PSA: Coffee Is Not Breakfast

*Trigger Warning: Disordered eating

Oh, how I wanted to be Hilary Duff (more specifically, her character Lizzie McGuire) when I was younger. I tried to style my hair like her. I aspired to dress like her. I even forced myself to create the habit of pressing my right hand to the inside of my left arm while standing like her. Growing up alongside her, she has remained one of my role models as I’ve admired her ability to (seemingly) stay true to herself without giving into common celebrity pressures. But as the saying goes… all good things must come to an end. 

In a recent interview, Duff admitted that she tends to “starve off” her hunger by only having a cup of coffee for breakfast. My heart sank, first in a completely non-judgemental way. I genuinely felt sad to learn that one of my favorite celebrity figures is struggling with the same thing so many other women struggle with: the pressure to under-eat.  I then felt a wave of disappointment as I recognized that Duff is different from “so many other women” because she is the example that non-celebrity women strive to imitate. 

I would know because I used to be one of them. 

During a time when I was obsessed with being thin, I would  wake up at 6:15, leave Chicago at 7:00am to arrive in the south suburb of Orland Park by 7:40am. I would soon greet twenty-five, five year olds and get them all settled as we started our day together in our kindergarten classroom. The rush of hellos, random stories, tattling, bathroom requests, and repeated questions would soon calm, and we’d get to work. In two hours, we’d cover reading, math, and a special before I’d send them off to lunch. 

And up until their 10:40 lunchtime, all I would have was a half a cup of yogurt, if even. 

I’d then spend my lunch inhaling some salad before preparing to repeat the same chaotic pattern in the second half of the day. When 2:30 rolled around, I’d send them out the door and let out a deep exhale. I remember always feeling so depleted. 

I would then proceed to get in my car and play my daily game of “continuously nod off to sleep and hope that today isn’t the day I fall asleep so deeply that I actually hit the car in front of me.” 

It was a terrifying game that I don’t recommend to anyone. 

At the time, I blamed it on my demanding job and the fact that I probably wasn’t sleeping enough. 

Now, both of those things stand true and likely had an impact on my late-afternoon energy levels.  

What I never considered is that I was also extremely dehydrated and starved. Even if I were to get more sleep, I still wouldn’t have had the energy I needed to get through the day because I wasn’t eating enough. 

The thing is, our bodies need food for energy, and they don't get the energy they need from coffee. Coffee isn’t food. Coffee isn’t breakfast. 

Nor is a half a cup of yogurt. 

But this didn’t occur to me because 1. I didn’t know any better and 2. I was constantly complimented for my “discipline.”

I’m not sure I would have been as proud of and receptive to comments if people actually called it like it is: I was unenergized. I was under-eating. I was starving. 

And it’s about time we stop conflating under-eating and starvation with “discipline.” 

Instead, we need to call it like it is – under-eating and or starvation – and understand the impact. 

Short term – for instance, after one day of under-eating – you might feel extremely fatigued and have difficulty concentrating. Falling asleep and staying asleep at night may be difficult. You might frequently think about food. You might feel dizzy, bloated, inflamed, or dehydrated. 

Since all of the above is very uncomfortable, a period of under-eating can be followed by a period of overeating. For some, this might look like eating very little during the day and then eating a large meal along with lots and lots of additional snacks at night. This could also look like under-eating Monday through Friday afternoon and then eating everything you crave Friday through Sunday evening. 

This restrict-binge pattern often harms your mental relationship with food and can have other long-term physical effects, such as an increased risk for Type 2 Diabetes. 

Someone who consistently under-eats for weeks and months on end is susceptible to all of the above and an increased risk of extreme dry skin, hair loss, irregular or stopped menstruation, thyroid issues, pancreatitis, kidney failure, and even heart failure. 

The good news is it is possible, and in fact it’s encouraged to achieve a healthy lifestyle and a healthy weight by eating a wide variety of proteins, grains, vegetables, and fruits. Feeling hungry is GOOD and eating to make your hunger go away is even BETTER! In fact, for busy individuals who are working too much and sleeping too little, eating regularly throughout the day is the best way to feel as energized as possible as you make your way through your demanding to-do list. 

So, if you’re looking to make lifestyle changes and also for motivation or guidance, avoid following celebrities who encourage people to develop unhealthy and downright dangerous habits. Instead, follow qualified, certified professionals that can help you learn the science behind nutrition and how you can best meet your body’s needs. 

But if anything, please, please don’t consider coffee to be breakfast. 

If you or someone you know is potentially struggling with an eating disorder, call the National Eating Disorder helpline at (800) 931-2237 or click here for more resources.