What Mario Lopez Really Eats In A Day

Here's one piece of advice that all of us will like: Eat more snacks. Alongside fitness expert Jimmy Pena, Mario Lopez has authored two books that give a clear-cut plan for weight loss. In both books, he emphasizes the need to eat more frequently and in smaller portions.

In the first book, Extra Lean: The Fat Burning Plan That Changes the Way You Eat For Life, he states, "Eating frequently throughout the day allows you to better control your portions and speeds up your metabolism, making your body burn more of the unwanted fat and calories instead of storing them." In the sequel, he admits that eating all day (at least five times) is the healthiest thing he does for his body.

For those on a rigid diet, this might be a shocker. Lopez acknowledges that. In the initial stages, people might get a little apprehensive about snacking through the day, as it also slows down the weight loss process, he notes. But the practice, he guarantees, will increase body metabolism. "Think of your metabolism as a furnace. In order to keep the fire burning, you have to constantly put something in there to maintain the heat," he writes.

A snack can be anything from one medium pear to one cup of air-popped popcorn, a granola bar, half a cup of shelled edamame, or a combination of half a cup of nonfat cottage cheese and a tablespoon of chopped walnuts.

Mario Lopez has had over three decades of experience in media. Right from the time he first appeared as a child artist in the dance show Kid' Incorporated in 1984, to now, when he has earned his position as a fitness expert, one thing that has unquestionably remained constant is his love for milk. "I loved milk since I was a kid," he tells Hombre. "I grew up drinking a gallon of milk a day," says Lopez, who partnered with Undeniably Diary — a campaign that promotes the work done by dairy farmers and the dairy community — to promote milk as a healthy beverage.

His association with the California Milk Processor Board goes back to the early '90s, when he starred in their "Got Milk?" advertising campaign. More recently, in 2019, he was again part of the Board's #BonesLoveMilk campaign. This campaign was particularly targeted toward preteens who are into surfing and skateboarding — two activities that can put a lot of stress on the bones. Through the campaign, which saw the setting up of pop-up skateparks, the Board aimed to promote milk as a healthy beverage, and a top option, among young adults who otherwise preferred beverages such as flavored water to milk.

While milk is a part of the daily diet, the Lopez family also loves other dairy products: "Butter, milk, any kind of cheese you can think of, cottage cheese, sour cream, the whole deal," says Lopez.

If you are among the 1.8 million followers of Mario Lopez on Instagram, you'll know about his love for tacos. The Lopez family takes their tacos seriously. Lopez and his wife Courtney usually encourage their kids to make their own tacos because they believe that if the kids make them, they most likely will eat them, too.  A typical taco includes pork, chicken, Mexican cheese, cilantro, radishes, limes, lettuce, green salsa, tomato salsa, sun dried tomato and sour cream. The tortillas are warmed directly over the flame to give a slight crispiness. They are stacked up and wrapped in a dish towel and usually complemented with a large root beer float. "Taco nights are always fun," says Lopez, as he demonstrates how tacos are made and had at his home in an episode of Home & Family.

Tuesdays are meant for taco feasts. A video posted by Lopez shows his kids munching on hard-shell tacos with Ramen. There, as it turns out, is a Mexican etiquette to eating tacos: You start eating from the corner, and not the middle, as we learn from the video. "This isn't pizza!" he tells the rather amused kids in the video.

His favorite of all the tacos out there is tacos de lengua – the tacos that are made with beef tongue. He usually has them with homemade tortillas and a mix of jalapeño, avocado, and eggs drenched in a generous amount of salsa verde.

When it comes to choosing between tea or coffee, it's hands down coffee for Mario Lopez. "In my world, every day is #NationalCoffeeDay," he announced in a tweet. "I even love coffee ice cream. People that don't drink coffee trip me out...," he adds. It's quite apparent that Lopez's daily diet has a good share of caffeine in it. He has been caught on camera walking around the streets of New York drinking iced coffee, slurping the last of the cup right before a news interview, and sharing a hot cup with Sofia Vergara. He has endorsed the coffee maker brand Nescafe Dolce Gusto, as well as Coffee Mate's cinnamon toast crunch flavor. In an interview done soon after his third son was born, Lopez admitted, "Hardly sleeping but a lot of coffee. Coffee all day!"

Even his zucchini brownie recipe calls for two fluid ounces of espresso coffee. When Lopez unabashedly takes to a beverage, trust that there is a reason for it. An episode of the On with Mario Lopez podcast refers to the positive effects of having coffee, quoting two studies published in Annals of Internal Medicine that show that "the more coffee people drank, the less likely they were to die early from heart disease, diabetes or cancer. Coffee didn't seem to have any effect on the risks of other illnesses, like the flu or Alzheimer's." 

Bananas are packed with all the good stuff that your body needs. They contain vitamins, fiber, and potassium. The pectin, the gelatinous substance that's in the bananas, helps control blood sugar and aids digestion. A not-so-ripe banana contains resistant starch, which is starch that is left undigested in the intestines, thereby not adding to the calories but at the same time making you feel quite full. (via Healthline)

Because of its super high carb and mineral content, it is an ideal fruit to carry around in your gym bag. Lopez has a banana before a workout. In fact, he has one every day. In a tweet posted on April 20, 2016, he wrote, "Happy #NationalBananaDay! The best fruit. Comes w/its own wrapper. I eat one every day. I like them kinda brown too." He also likes them red, by the way.

He has passed down his passion for the tropical fruit to his daughter Gia as well. She was seen eating a banana right before walking the red carpet at Dancing with the Stars, a show that Lopez was part of in 2017. As a family, the Lopezes beat the summer heat with Lopez's wife Courtney's frozen bananas coated with peanut butter. And for those who do not have the patience to let them freeze, Lopez suggests this: Chop some bananas, lay them on bread, spread some peanut butter, squirt some chocolate ... and there you have your "peanut butter banana chocolate sandwich."

Mario Lopez doesn't believe in diets. "People always ask me, well, you must have not had bread or pasta for years," he says in an interview and clarifies that it is "totally not true." 

Though it seems like the whole world is inclined toward a carb-free diet, Lopez says that, "It is a common misconception that carbs make you fat. When the right kinds are eaten in the proper amounts along with protein, carbs actually do the opposite," he writes in his book. So what are the right kinds of carbs? The options seem plenty: fruits, vegetables, whole grains (such as tortillas, whole wheat bread, English muffins, brown rice, oatmeal, whole grain cereals, and whole grain pastas), legumes, and non-fat milk or yogurt. The kind of carbs that you have to keep away from are sugar, candy, and soft drinks,which are just empty calories, he writes.

The key is to balance the intake of carbs, proteins, and fat. The ideal proportion is "50% carbs, 25% protein, and 25% healthy fats." He says breakfast can be heavy on carbs, since the body needs the energy after a whole night's break. There should be a balancing act between the meals. For example, if you have "grilled chicken and vegetables (something low in starchy carbs) for lunch, at dinner you can get away with a reasonable portion of rice, whole grain pasta or bread," he writes.