Mindy Kaling attends the Ralph Lauren fashion show during New York Fashion Week on September 08, 2023 in New York City.© Getty Images

Mindy Kaling reveals the one part of her daily diet she'd consider 'most off-putting'

The Sex Lives of College Girls creator wasn't afraid to lay it all out there

Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
February 26, 2024

Mindy Kaling just shared some more insight into her daily routine of health and fitness with a sneak peek at her diet, and it might just earn its fair share of division.

The actress and writer, 44, was interviewed by WSJ. Magazine for their latest My Monday Morning series, detailing how she starts each day while also being one of the busiest women in the entertainment industry.

She revealed that her day usually starts much earlier than you'd think, telling the publication: "If I can sleep until 6 a.m., I'm very excited. But what has been happening recently is that I'll get up between 3:15 and 4:15 a.m. and then just sit there with my worries until I hear my kids stirring."

Mindy is a mom to six-year-old daughter Katharine "Kit" and three-year-old son Spencer, and once they're armed with breakfast and ready to head to school, her day can begin in earnest.

However, don't expect the Never Have I Ever creator to kick things off with a cup of coffee, as she revealed: "One of the most off-putting things about me is that I don't drink coffee." 

She continued: "I love the ritual of it and I love beautiful cappuccino art, so I really do feel excluded from a big part of culture. I think people are suspicious of it, and I would be, too."

That doesn't stop her from getting a bite to eat before some exercise, though. "By the time the kids are eating breakfast at like 7, 7:15, I'm very hungry. I don't eat a ton because I will go for a run or walk. So, typically, something like a corn tortilla toasted on the stovetop with a piece of avocado and a piece of turkey bacon." 

MORE: Mindy Kaling's weight loss secret she doesn't want to talk about

While Mindy did explain her attempt to jump on the trend of overnight oats, it was decidedly not the one. "I tried overnight oats for the first time this past week because I saw a recipe on Instagram that looked delicious. I found them to be slimy and disgusting. No idea how people eat them."

© Getty Images

"One of the most off-putting things about me is that I don't drink coffee."

She also shared her thoughts on another wellness strategy, that being meditation and journaling, although it's clear that she had her favorite. "I don't meditate because I just fall asleep," she emphatically stated.

MORE: Mindy Kaling makes very rare revelation about love life and motherhood: 'I wanted it to look different'

"About eight years ago, Anne Hathaway taught me this thing on the set of Ocean's 8. She takes a piece of paper and writes down everything that worries her and her greatest fears. At the end of it, she burns [the paper]. I do it a couple times a year. I go out to my backyard, because I'm not trying to set my house on fire, and I get a candle and burn it."

© Instagram

She explained that her approach to food and health was based on the principle of moderation

As a guest on the Today Show in 2022, the star of The Office explained that she was never one for fad diets or crazy eating schedules, opting instead for moderation and a healthy routine.

EXCLUSIVE: Lilly Singh shares rare details of friendships with Priyanka Chopra and Mindy Kaling

© Instagram

Mindy would often take care of her own light breakfast after her two kids had theirs

"I'm never going to stop being a foodie," she admitted. "I'm never going to be someone who can just have spinach and salmon every day. I just am really for the first time in my life, trying moderation, and I love it."

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