By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Pew PatriotsPew PatriotsPew Patriots
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Reading: Homemade vs. processed foods: Study challenges what we think is healthier
Share
Font ResizerAa
Pew PatriotsPew Patriots
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Search
  • Home
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
Homemade vs. processed foods: Study challenges what we think is healthier
News

Homemade vs. processed foods: Study challenges what we think is healthier

Jimmie Dempsey
Last updated: May 24, 2025 11:05 am
Jimmie Dempsey Published May 24, 2025
Share
SHARE

Most nutritionists and dietitians agree that it’s OK to indulge in off-diet foods occasionally.

But is it better to make these indulgent foods at home rather than buy boxed or factory-processed options?

This includes everything from making fresh pasta at home with just flour and egg — cutting out any unwanted ingredients — to baking a cake from scratch instead of using a boxed cake mix.

SIMPLE DIETARY CHANGE COULD LOWER YOUR RISK OF COLON CANCER, STUDY SAYS

Bryan Hitchcock, chief science and technology officer at the Chicago-based Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), shared thoughts in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“While food companies have brought forward food solutions that meet the demands of modern life – whether that’s a pasta sauce that’s ready to eat or a bread that doesn’t mold – there is a growing push around home-cooked being healthier,” he said.

For those who have the ability to cook from scratch at home, Hitchcock stressed understanding how to create and consume foods that are low in sodium, added sugar and unhealthy fats while “delivering on taste” and ensuring food safety.

“This can be a challenge, which is why consumers need clear, concise, scientifically-based information to make informed decisions,” he said.

SIMPLE WAYS TO INCREASE FIBER IN YOUR DIET AND WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT

Both at-home and manufactured foods can contribute to a healthy lifestyle, he said. 

This is supported by recent research that has found homemade foods are not “nutritionally better or safer” than industrially produced food items.

woman reheating a meal in a microwave oven

The 2024 study, published in the journal Food Science, compared nutritional values and harmful compounds in processed and homemade food items like fish sticks, tomato sauce, plum cake and cereal bars, using similar recipes without ingredients and technologies not available at home.

The findings suggested that homemade foods “do not necessarily offer superior nutritional quality or lower levels of harmful compounds” in comparison.

For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyle

Hitchcock said food processing is “merely a larger-scale version of the tools and techniques that consumers use at home, such as cutting, cooking, washing, frying and grilling, except factory or industrial processing allows for much tighter control of temperature to reduce harmful chemicals and prevent the loss of nutrients.”

He added, “And it offers more stringent hygiene in the storage of ingredients, processing and packaging.”

baking chocolate sweets

But at-home food preparation also allows consumers to control their own food experience in terms of ingredient quality, selection and food prep, Hitchcock noted.

“It is critical for consumers to monitor the key nutritional parameters of the food they consume, whether it’s prepared at home or outside the home,” he said.

Michelle Patidar, a health nutrition coach and cancer recovery specialist in Chicago, supported the idea of making food at home with whole ingredients.

“The more we can pull away from packaged or ultra-processed foods, the better our health can be,” she told Fox News Digital. 

cardboard box filled with canned goods, sauces and oils

Patidar reminded consumers they have healthy alternatives at their “fingertips.”

“And you can feel good about eating real whole foods that aren’t contaminated and don’t have gums and emulsifiers and food dyes in them, because we want to avoid that as much as possible,” she said.

Read the full article here

You Might Also Like

Beaches with most shark attacks as Americans pay tribute to ‘Jaws’ and activist weighs in

Trump slams Bibi over ceasefire violations, denounces cable channels over skepticism

Fox News Politics Newsletter: Green Thumbs Down

Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Karen Read’s phone data, Bryan Kohberger’s strategy, cannibal family reunion

Tulsi Gabbard’s warning to Senate on Syria proves prophetic as Al Qaeda-linked regime slaughters minorities

Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We Recommend
Katie Taylor defeats Amanda Serrano to complete sweep in trilogy
News

Katie Taylor defeats Amanda Serrano to complete sweep in trilogy

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey July 12, 2025
Tragedy strikes at popular national park as climber meets fatal end on mountain
War on cartels yields results as ‘El Chapo’ heir confesses to running violent drug empire
Trump grants ‘total authorization’ to ICE agents to protect themselves after violent California clashes
Iran hit dome on US air base in Qatar in June attack: Report
As US-backed group delivers 70 million meals, UN and NGOs fight to discredit Gaza aid rival
Cal State LA lets professors move classes online due to student fears over ICE immigration enforcement
News

Cal State LA lets professors move classes online due to student fears over ICE immigration enforcement

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey July 11, 2025
Delays in Navy’s next-gen submarine threaten US seapower, report says
Tactical

Delays in Navy’s next-gen submarine threaten US seapower, report says

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey July 11, 2025
Alan Dershowitz Says He Knows Who’s On The Epstein List: “Hand To God, I Know The Names”
Prepping & Survival

Alan Dershowitz Says He Knows Who’s On The Epstein List: “Hand To God, I Know The Names”

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey July 11, 2025
Pew Patriots
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
  • Guns and Gear
2024 © Pew Patriots. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?