Kelly Ripa Shares Her Diet and Favorite Meals: See What the ‘Live’ Cohost Eats in a Day

Kelly Ripa is one of the most popular faces on morning television, appearing alongside her husband, Mark Consuelos, on Live With Kelly and Mark. In between hosting the talk show, the game show Generation Gap and her “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast, Kelly’s jam-packed schedule led her to find the diet that works best for her.

What Does Kelly Ripa Eat in a Day?

During an episode of the Harper’s Bazaar “Food Diaries” series in March 2020, Kelly revealed that she does not eat any solid food before going on air each morning. Instead, she prefers to have a glass of water mixed with her daily greens, a cup of coffee with ghee mixed into it and her daily vitamins.

At the time of the video, Kelly was cohosting Live with Ryan Seacrest, who marked his final broadcast on the series in April 2023. Mark stepped in to become her permanent cohost, and the pair have been dominating the morning TV lineup ever since.

After getting off the air each day, the All My Children alum usually has her favorite breakfast.

“When we’re finished, what I will have is a green apple, cut up, and then I take two tablespoons of almond butter and a teaspoon of cinnamon. I blend it all together, I put the apples in there and then I eat that like a porridge, if you will,” she said. “That is my first chewable food of the day.”

Next, Kelly has what she considers brunch, since she eats lunch at “such a weird hour.” Typically, she likes to have a big salad full of microgreens with avocado and toasted nuts on top. Her choice of nuts ranges from pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts or cashews.

Previously, she loved having avocado toast for brunch and called it the “foundation” of her diet because she ate it consistently for a two-year span. Sometimes she would fry an egg and add it on top or add in some cheese.

For dinner, Kelly has a “smaller version” of the same salad she eats for lunch. Then she has mixed grilled greens or whatever vegetables are in season. Usually, she has some sort of plant protein mixed in too, like grilled tofu or fried tofu with tahini.

As for snacks, the Emmy winner usually sticks to eating handfuls of nuts, including raw cashews, raw almonds and raw pistachios. “I never eat more than a handful, but I have several handfuls a day,” she said.

Kelly Ripa’s Nutritionist Weighed in on Her Meals

In February 2024, Kelly’s nutritionist, Dr. Daryl Gioffre, dished on some more of the foods that Kelly typically eats in a day.

“She’ll add in some steamed vegetables or some sautéed vegetables or some grilled greens,” he told E! News of her typical dinner. “And she likes to have the vegetables in season because they’re just better for you. And then she’ll have a protein and that could be grilled tofu or tahini or some fish protein.”

As for snacking, Kelly still continues to favor raw nuts behind the scenes of Live.

“Instead of going for the unhealthy snack, she’s always prepared,” he said. “And that’s the big mantra: ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.'”

Does Kelly Ripa Have Cheat Meals?

Kelly shared her thoughts on having cheat meals and whether or not she strays from her diet.

“I try not to have that many cheat meals, because cheat meals leads to a cheat lifestyle,” she explained. “At my age now, I find that it takes too much effort to get ready, so I just stay ready.”

On special occasions and holidays, Kelly will have sweets or treats.

“On my birthday, will I have cake? Of course, I’m not a monster,” she said. “At Christmas, do I eat cookies? Yes, I’m a human being. What I will indulge in is, like, a delicious chocolate-covered almond or chocolate-covered cashew … so I still feel like there’s something healthy in there.”