The term ‘Almond Mom’ has been all over TikTok recently, and it is something as parents we need to seriously think about.
Almond Mums not only impose a strict diet culture on their children, they also make constant comments about weight and sacrificing food over nutrition.
Basically, “almond mums” dole out unhealthy but unfortunately common eating advice.
“I’m glad we’re calling out [almond moms] on this app,” says one TikToker named Dr. Karla, who posts as @imecommunity and says she’s a pediatrician. “This is a really concerning trend. It’s really harmful…it’s rooted in diet culture, internalized bias, fatphobia, projection, the pursuit of thin privilege, and not health.”
The term “Almond Mum” stems from a 2013 episode of Bravo reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, featuring star Yolanda Hadid and her then-teenage daughter, Gigi.
Gigi, who is now a model, told her mother over the phone that she was “feeling really weak”, having only eaten “half an almond”.
In response, Yolanda advised the 17-year-old to “have a couple of almonds and chew them really well”.
TikTok users have donned the term “almond moms” while referencing internalised fatphobia, disordered eating and restrictive food habits of so-called almond mums the world over.
“Grocery shopping with your almond mom,” and “POV: You live in an almond mom household” read two such videos, which involve examples of problematic beliefs around food that parents can project onto their children.
Gwyneth Paltrow was recently called “the mother of all almond moms” after disclosing her “wellness routine” featuring bone broth followed by a one-hour workout.
Lauren Cadillac, a registered dietitian who responded to the podcast clip on TikTok, told Insider’s Kieran Press-Reynolds “there was so much wrong” with Paltrow’s regimen she didn’t even know “where to begin.”
“So much of what we see marketed as wellness is actually quite disordered,” Cadillac said.
In the caption of her duetted video, Cadillac wrote that Paltrow wasn’t eating enough food for someone her height and cautioned viewers against following celebrity diets.
“Please stop following and listening to celebrities for your health and wellness advice,” she wrote.
ABC Kids show Bluey was recently in the media accused of fat shaming when an episode showed husband-and-wife Bandit and Chilli weighing themselves on bathroom scales, in which Bandit sighs, “Aw man”, before touching the excess skin on his stomach.
Parents were left horrified with many turning to Bluey’s official Twitter and Facebook pages to share their not so subtle opinions.
For support please contact:
Butterfly Foundation National Helpline: 1800 334 673
Lifeline: 13 11 13
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
