Kelly Ripa Makes Christmas Exception For McRib Gift From McDonald's

Kelly Ripa usually sticks to a strict diet, but she makes an exception once a decade. On Wednesday, the Live with Kelly and Ryan co-host shared a video of herself opening a Christmas gift bag early to reveal a McRib from McDonald's. Ripa's fans found the video hilarious but were surprised to see her break her diet. McDonald's announced the return of the McRib for the holiday season on Dec. 2.

"Sometimes Christmas comes early," Ripa wrote on Instagram. She tagged her producer, Albert Bianchini to let him know this would not be a regular thing. "It's once every ten years, calm down!" she wrote in parenthesis. The background music for the clip was a portion of "The Nutcracker Suite."

It was surprising to see Ripa, 50, indulge in a fast-food sandwich since she is known to stick to a strict diet. In the past, she has voiced support for the alkaline diet. "It has changed my life... I swear I think it's responsible for me not being in pain," she said on the show, reports Good Housekeeping.

The alkaline diet promotes foods that are supposed to keep pH levels in the body low, so foods that are not acidic or have too much sugar are prioritized. Some alkaline diet plans are similar to a vegan diet, but the value of the diet is up for debate. "Whole, real, unprocessed foods are quite beneficial to the body, but no reliable evidence suggests it has much to do with pH levels," dietician Stefani Sassos told Good Housekeeping. "Eating more vegetables, cutting back on sugar, reducing your consumption of processed foods, and drinking more water are just general recommendations that are good for your health."