It is preferable to favor "homemade" brownies with a short, controlled ingredient list rather than industrial versions, which are often characterized by a long list of additives deemed unnecessary.

noli's read

The argument is based on the principle of food processing: ultra-processed products often contain emulsifiers, preservatives, and texturizers added for industrial stability that are absent from a home recipe. The NOVA classification (used in public nutrition research, notably by observational studies such as the NutriNet-Santé study) tends to associate high consumption of ultra-processed foods with increased risks to metabolic health. However, it is important to note that from a purely biochemical perspective, a homemade brownie remains a product rich in sugars and saturated fats. While the benefit of controlling ingredients is real in terms of avoiding certain additives, the caloric content and glycemic impact of a homemade brownie remain very close to those of an equivalent industrial product. The advice is therefore pertinent regarding overall nutritional quality (whole ingredients vs. additives) but does not transform the cake into a health food. This is a choice of quality rather than a change in major caloric impact.

the sources

1. 1Hall KD, Ayuketah A, Brychta R, et al. 2019
2. 2Lane MM, Gamage E, Du S, et al. 2024
3. 3Chassaing B, Compher C, Bonhomme B, et al. 2022
4. 4Chassaing B, Koren O, Goodrich JK, et al. 2015
5. 5Sellem L, Srour B, Javaux G, et al. 2023