Turkey with a side of scorn...?

For Thanksgiving dinner, what side dish would you prefer to accompany your turkey — a serving of well-marinated conflict over how much or how little you eat, or some nice, fresh criticism of your cooking skills?

As families gather around the country this week to celebrate Thanksgiving, many of them are bracing for the intense emotions of the holiday meal. The combination of food and family often brings out longstanding tensions, criticism and battles for control. Simple issues like cooking with butter or asking for seconds are fraught with family conflict and commentary.

“If we had an audiotape of a lot of families talking together, you would hear so much chatter about what other people are eating, who gained weight, who lost weight, who’s eating like a bird, who’s having seconds,” notes Cynthia M. Bulik, director of the eating disorders program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

NY Times Well-- Food, Kin and Tension at Thanksgiving By TARA PARKER-POPE Published: November 23, 2009

If you decide to pass on the turkey with your family, that's ok...sometimes you have to know when these kinds of emotional gatherings just aren't good for your health and emotional well being.

Just don't forget to give thanks, count your blessings, grab a slice of pie and call it a night!

Wellness, love, and blessings this Thanksgiving holiday!
--janein