A mother who came up with a healthy alternative snack for her children before dinner has sparked a debate among parents.
Kathleen Ashmore recently took to TikTok to share her “lettuce chips” recipe, which she revealed consists of chopped heads of romaine lettuce, which should look like chips and be dipped in some type of salad dressing.
“Serve this to your kids before dinner and be surprised at how much lettuce they will eat,” his clip began. “This is how I get my kids to eat a whole head of lettuce, and if you were offended by my lettuce chips the last time I posted, you'll want to look away.”
Ashmore explained that she treats French fries as a way for her kids to eat salad. “I assure you, your children will have a lot of fun eating lettuce,” her video concludes.
Shortly after the post, the mother's TikTok received more than a million views, with comments divided on whether the snack alternative was a good idea or not. “Before the crazy people get into the chat, my kids also eat a lot of chips and tortillas. K? K,” Ashmore preemptively defended herself in the comments section.
Some commenters praised the mother, thinking that the idea was very creative and could give children the opportunity to really enjoy eating vegetables.
“My husband eats anything I put on a pretty plate and displays it on the kitchen island. Olives, grapes, carrots. Lettuce chips! Great idea!” wrote one commenter.
Another commenter agreed, writing, “My kids love the taste of dressing, so this is a great way to fill up on veggies. Thank you for this.”
Others ended up questioning exactly what kids were supposed to get from the snack, drawing comparisons to the “almond mom” trend.
The term comes from a 2013 episode of the Bravo reality show. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsstarring star Yolanda Hadid and her then-teenage daughter, Gigi.
Gigi, who is now a model, told her mother on the phone that she felt “very weak” and had only eaten “half an almond.”
In response, Yolanda advised the 17-year-old to “take a couple of almonds and chew them very well.”
“You do realize that lettuce has no nutritional value, right?” asked one commenter.
Another commenter agreed, writing, “Isn't there almost 0 nutritional value in lettuce?”
That comment came up so frequently that Ashmore created a follow-up video to address the question. “The number of people who are here actually thinking that lettuce has no nutritional value, romaine lettuce in particular, is completely staggering,” he began his video.
The mother said that if people had taken the time to Google the nutritional value of lettuce, they would have found many articles proving them wrong before she found an article herself.
“This one is from a little place called Harvard,” Ashmore said. “Some of the most nutritious greens are spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, watercress, and arugula. They are rich in a combination of vitamins A, C and K, several B vitamins and potassium.”
As Ashmore noted, Harvard University Health states that “most salad greens contain essential dietary nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and even water” and “some of the most nutritious greens include spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, watercress, and arugula.” “. that they have a “combination of vitamins A, C and K; several B vitamins (including folate); and potassium.” However, Harvard notes that some greens are less nutritious than others, such as iceberg lettuce, which “contains folate and vitamin A, but is known to be the least nutrient-dense salad green.”
She added that the most important part of snacking for her was exposing her children to vegetables and making them “fun” for her children.
“I don't rely on romaine lettuce chips before dinner to provide me with all my vitamins,” Ashmore clarified.
