Julie Jones wrote: Before i started being sugar free i would Mostly drink orange juice 100%, sometimes 2 litres a day.  Now that ive ditched the orange juice and other horrid things such as Fanta Im sticking to tea, coffee and water but am finding i really need something thirst quenching now and again.  I live in the tropics, so its always pretty hot here, i also have a job which is in a hot tin shed or paddock so use lots of energy up and perspire heaps so need the fluids.

I do have cravings for the orange juice on occasions.

What is there that i can drink that is safe please?

Original lucozade is sweetened with glucose and is therefore, safe for fructose avoidance. It is expensive unless you can buy it from a wholesale providor (which is not so difficult). Try it out first from any supermarket. Avoid the new Lucozade flavours as they are not sweetened the same way.

Lucozade used to be available in 750ml bottles, but I have not seen these for some time.

Another sugar free, but tasty drink available from the big supermarkets is Birrel. It is made by Coopers Brewing under lcense from a Swiss company. It is a sugar free, alcohol free beer. Ice cold (I live in Darwin) in the tropics it is a hard to beat thirst quencher which contains no fructose.

Of course, milk is fructose free also (lactose is the sweetener and it is safe). In the tropics,I find full cream milk a little thick for general thirst quenching, but Devondale Skim Milk is perfect as a thirst tonic. Also, if you add 2 teaspoons of Bourneville cocoa powder to 4 spoons of glucose powder and mix the ingredients dry before adding to milk, it makes a great substitute for any chocolate milk drink.

It follows that if you add 4 spoons of instant coffee and 4 spoons of glucose powder to a two litre carton of skim milk, whack it in the fridge(or freezer) at night and take it to work the following day, you have fructose free iced coffee which is very refreshing.

I know there is a percentage of animal fats in milk, but my own experience with these substitutes is a loss of 11kg, and 12cm from my waist in less than 4 months.

Good luck!