If you grew up hearing things like:
🙄 “Are you sure you need seconds?”
😖 “Ugh, I was so bad today — I ate a cookie.”
😡 “We don’t keep chips in the house. Too tempting!”
… you might have been raised by an almond mom.
So, let’s break it down — what is an almond mom, where did the term come from, and how do we make sure we’re not passing this mindset on to the next generation?
Content warning: This article discusses disordered eating — if you don’t want to read about it, you don’t have to.
In this article: 📝
- What does “almond mom” mean?
- Where did the term “almond mom” come from?
- How do almond moms behave?
- Why almond mom culture is a problem
- How to make sure you’re not an almond mom
What does “almond mom” mean?
An almond mom is someone (usually a mother, but almond dads are also a thing) who pushes restrictive, diet-focused attitudes about food and body image — often under the guise of “health.”
They’re not necessarily starving themselves, but they’re hyper-aware of calories, labels food as “good” or “bad,” and treats eating like a moral decision.
Almond moms usually mean well.
Many grew up in the peak ‘90s diet culture era, where SlimFast shakes and Special K cereal “diets” were a thing (yikes).
They were taught that controlling food = controlling life.
Almond moms are the product of that era, passing down the same calories in, calories out mentality they were raised with — whether they meant to or not.
Kids raised by almond moms often develop a messed-up relationship with food, struggling with guilt, restriction, binge eating, or even full-blown eating disorders.
Crunchy mom vs. almond mom: what’s the difference?
Not every health-conscious mom is an almond mom.
A crunchy mom focuses on natural parenting — think organic food, cloth diapers, and essential oils.
While crunchy moms might be particular about ingredients (no artificial dyes! no seed oils!), they’re not always obsessed with restriction.
On the other hand, an almond mom isn’t just about what you eat — it’s about how little you eat.
Their focus is often on portion control, weight loss, and avoiding bad foods rather than nutritional benefits.
Butter mom vs. almond mom: total opposites
If almond moms are all about restriction, their polar opposite is the butter mom — a term for moms who embrace full-fat everything and don’t stress about calories.
Butter moms serve up rich, hearty meals without a second thought about macros.
An almond mom might say, “Do you know how many calories are in that?” while a butter mom is piling extra butter on your mashed potatoes.
One is constantly calculating, the other is enjoying the food.
Almond mom vs. granola mom: the overlap
A granola mom (sometimes called an “ingredient mom”) falls somewhere in between an almond mom and a crunchy mom.
They’re into whole foods, natural living, and health-conscious choices, but without the obsessive food guilt.
Granola moms will swap out processed snacks for homemade granola bars but won’t lecture their kids about calories.
They might prefer organic everything, but they’re not promoting diet culture like an almond mom would.
Where did the term “almond mom” come from?
The term exploded online after a resurfaced clip of Yolanda Hadid advising her daughter, Gigi, to “have a couple of almonds and chew them really well” — after Gigi said she felt weak.
(She’s since said that the comment was taken out of context and that she was half-asleep when she said it, having recently had surgery.)
But almond moms aren’t just a celebrity thing — they’re everywhere.
They’re the moms who swear by clean eating, label food as good or bad, and constantly talk about dieting.
The phrase almond mom took off thanks to social media, but the concept has been around forever.
How do almond moms behave?
Almond moms might not raise their voices or physically abuse their children — they might think that their way of parenting is to the benefit of their child.
Here are some examples of how almond moms can behave:
- Moralize food choices (“I was good today — I only had a salad.”)
- Encourage restriction (“You don’t need seconds, just drink some water!”)
- Obsess over weight and appearance (“I need to lose five pounds before vacation.”)
- Fear “bad” foods (“We don’t keep sweets in the house — too tempting!”)
Why almond mom culture is a problem
Almond mom culture, characterized by promoting restrictive eating habits and an obsession with thinness, can have significant negative impacts on children’s physical and mental health.
Here’s why:
1. Development of disordered eating behaviors
Children often model their parents’ attitudes toward food.
When exposed to restrictive eating patterns and negative body talk, they may develop unhealthy relationships with food, leading to disordered eating behaviors.
Research indicates that parental influence is a significant factor in the development of children’s eating behaviors, potentially contributing to conditions like anorexia and bulimia. [1-5]
2. Body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem
Emphasizing thinness as an ideal can lead children to internalize unrealistic body standards, resulting in body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem.
Studies have shown that exposure to the thin ideal is associated with negative psychological effects, including increased anger, depressed mood, and decreased self-worth. [6,7]
3. Increased risk of mental health issues
The pressure to conform to restrictive diets and maintain a specific body image can increase stress and anxiety in children.
This environment may contribute to the development of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety disorders.
Nutritional psychiatry research has established a link between diet and mental health, highlighting that unhealthy eating patterns can negatively affect mood and overall mental well-being. [8-10]
4. Perpetuation of diet culture
Almond mom culture reinforces harmful diet culture norms, which prioritize appearance over health and well-being.
This perpetuation can lead to a cycle where children adopt similar behaviors and attitudes, continuing the spread of diet culture across generations. [11]
The rise of explicit diet talk on social media platforms exemplifies how these harmful norms are disseminated and normalized. [12]
5. Impact on physical health
Encouraging restrictive eating can result in nutritional deficiencies and negatively affect children’s physical development.
For instance, pressuring children to adhere to specific diets or body standards can contribute to unhealthy eating behaviors and weight issues.
Research has shown that parental pressure regarding diet can influence children’s eating behaviors and weight status. [13,14]
How to make sure you’re not an almond mom
If you’re a parent now, the good news is you get to break the cycle.
Here’s how to be the opposite of an almond mom:
✔ Ditch the food guilt. No food is “bad” or “good” — it’s just food.
✔ Stop body talk. Don’t comment on your own weight, your kids’, or anyone else’s.
✔ Eat with your kids. Enjoy the food. Model a healthy, balanced approach, eating a variety of foods — including the “fun” ones — without shame.
✔ Focus on how food makes you feel — not just how it looks on a label.
✔ Let them listen to their bodies. Kids are naturally good at knowing when they’re hungry or full — trust them.
✔ Reframe movement. Exercise should feel good, not be a punishment for eating.
And if you do catch yourself saying something almond-mom-y?
Give yourself grace.
Unlearning decades of diet culture isn’t easy — but your kids will remember the way you made them feel about food, not what you actually ate. ❤️