"You're going to give them eating issues", "You're being a killjoy", "You're making them crave junk food more by depriving them of it", "It doesn't matter what kids eat - they burn it all off."
The above comments are all ones I've heard from other parents whilst trying to persuade my kids to choose fresh, nutritious food over a highly processed alternative.
I've felt judged sometimes and it was often hard work. My son was wary of most foods when he was very young (I learnt later this was called neophobia) and things that came in packets felt safer to him. More sanitised. Think crisps over messy hummus. A Jaffa Cake over a satsuma with the "yucky" pith and peel.
© Ken McKay/ITV/ShutterstockThis week's headlines about slushy drinks causing the hospitalisation of 21 children have brought the above issues to the front of my mind again.
A new report said the kids had suffered from slushy-induced glycerol intoxication syndrome, which caused a massive (and potentially lethal) drop in their blood sugar.
I'm aware food and diet are always a contentious subject and kick up all kinds of emotions. It taps into body shaming and self-worth, and I sincerely hope my words don't upset or trigger anyone. I also don't claim to be right about any of these things and am always open to being educated - which my teenage daughter does on the regular.
© InstagramFirstly, I'd like to clarify I'm not an "almond mum" in the TikTok sense. This kind of almond mum is about limiting their children/teenagers' food intake to keep them fitting the slim beauty standard.
It has its roots in a 2013 Real Housewives episode where supermodel Gigi Hadid tells her mother she's feeling weak having eaten only half an almond and her mother Yolanda responds by telling her to have a couple more and "chew them really well."
© WWD, GettyThis went viral with Gen Z horrified at Yolanda's apparent encouragement of a restricted diet. She says her words were taken out of context.
Me? I'm an almond mum in the literal sense in that I give my kids almonds. And cashews. And fruit. And vegetables. And have always been discouraging of fizzy drinks and any food that has a sell-by date that runs into months.
I absolutely do not do this so they will fit into some 'ideal' body shape, but because I want them to live a long life, unhampered by disease.
© Highwaystarz-PhotographyAnd I think a snack of almonds over a Mars Bar will give them the best chance of that. I don't want them to have rotten teeth or diabetes or any of the conditions that come with a high sugar, high UPF diet.
As an adult I have the benefit of knowing that food companies will put profits before human health and that whilst it may seem easy to eat a packet of Quavers for lunch, it isn't great in the long term.
I do question how I disseminate all this information to my kids without giving them hang-ups. I really don't want my children to feel guilty every time they have an ice cream.
I wasn't that mother who restricted what they ate at other children's parties. But I understand people who do, just as I understand people who are relaxed about giving their kids the freedom to choose.
As always, I don't know where the sweet spot lies on all this. I just know nuts are the nuts.
