I am often asked about sweeteners. Why ones are bad for you? Which one is best? How much?

High-Fructose Corn Syrup (the name of which the corn industry wants changed to “corn sugar”) has been singled out as the black-sheep sweetener of the U.S., but all sugars, whether in the form of white or brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave or HCFS, contribute calories with no added nutrients.

More research will bring to light some of the differences in the way these substances affect the body, but for now, just keep in mind that sugar is sugar is sugar, and sugar has calories. A tablespoon usually sets you back around 50 or 60, so use it sparingly.