In recent conversations with some of my close friends, it has come to my attention that I have been dubbed the “almond friend.” A play on the popularized caricature of the “almond mom” on social media, the almond friend shares a similar obsession with health and fitness to these moms, who often project their extreme health habits onto their children.
Yolanda Hadid, the mother of supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid, was one of the first people to receive this title after videos circulated online of her telling Gigi to “have a couple of almonds, and chew them really well” in response to her daughter saying that she felt “really weak.” Now, people show off their “almond moms,” who tend to live in “ingredient households,” where their house’s snacks are often miscellaneous components of a meal like dried fruit or dark chocolate chips, instead of packaged snacks. While I may have had a more “crunchy” upbringing in California — growing up on PBS Kids and being aware of what a GMO was at an early age — I can’t blame my passion for health and wellness on my parents.
Truthfully, I love hearing about new wellness trends, regardless of how wacky or impractical they may be. I have tried taking sea moss as a natural multivitamin and spending my paycheck on trendy workout classes, and I am embarrassed to say how many times I will visit Erewhon when I’m in LA.
While I can assure you I don’t push my personal nutrition choices on my friends, we do giggle about my own “ingredient household” dorm snack pantry (filled with kale chips, grain-free cereal and paleo granola) and my affinity for health and wellness. Whether it’s trying out some new weird supplement (currently reviewing Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme gummies), deciding to run a half-marathon for fun, or trying to convince my friends to go to a healthy vegan soft serve spot for dessert, I have to admit there is some validity behind the title.
So whether you’re an almond friend, sibling or parent, as long as you are still enjoying food and finding joy in health and wellness without projecting extremities onto others, keep it up. At some point, someone will realize you weren’t wrong about kombucha, journaling or any other healthy tip they may have rolled their eyes at before.
