Q: I am a 59 years old male. I am pre-diabetic, mildly hypertensive and have had a CABG, 12 years ago. Currently, I am on Lorvas SR, Simvotin 10 and Colsprin. I take 200 ml of Tropicana orange juice without sugar every morning for the last 10 years and lead an active life with 5 km brisk walk and half hour yoga every morning. The orange juice has stopped the frequency of colds that I used to get earlier. I would like to stop the orange juice and replace it with lemon and sucralose based sugar free. How many lemons do I need to take for the same Vitamin C intake? Is sugar free Natura OK?

A:Fresh orange juice not only tastes great, but has numerous health benefits. The nutrients found in citrus juices have very beneficial effects on the human immune system. The vitamins and minerals found in orange juice, including vitamin C, folate, fibre, and potassium all help reduce the risk of diseases like cancer, heart disease, and birth defects. Since you are having pre packed juice some of the benefits may be reduced as it is not freshly squeezed. You should try and have freshly squeezed juice instead. If you would like to replace the orange juice with lime juice the juice of one lime in a glass of water would suffice. Add 1/2 a teaspoon of honey instead of an artificial sweetener. To gain maximum Vitamin C, try having a guava everyday. It is one of the richest sources of vitamin C, having much more than orange or lime. Or you could have amla juice everyday which is also an excellent source of Vitamin C. Since you are pre diabetic, make sure you control your carbohydrate consumption during the day. Please speak to a registered dietician who can personalise a plan for you.