Originally Posted by RedHairedScot
Oh, one more thing -- is it naive to expect to be able to add up all the nutritional values for all the precooked ingredients and expect to get the same result after cooking? Flour, eggs, butter, etc.? (Are the elements of this set closed under the operation "add fire"?)
Most nutritional databases will have separate entries for cooked and raw foods. Some nutrient values will change in the process, the addition of heat breaks stuff down and the addition of water carries it away, etc. The USDA nutrient database is at
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/, or you can use the free log at fitday.com which references that database.
You sound like the kind of analytical person that might enjoy learning how all this nutrition stuff works together and what the real nitty-gritty of "healthy" food is. If so, I highly recommend Eating Well for Optimal Health by Dr. Andrew Weil. As a bonus, he has several recipes, and huge lists of sample balanced meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack, both home prepared and examples of things you can find at restaurants.