What is the 'almond mom' TikTok trend and why is it problematic?

Daughters have been taking to TikTok to post videos about their "almond moms" as part of a TikTok trend that originated last year.

Often on social media, different slang words are created and in turn, begin to trend - so what does it actually mean to be an "almond mom"?

"It's basically moms that grew up stuck in diet culture and yoyo diets in the 80s/90s and can survive now on 2 almonds a day and make you feel bad for being hungry or ever ordering a full meal out instead of lemon water and side salad," TikToker @brookeelwood succinctly explained.

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Of course, simply eating almonds isn't enough to sustain our bodies as health professionals say we should be eating three meals per day.

When searching the term "almond moms," the hashtag has over 52.8m as women have shared their experience of growing up with a diet-obsessed mother (and all the trauma that comes along with it).

Different TikToks have been created on the matter include parody POVs, showing what is in their mother's food cupboards and how they're recovering from this learned behaviour.

For example, in some videos daughters recall the different quotes their "almond mom" instilled in them growing up such as "You should eat slower then your food will last longer," and "You're not hungry, you're bored."

The trend began at the end of last year and resurged around Thanksgiving and Christmas as both are holidays where a lot of food is typically consumed and also where the daughter returns home for the festivities.

While "almond moms" were being discussed on TikTok, the term began going viral in October last year after a clip from The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills resurfaced of Yolanda and Gigi Hadid.

In the viral video, Yolanda receives a call from Gigi where the model says she's not feeling too well as she had only had half an almond.

"Have a couple of almonds, and chew them really well," Yolanda advised her daughter in response, prompting backlash.

Yolanda hadn't commented on the clip until it went viral and appeared to respond with a TikTok video of herself eating almonds from a huge bowl as she relaxed on a chair, took a leisurely stroll, drove a golf cart, smelled flowers, and hung out with her horses and goats.

For the caption, she wrote: "#worstmumever," and "'almonds," seemingly referencing people's outrage at her.

Amid the controversy, Yolanda explained in an interview with PEOPLE that the viral clip was taken out of context.

"I always have a bag of almonds or a different kind of nut in my bag because when my blood sugar drops, I can grab a hand of nuts and eat them," she said.

"It's really good for that. But it's not that I use it as a diet food. I don't believe in diets anyway."

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