Re:By becoming a cook, you can leave processed foods behind
by tptacek on Saturday January 01, 2011 @07:43PM
(#2058980)
So, from a lot of random sources but (weirdly enough) mostly Cooks Illustrated, let me just observe that in a lot of cases, testers will prefer dishes that have been sweetened at various different points, even savory ones; similarly, you can get tasters to rate dishes more highly by boosting the "mouthfeel" with excess fats or - obviously - by frying them.
Take the same item prepared at home or "commercially" (either in a package or at a restaurant) and the home version is apt to be healthier, because you have to go out of your way to make it as unhealthy as the commercial version will have been made so that it sells better. The most obvious example is that you're much less likely to deep fry something at home, but you're also less likely to spike your salad dressing with corn syrup.
"Healthy" just means that the food is beneficial and doesn't harm you. To know with some real certainty that something is or isn't harmful you have to run your own tests: The effects of sesame oil vs. olive oil, more butter vs. more sugar, etc. Given the speed at which dietary guidelines change, the facts and hard rules should be given less weight than your own feelings and behavior post-consumption.