Former Love Island contestant Montana Brown, 30, has revealed that she feeds her two young children whole nuts from the age of eight months, openly defying official health advice from the National Health Service.
The reality television personality acknowledged that her choice to give whole nuts to three-year-old Jude and 20-month-old Miley is controversial because they pose a choking risk. However, she explained that she wanted her children to get used to eating nuts early in order to prevent them from developing a severe allergy to them.
According to official NHS guidance, whole nuts should not be given to children under five years old because they can choke on them. The health authority recommends that nuts served to young children should instead be crushed, ground, or added to food in the form of nut butter. The National Health Service provides public healthcare services across the United Kingdom.
Addressing her followers on social media, Brown admitted that her feeding routine goes against conventional medical guidance. "I know giving children nuts is seen as a choking hazard and controversial," she wrote. "However, having grown up with a severe allergy… it’s been important for me to introduce early."
Brown expressed her opinion that early introduction helps children learn to eat safely. "I also am of the opinion that if we don’t teach our kids to chew things properly especially when they’re small then I’m not sure it’s helpful to avoid giving them until they’re older?" she stated. She noted that she enforces strict rules during mealtimes: "I have always made of point of sitting them down when eating nuts and seeds at the table, no distractions and explaining that it’s even more important to chew your food when we’re eating nuts, seeds or anything small like blueberries etc."
The television star explained that she initially prepared nuts by blending them before introducing solid pieces. "I used to blend the nuts up and put them in yoghurt, and when they hit 8/9 months I introduced whole nuts (but please get professional advice as the NHS guidance is different on this)," she wrote. She added: "Their nutritional value is out of this world, and so good as a snack throughout the day so this works for us and our family."
Childhood nutrition and dietary choices
Brown further detailed her approach to child nutrition, explaining that she prioritises fibre in her children's diet. "90% of kids don’t hit their recommended fibre intake which is wild as I thought fruit and veg would suffice," she wrote. "But this is another reason why nuts and seeds are an easy way to get that up." She noted that parents reluctant to serve whole nuts can use nut butter instead, adding: "They’re also so many lovely nut butters available too if you don’t want to give them whole. My kids are also obsessed with dried fruit like prunes and apricots."
In addition to nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, Brown disclosed that she prioritises wild caught fish, grass fed meat, pickles, olives, and broccoli sprouts in her children's diet.
Backlash over school lunches and sugar
The post regarding nut consumption is the latest in a series of parenting topics that have sparked criticism online, with critics previously calling her posts tone deaf rage-baiting. Previously, Brown generated significant controversy after blasting schools for serving desserts with school lunches.
Brown slammed schools for serving sticky toffee pudding every day and alleged that children were also offered biscuits at break time, arguing that the practice normalises exposure to addictive sugar and ultra-processed foods. "Why do children need desserts every day at school? Like why do they need a sticky toffee pudding every day?..." she said to the camera, comparing the situation to an adult eating sticky toffee pudding and custard at work every lunch.
She continued: "I'm deadset this is why all of us have weight issues as It's so difficult to kind of wean yourself off like the sugar and all of this crap because at school it was just the norm..." Brown asserted that children should not have pudding, stating: "You’d have pudding after pudding after pudding and I am a firm believer that just kids shouldn’t have pudding. They should have yogurt and fruit and if they're still hungry they should be having extra protein..." Addressing expected backlash, she added: "And I know you guys hate it when I talk about this but this is genuinely how I feel. I’m not even rage baiting."
Her remarks prompted a furious reaction from followers who accused her of demonising sugar. Many commentators flagged that for children living in poverty, school meals could represent their only hot meal of the day, making her stance controversial.
Controversies over food pouches and medicine
In another post on TikTok, Brown sparked backlash after sharing what followers called a patronising post complaining that parents shouldn't buy ready-made pouches for their children. She said she was sickened that parents were lured into buying kid-friendly products like branded snacks and pouches of food, insisting that most of them are full of c**p. She acknowledged that avoiding ultra-processed food when preparing family meals has become hard, and urged parents to give their children a piece of carrot or cucumber instead.
The post triggered a sea of complaints, with critics accusing Brown of guilt-tripping parents who rely on pouches to feed their children while juggling busy work schedules.
Brown also sparked fury among parents after detailing her thoughts on using Calpol and how she opposes the children's medicine. In a video addressing what to do when a child has a temperature, she stated that she does not use the medicine, claiming it counteracts the body's reaction to a virus.
Many of her followers accused her of spreading dangerous misinformation, pointing out that Calpol is used to relieve discomfort and reduce fever, which can put children at risk of febrile seizures. During the discussion, Brown recalled taking her son Jude to A&E rather than giving Calpol, sharing that she gave him homemade soup and homeopathic tinctures when his temperature reached 40 degrees. Tinctures are concentrated herbal extracts, typically made by dissolving plant or animal material in ethanol for medical purposes.
