Sugary drinks such as soft drinks, juices and sweets are loaded with fructose, a kind of simple sugar. Most accuse dietary fat of heart disease. And although some industrial inflammatory fats such as trans fats cause heart attacks, sugar is the true sinner.

Foods that are the source of free sugar, such as juice, soda, biscuits and popsicles, are often high in calories and have a little more nutritional value. It is often easier to consume more of them compared to fresh fruit and they can also replace other nutritious foods in your diet.

If you have someone with diabetes, the problem is that either they do not produce insulin or they are resistant. Without insulin, the consumption of sugar increases blood sugar. But basically, diabetes is not just about blood sugar. It is about blood sugar and lipid levels.