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Allison Holker Was an ‘Almond Mom' to Daughter Weslie, 17, Throughout Her Childhood: ‘Extreme'
Allison Holker's eldest daughter, Weslie, is getting real about the 'strict' lessons her mom used to impose when it came to eating.
'My entire growing up — I say this to her all the time now — [but] she was so almond mom,' Weslie, 17, said on the Sunday, June 22, episode of their 'Between Us' podcast. 'She was like, 'You have to eat greens [and have] chicken every night.''
While Holker, 37, was unsure about the origins of the slang term 'almond mom,' she does concur that she acted that way when it came to food.
'I definitely was one with Weslie. I was very strict,' Holker said. 'I was cooking all of the time, and her lunches for school were all the organic versions of everything. Like, there were no processed snacks. Everything was, like, different types of nuts [and] I had a lot of dried fruit options.'
Allison Holker Admits She and Daughter Weslie, 16, Have Dealt With 'Hard Times': 'We've Beefed'
For the uninitiated, an 'almond mom' is defined as a parent who often imposes unhealthy eating habits and body image expectations onto their children. Holker, for her part, primarily raised Weslie as a single mother. (The Dancing With the Stars alum also shared son Maddox, 9, and daughter Zaia, 5, with late husband Stephen 'tWitch' Boss, who died in 2022.)
'I love a good chip [and] she would not let me eat it,' Weslie recalled on Sunday's episode. 'Now, she doesn't care! You're definitely a lot more [laid back now.]'
Holker has since recalibrated her parenting when it comes to food and eating since having Maddox and Zaia.
'With Weslie, I was, like, 'OK, we're going to do this. I'm going to be a good mom.' At that moment, I thought that being a good mom meant that everything was healthy,' Holker said. 'I was researching everything that was in our kitchen, and I was really diligent about it. I think in a lot of ways it helped me, though I was a little extreme in it.'
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She added, 'I don't know if it was for the right reasons, but I did want to have a healthy lifestyle. I was like, 'I'm gonna be the best mom if I do this.' It was a really good choice for me because it educated me more, but then I feel everything comes with balance.'
To allow for better balance in her kids' diet, Holker lets them have fast food or other snacks in moderation.
'There's a lot of healthy options in our home, but I also allow them to be children,' Holker said. 'I found a little more joy in it, too. I'm just teaching now what I'm trying to do. With Weslie, I was a little strict and now with Maddox and Zaia, I want to be a little more well-balanced.'
If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, visit the National Alliance for Eating Disorders website or call their hotline at +1 (866) 662-1235. Text "ALLIANCE" to 741741 for free, 24/7 support.
