According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, from 1986 to 1988 we ate 13 percent more caloric sweeteners (primarily refined sugar and corn syrup) than we did 20 years ago. That translates to more than 131 pounds a person in 1986-1988.

(And that doesn't take into account our affection for low-calorie sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners represent one of the most explosive areas of consumption, up nearly 180 percent since 1966.)

"As long as we associate `gourmet' with heavy cooking and rich ingredients like butter and cream, we'll be saddled with a major health risk," says Dr. John LaRosa, chairman of the American Heart Association's committee on cholesterol and dean of clinical affairs at George Washington Medical Center in Washington, D.C.