What is an 'Almond Mum'? Sad truth behind the viral parenting trend

"My mother encouraged and praised me for it," reads one online comment. Warning: sensitive content. 

The term 'Almond Mom' has been all over TikTok recently, and it's both a good (because it opens up a conversation) and a bad thing - and something as parents we need to think about.

We have Real Housewives alum Yolanda Hadid - mum of supermodels Gigi and Bella - to thank for this.

And she's bloody proud of it, too.

Are you following us on TikTok? Head to Kidspot Official to watch our latest videos

RELATED: Playing with ultra-thin dolls linked to disordered eating

What is an Almond Mum?

Yolanda Hadid, a former model herself, regularly demonstrated on the reality show a very careful, considered approach to eating.

She made comments about her daughters 'eating like men' and told them they need to choose between sport and modelling - as the requirements of their bodies for each pursuit is different.

Then there was the time (which has since become a viral moment) when Gigi called her mum, saying that she was feeling "really weak" from hunger.

In response, Yolanda recommended she eat "a couple of almonds and chew them well."

Hence the term, which was born from the backlash, 'Almond Mom' (or mum, as we would say).

To make things worse, Yolanda posted a clip to her TikTok, making light of the criticisms about her parenting by posing with a big bowl of almonds, which she nibbles on as she does yoga, drives around her property, and inspects her garden.

Her stance is one of defiance, as she nonchalantly eats her almonds.

The caption of the video says it all: "#worstmomever" #almonds".

It should be noted that although Yolanda has put almonds as a meal substitute when you're starving back in the spotlight, the questionable eating 'strategy' has been around for a while. It was popular during the late 80s and early 90s when the 'waif' look was in, with strong pressure on girls and young women to be as slender as possible.

Sadly, much of that pressure came from their mothers, as evidenced by the hashtag #almondmoms.

Almond Mums are now being called out online, in TikToks such as this one, where one woman recalls her mother telling her, "You're not hungry, just bored."

Almond Mums not only impose a strict diet culture on their children, they also make constant comments about weight and sacrificing food over nutrition.

Yolanda Hadid with her almonds. Source: TikTok

RELATED: Mum allows son to spend $10 at canteen every day

"The pursuit of thin privilege"

A TikTok user who goes by Dr Karla, has called out Almond Mums in a recent clip. You can watch her video in full above.

Her caption reads: "Almond Moms are addicted to the pursuit of thin privilege and get a dopamine hit by subsuming their child in their disordered eating. The child's weight is completely irrelevant," and she includes these hashtags:  "#yolandahadidflop #narcissisticparents #pediatriciansoftiktok #lifeandweightcoach #obesitydoctor"

One viewer of the video replied, "I stopped eating as a teen for a while and was extremely skinny. My mother encouraged and praised me for it."

Another shared, "I have an almond dad. He made all the comments while eating whatever he wanted and was always thin."

What an Aussie doctor thinks of almonds as a substitute meal

Melbourne Paediatrician Dr Trupti Prasad says, "I would encourage people to listen to their body's signal to eat, and eat a nourishing snack or meal when hungry.

"Almonds can certainly be part of that - they are a great snack and super nutritious - but eating a couple of almonds slowly is going to satisfy the biological need for food."

Dr Prasad added, "It's very important as parents to role model a healthy relationship with food and body image to our children, to help overcome some of the more insidious and pervasive diet and thinness messages out there.

"A model of feeding is the Ellyn Satter Division of Responsibility model, you create and provide meals and offer them to your child regularly and predictably; they eat to their appetite. 

"Offer a range of foods, all with neutral moral value - no good or bad labels - and your child learns to enjoy a wide range of foods."

For fabulous recipes including almonds, check out the Kidspot Kitchen.

This post was published in October 2022 and updated in August 2023.

Originally published as What is an 'Almond Mum'? Sad truth behind the viral parenting trend