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Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
These people were drinking a few cans of soda a day. Here's what happened to their health when they gave it up.
While soda used to be a staple of the American diet, consumption of the fizzy drink in the U.S. has consistently fallen for more than a decade. Americans are currently drinking 25% less soda than they did in 2000. Of course, we're talking about traditional sodas here. Data shows that probiotic and prebiotic sodas are becoming more popular each year, but these tend to have significantly less sugar and additives than their old-school predecessors. A wealth of research over the past two decades has shown that traditional sodas aren't great for your health. 'Regular soda displaces healthier calories because it takes up some room in the stomach, but it also adds a significant amount of calories to someone's diet without any healthful benefit,' Dana Ellis Hunnes, senior dietitian at UCLA Medical Center and assistant professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, tells Yahoo Life. Regular soda is also packed with sugar. A 20-ounce bottle of Coke contains 240 calories and 65 grams of sugar, for example — that's more than the recommended daily allowance for most people. 'In excess, that sugar can increase your weight, visceral fat and your overall risk for chronic disease — diabetes, heart disease and fatty-liver disease,' Hunnes says. Those realities are pushing some people to give up soda altogether. When that happens, how is their health affected? Yahoo Life talked with with four people who decided to ditch soda for a range of reasons. Here's what we learned. Mina Grace Ward would have six cans of soda or more a day before she finally stopped. 'My mornings always began with a chilled can of Coke for my commute,' she tells Yahoo Life. Her personal office fridge, which held 12 cans of soda, had to be restocked every other day. 'I'd go through a can like it was going out of style,' she says. 'I'd even pop a can at night while going through work emails.' But Ward eventually gave up drinking soda when, a decade ago, she was diagnosed with Graves' disease, an autoimmune condition that causes rapid weight loss, hair loss, high blood pressure, insomnia and more. 'I was sick and tired of feeling like a Mack truck ran me over every day,' she says. After Ward made other significant dietary changes, she started to feel better. 'Even though I continue to live with Graves' disease, I've been able to live with it in full remission for nearly seven years,' she says. 'That's a big deal.' Now she mostly drinks plain water. 'It's the most refreshing, hydrating and good-for-you beverage out there,' she says. Seth Goodman thought about giving up soda for years before he finally ditched the drink in 2018 for one of his New Year's resolutions. 'The choice to give up soda was really inspired by the health, time and financial benefits that I knew would come along with this choice,' the publicist tells Yahoo Life. 'While a single soda is relatively cheap, multiple a day or week add up and were impacting my finances.' Goodman drank soda regularly as a kid, and the habit continued into adulthood. 'This also included really going out of my way to get soda if I was craving it, more specifically Coke,' he says. 'Throughout the days, I would find myself having an urge for McDonald's Coke, leading to multiple trips in a single day.' He admits that it was difficult to avoid soda at first due to constant cravings. 'It took a lot of mental fortitude to resist the urge to drink soda,' he says. But once he stopped drinking soda, Goodman says he immediately noticed he had more energy. 'I was more motivated to move and do activities,' he says. 'It did take time to get past the sugar cravings, but I turned to gum as a way to fight that feeling of needing a soda. After a few weeks, it became natural to not want soda.' Marketing director Terry Wells decided to give up soda in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, she was drinking two sodas a day — either a Sprite or Orange Crush — although Wells says she would reach for ginger ale if she had an upset stomach. 'I realized during the early days of the COVID pandemic that I was gaining more weight than I wanted sitting home,' she tells Yahoo Life. 'I decided to give up my soda habit and drink more water.' Wells says that it took time, but her cravings for sugar subsided, and she dropped five pounds within three months. 'My husband and I also started walking and working out here at home, which we've continued to do five years later,' she says. Wells says she decided to stick with water, smoothies and chai to satisfy her sweet tooth. Now, when she wants something fizzy, Wells says she'll create soda water with her home machine and add fresh lemon and lime juice. Texas resident Bennett Barrier stopped drinking soda nearly a decade ago after becoming dehydrated at work. The turf installation company owner was working on a stadium when he felt lightheaded in the heat. 'I'd consumed three sodas, but zero water,' he tells Yahoo Life. Before that, Barrier says he would drink up to five sodas a day. 'I had a cola with lunch, orange soda in the taxi and some type of soda reading bids,' he says. 'It was all part of the grind. But it added up, and I didn't like the tightness in my chest at the end of the day.' After Barrier stopped drinking soda, he says the digestion and bloating issues he struggled with in the past went away. 'I no longer had late afternoon headaches,' he says. While Barrier says his sleep was unaffected, his mornings felt more seamless. 'I could wake up, read crew callouts and still carry on a full conversation before coffee,' he says. Barrier says he replaced his soda habit with iced tea, which he makes in bulk. He also adds mint or lemon, based on the season. 'That kept the ritual but took out the syrup,' he says, noting that this swap doesn't make him feel deprived. 'Don't punish yourself for quitting soda,' Barrier says. 'Set it up as a trade — something better that you feel you've earned.' Nutritionists say you needn't give up soda altogether, but it's wise to cut back if it's become part of your routine. 'Soda should be an occasional treat, not a daily habit,' Scott Keatley, a dietitian and co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy, tells Yahoo Life. 'If you drink it every day, your body may be stuck in a cycle of sugar spikes and cravings.' Those can raise your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and also leave you with energy crashes, he says. That's why Keatley suggests cutting back or switching to unsweetened drinks like sparkling water or iced tea. 'It is not about never having soda again,' he says. 'It is about knowing what it does and making choices that support long-term health.' Stacy Cleveland, a dietitian at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Life that probiotic sodas may be a good swap for traditional sodas, but says it's important to find options with minimal sugar. And even then, she recommends limiting them. 'When choosing to consume soda, moderation is best. The less, the better,' Cleveland says.
CBS News
17-05-2025
- CBS News
Homeless man steals woman's car while she visits husband at UCLA Medical Center
Woman's car stolen at UCLA Medical Center while she visits husband during cancer treatements Woman's car stolen at UCLA Medical Center while she visits husband during cancer treatements Woman's car stolen at UCLA Medical Center while she visits husband during cancer treatements A brazen car theft outside of the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica has left a pair of newlyweds rattled as they navigate through cancer treatments. Brittney Mickles-McQuirter dropped her car off at the hospital's valet before going to her husband as he fought for his life. "There are times we didn't know if he was going to live or not," Mickles-McQuirter said. "We didn't know if he was going to live or not." Mickles-McQuirter married her husband Joe in October. Last month, they found out he had cancerous tumors in his liver. Now he's undergoing treatment at the UCLA Medical Center while Mickles-McQuirter stays by his side every day. Already facing turmoil, their lives got a little more difficult on Tuesday morning after the valet told Mickles-McQuirter someone stole her car while she stayed the night at the hospital. "A homeless person who rode up on a bike, grabbed the keys and kind of searched around with the clicker until they found my car," Mickles-McQuirter said. "Then got in my car and just drove away." She added that her passport, more than a month of mail and more personal belongings were inside the stolen car. "I'm nervous because this person has my keys, and they have my address," Mickles-McQuirter said. "I haven't been home, but I don't even know what that's going to look like when I do go home." She has filed a police report and rented a car, but simply wants to support her husband during his battle against cancer. "I don't want to worry about home," she said. "I want to worry about my husband getting better."
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Woman's car stolen by homeless man as she visits husband in ICU at UCLA hospital
A woman is asking for help after a homeless man stole her car from the hospital valet at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center where she was visiting her husband in the ICU. On May 12, Brittney Mickles-McQuirter, a local teacher at a Montessori school, was visiting her husband, Joe McQuirter, who was receiving treatment for an aggressive form of liver cancer. Brittney left her car with valet workers at the hospital around 11:45 p.m. She was later notified by valet workers that a homeless man on a bicycle had allegedly stolen her car keys from behind the valet desk around 2 a.m. The suspect used the key fob to locate her 2025 Honda CR-V in the parking lot and drive the vehicle away. Brittney reported the theft to UCLA Medical Center police, but claimed they have not allowed her to view any surveillance video of the theft. She was provided with a five-day car rental, for which she will have to pay insurance. Her loved ones have been tracking the Apple AirTag she left on her car keys. They've followed the tracker to several locations, but were unable to find her car at each stop. Brittney and Joe got married in October 2024. Since Joe was admitted to the hospital on April 18, he has remained hospitalized and has experienced setbacks and complications. She feels beyond stressed and heartbroken that the only vehicle the couple owns is now gone, along with important documents she left inside. 'This is just more time that I'm away from the bedside of my husband,' Brittney said. 'Right now, I want to spend as much time as I can with him, so it's frustrating. I gave them my key, expecting my car to be there when I got back.' Brittney is now left without transportation to get to work or visit Joe in the hospital. UCLA Health officials provided KTLA with a statement saying, 'We apologize for this unfortunate incident. A police report was filed and our insurance carrier is investigating.' A GoFundMe page to help Brittney and Joe with medical expenses and replacing their stolen car can be found here. KTLA requested surveillance video of the incident, but hospital officials did not release the footage. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
What is life like when you are married to Madhuri Dixit? Dr Shriram Nene breaks silence on being 'lesser half' in their 2-decade marriage
It can be intimidating to be married to a superstar if you are not connected to showbiz. While movies like 'Notting Hill' popularised the concept of a fairy tale love story between a major movie star and an everyman, there are certain undeniable real-life ramifications of falling for someone adored by cardiothoracic surgeon and wellness advocate Dr. Shriram Nene , who is married to legendary Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit, recently opened up about navigating life beside a superstar. In a candid conversation with Dr. Deepak Chopra on his YouTube channel, Dr. Nene reflected on the emotional and psychological impact of sharing life with a public acknowledged that although he admires and respects his wife's immense accomplishments, there have been moments when he struggled with feelings of self-doubt and invisibility. "I'm the unintentional American in a royal court," he said with a chuckle. "She's the celebrity—I'm just part of the journey. But beyond that occasional sense of being overshadowed, I've come to see how each individual can contribute significantly to the lives of others. Never underestimate the power of one."Dr. Nene also spoke about the drastic lifestyle shift he experienced after relocating to India. Having worked at UCLA Medical Center, where he cared for numerous Hollywood personalities, he recalled how those stars craved privacy. Ironically, after marrying Madhuri, he found himself becoming a public figure in his own right. "Before, celebrities just wanted to blend in. Now, people recognize me on the street and ask for selfies. It's flattering but also overwhelming. I wish I could sit down and have meaningful conversations, but sometimes it's hard to keep up."In another heartfelt interview with Ranveer Allahbadia, Dr. Nene elaborated on the emotional toll that fame can sometimes bring. While expressing deep affection for Madhuri, he admitted feeling sidelined in public perception. "We're both independent people, but many still see me as her 'lesser half.' I joke about it because I genuinely think she's the better half—but it does wear on me occasionally. Still, I believe in mutual respect. In our home and workplace, everyone is treated equally. There are no hierarchies."Their love story began through Madhuri's brother, Ajit, who introduced them. Though initially uncertain, Madhuri was charmed by Dr. Nene's intellect and humility. They wed in a quiet ceremony in California in 1999. Unaware of her stardom at first, Dr. Nene later witnessed her global recognition. Despite her soaring career, Madhuri stepped back from acting and moved to the U.S., where they raised two sons—Arin and Ryan—before eventually returning to India.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Letters to the Editor: An immigrant on a student visa suggested a medical test that led to his father's diagnosis
To the editor: I was in junior high school when my dad got really sick. They took him to UCLA Medical Center and did a lot of tests. The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then a blood test intern, who had arrived here from Korea on a student visa, suggested a test for some disease that was common in his country but rarely appeared here ("Trump revoked at least 83 student visas. Schools are confused and concerned," April 8). That test pointed out the problem. My dad got the appropriate medication and returned home healthy. What if Donald Trump had been president and deported the intern? Our whole country benefits from immigrants from different countries, with different cultures, different religions, different races. Somewhere here, some "different" person has the knowledge and experience to solve a pressing problem. We need to maintain an inclusive society. Don't let MAGA deportation policies take away the special sauce that makes America truly great. Trump's policies wreck and weaken our country. Bruce Joffe, Piedmont .. To the editor: It is beyond sickening to read how focused the Trump administration is on targeting students whose views they don't agree with, especially as they pertain to the Middle East. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is quoted in your article as saying, 'Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa.' You know he has no idea about the people being arrested. It's just one more terror tactic this administration is using to control people. Why don't they focus on something really important, like the lack of affordable child care, the rising costs of medical insurance, the homeless problems in our communities? There are so many critical issues that need addressing. Yet these hateful people are all about cruelty. It started on Day 1 with taking food from starving babies around the world. Where will it all end? Peggy Jo Abraham, Santa Monica This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
