene, and fed to soldiers in both world wars. In the early 1900s, hematologist Lucy Wills successfully used Marmite to treat pregnant women in India who had pernicious anemia, a form of anemia caused by B12 deficiency.
But there’s not much published research specifically on Marmite to know how it stacks up health-wise against other yeast products or foods, or whether it provides any significant enhancement to an otherwise healthful diet. So, although it can be a good source of B vitamins in particular, you can get those nutrients from a varied diet—even a vegetarian/vegan one—that includes whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, avocados, green vegetables, and fortified foods like breakfast cereals (meat, fish, poultry, and eggs are main sources of B vitamins, easily obtained in omnivore or pescatarian diets).
Be aware that Marmite is not gluten-free because the concentrated yeast extract comes from the beer-brewing process involving rye, wheat, and barley, which contain gluten proteins. Even though the yeast extract is washed in centrifuges, low levels of gluten may still be present.
