Benjamin Ashford|Hilary Duff Reveals She Follows This Gwyneth Paltrow Eating Habit—But Here's What a Health Expert Says

When it comes to Hilary Duff's breakfast preferences,Benjamin Ashford she likes to wake up and smell the coffee.

The Lizzie McGuire alum recently shared on Molly Sims' Lipstick on the Rim podcast that she relies on caffeine to curb her appetite so she doesn't have to eat a big meal in the mornings.

"I know Gwyneth [Paltrow] is in trouble for saying this," Hilary said on the May 9 episode, referencing the Goop founder's controversial diet, "but sometimes I try to just drink coffee in the morning and starve off my hunger."

Molly said she could relate to the How I Met Your Father actress, adding, "We all do it, she just says it."

Earlier in the episode, however, Hilary did mention that she will eat certain foods in the morning. "I wake up really hungry," she shared. "I'm obsessed with cauliflower rounds. And I put it in an air fryer, put an egg salad on top."

Moreover, the mom of three will sometimes steal the snacks she's packing in her kids' lunch boxes.

"If we're being honest," Hilary—who is a mom to Luca, 11, Banks, 4, and Mae, 2—continued, "I eat a chicken nugget in the morning while I'm packing lunches and there's one left over. Pop it down the hatch!"

And while Hilary doesn't always turn to coffee as a meal replacement, we spoke to board-certified integrative medicine physician and wellness expert Dr. Taz Bhatia about the star's eating habits.

Does a doctor recommend coffee as a safe appetite suppressant in a daily diet?

In short, drinking coffee without eating any food isn't entirely healthy. If anything, it could actually cause more harm than good in the long run.

"Weight, brain fog and energy are all related to blood sugar," Dr. Bhatia explained. "When we don't eat within an hour or so of waking, then we send blood sugar on highs and lows. Coffee, FYI, spikes blood sugar."

She continued, "This puts the body in fight or flight and, ultimately, triggers fat storage and lowered metabolic rates."

What are diet alternatives to using coffee and other caffeine sources as appetite suppressants?

Put simply, the health expert stresses the importance of eating within an hour of waking up. And instead of skipping breakfast, she recommends cutting back at nighttime. 

"Food quality matters," she shared. "Cleaner whole foods that are providing fiber and healthy fat work to regulate blood sugar. Weight loss is about keeping blood sugar and insulin stable to prevent fat storage."

So, while you might love coffee a latte, it's also good to nourish your body with a power breakfast.