As a Type 1 diabetic of over 40 years, I have found the use of two sweeteners to help me maintain my blood sugar levels the best: Stevia and (surprisingly enough) Turbinado sugar. The key point is simply not to overindulge. I use these sweeteners usually twice a day: when I have oatmeal for breakfast and when I drink my daily tea. I also eat fruit and Trader Joe's "Joe's Os" (which is only 1 gram of sugar per serving). Really, boys and girls, it's all about moderation.

I can't believe the guests said the expansion of high-sugar diets throughout the world caused an increase in obesity where such diets are new & didn't mention diabetes! They came so close & then dropped the ball. Many population groups that used to eat more natural diets developed high rates of diabetes after switching to Western diets.

Why isn't there more information about using AGAVE syrup. It's a wonderful source of 'sugar' or 'sweet taste' and is low on the glycemic index as well. AGAVE can be found in local health food stores and even in some supermarkets.

Hey, you didn't take any questions from the web??

Is Jaggery better than the plain sugar?

Is high fructose corn syrup more harmful to our health than cane sugar?

This question may have already been asked, but what do your guests recommend as a healthy and sustainable alternative sweetener? My husband and I use agave in just about everything, but I wonder whether we should be using something like honey or maple syrup...

I was curious about the Jaggery - is it a better form of Sugar than the pure one? What is the contecnt of Sucrose?

What about fake sugar?

Wait, corn syrup that's not processed to increase its fructose content contains less fructose than sucrose does? Does that make non-high-fructose corn syrup any healthier than cane sugar?

what kind of sugar should, in moderation, diabetics to get the good nutrients

Wouldn't making sugar cane more expensive just make companies use more corn syrup to sweeten their foods? Or are you counting corn syrup as sugar?

If the price of sugar goes up, manufacturers will just shift back to corn syrup.

I think the guests mentioned date sugar in the context of whether the sugar itself is different. But is it better environmentally than cane sugar, as they said beet sugar is? Is date sugar used much in any part of the world today? I've read it was the main source of "honey" in the ancient Middle East.

What about sugar substitutes likes splenda and equal? How does the body process these substances? And what about stevia?

There is a growing web controversy about Agave sugar- which is mostly fructose. Now people claim it is metabolically "worse" than high fructose corn syrup. Plus occasionally full of mercury. Urban myth or truth?

What happens when you eat sugar and then drink alcohol? I imagine it does quite a number on one's body.

Do Peeps ever harden?

What happens inside our bodies when we consume sugar?

When did humans start consuming sugar?

How was sugar used on early modern and medieval cuisine in Europe?

What role does sugar play in geopolitics?