Sugar has been blamed for rising obesity rates in American adults and children. It promotes dental cavities and offers little nutritional value to a food. So why do we love it so much? One universal answer: taste! Sugar is pleasing to every palate and even babies love the flavor of sugar at first lick. Aside from taste, sugar is important in our diets because it provides energy in the form of calories, and as a cooking ingredient it imparts important textural qualities to recipes.

Is sugar bad? No. The vast majority of us need less sugar in our diets but sugar can be included in a healthful diet, even for weight loss, if eaten in controlled amounts. Sugar adds pleasure to eating. For those following a reduced-calorie diet, sugar substitutes may be an option. Sugar substitutes are chemically altered substances that are made to taste like sugar but without the high calories. Sugar substitutes are considered a food additive, which must undergo rigorous study and review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before being approved for sale in the U.S. All of the sugar substitutes sold in the market today have met FDA approval and are considered safe to eat in moderation. Because sugar substitutes do not have the same chemical structure as sugar, they may not be able to be used in cooking and baking in the same manner as sugar.