Being a crunchy mom is not for the weak, but being a parent far removed from being in any way crunchy also means trying not to judge others. But when a mom on TikTok, Stephanie, posted about how she makes gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free treats for her kids to bring as their own personal treats for birthday parties, the internet didn’t hold back.
While the idea behind her methods seems to be that Stephanie just wants her kids to be healthy, other parents and even some healthcare professionals sounded off in the comments. Some users joked about what Stephanie’s kids will have to deal with, growing up. Others questioned Stephanie’s crusade against refined sugar altogether.
A mom admitted that she doesn’t use refined sugar, gluten, or dairy for birthday treats for her kids.
In Stephanie’s video, she explains that she and her kids are headed to a birthday party, but they don’t eat dairy or refined sugar. Because of that, she prepares their own treats for when they attend parties. This isn’t the biggest deal in the world, and plenty of vegan parents have the same protocol for their kids. But apparently, people draw the line at depriving children of refined sugar.
“I made these chocolate black bean muffins that have squash and black beans, and it’s a flourless little recipe,” she explains. “So I’m gonna take these with us so they get to have a little sweet treat without having to leave them out of that. And then also on top, I have this ganache that I froze.”
She explains that the ganache is “made out of coconut cream, chocolate, a little maple syrup, and vanilla and salt.” But that, too, is a little much for some parents, who quickly commented to blast Stephanie for doing too much to prevent her kids from having refined sugar, dairy, and gluten at a birthday party.
A dietitian criticized the mom for her choices for her kids.
One of the users in the comments under Stephanie’s video about her healthy alternative to cupcakes claimed to be a dietitian. They wrote, “I’m a dietitian. I also make chocolate pumpkin muffins and chocolate black bean brownies for my kids. We also eat cake at birthday parties. Everything in moderation. Deprivation is not sustainable.”
“My mom was like this and I’m 43 and have dealt with eating disorders really bad my entire life,” another person shared. “I’m serious.”
A parent added, “My son had a friend whose family is like this. As he got older I watched as he obsessed over food at the snack shack at the field or at friends houses. The entire focus was food. These kids will eventually be out of moms control and they may have wildly unhealthy eating habits.”
Someone else joked, “Just take the cabinet door off and let them snack on that.”
But something tells me Stephanie isn’t too concerned with the comments, because a lot of her content is about her methods of parenting and feeding her kids that might not be the most common even as she stands firm in her decisions.
Other people speculated about how her kids feel.
Other users commented to share how they think Stephanie’s choices for her kids’ food is going to affect them in the long run. Of course, they have no way of knowing for sure, but internet comments are about playing dirty.
“They will end up sneaking food around like it’s treason,” someone theorized. “Way to go, Mama.”
“You’re going to create sneaky kids,” another user added.
But again, Stephanie seems to stand ten toes down on her decisions for her kids’ overall health and eating habits.
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